“Rent a womb! 12 units would fit on that back wall, at 4 thousand a piece, that would be £48,000 easy, a fair price for 9 months I think.” This is just one of the weird and wonderful conversations to float around VIVA's HQ.

This may seem a little unusual to kick off a blog post chronicling my two weeks with this Birmingham-based Marketing Agency, although I feel it's a prime example of the interaction between the team and it's the essence of these colourful conversations that great ideas spur from.

On my first day, I was hit by the visuals that awaited you in the small reception area. An array of expressive posters, hand picked magazines and welcoming surroundings, giving me a taste of what to expect from this agency. This contrast is a true reflection of VIVA's work; visually stimulating and strategically executed.

Progress a little further and you are greeted by the members of team. Each area is crucial to the next and everyone works with vigour and flare in order to create the best possible work. From Simon, the design expert with a concerning addiction to chocolate, to the web wizard Guillaume Piot and his enlightening opinions on subject matter such as physics and his nationality. Everybody plays a vital role in what is an awesome atmosphere, which reaffirms the settings in which I prefer to work.

In terms of tasks, I was given the chance to work on a number of different areas including design, branding, digital and participating in research. Each task was insightful from the initial briefing stage to the feedback of the work I had produced.

Everyone in the design team were always happy to give a helping hand and at no point was I left with the feeling that I was a spare part or an inconvenience to the studio.

Another impressive aspect is how everyone is constantly pursuing ways in which they can improve the agency through new avenues. For example, the “VIVA Sessions” are an interesting concept, which is a group activity where the team undertake tasks in relation to a certain topic. Knowing that an agency is constantly looking to widen their knowledge is clear evidence that you can never be standing still within the creative industry; otherwise you will be left behind. This transparency was great to see.

As well as this, they are all unbelievably hardworking. You arrive in the morning and leave in the evening to the noise of keyboards and a variety of background music. This showed me the amount of hard work and dedication it takes to run a successful agency.

This short blog may not be the best reflection of my two weeks at VIVA Aspire as it would be a real struggle to cram everything in. All I would like to say is that I’m extremely grateful to the team that made my time such an enjoyable experience and I can confidently say I have a much clearer direction in which to prog­­­­­­ress with my career due to this placement.

Mack (@MckStevens) was here thanks to his participation in B-Hive 2012.

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