Established in 2004, OLIVER is the world’s first and only specialist in designing, building, and running bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. We partner with over 300 clients in 40+ countries and counting. Our unique model drives creativity and efficiency, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate deeply with audiences.
As a part of The Brandtech Group, we're at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision-making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results.
Role: Communication Design Intern
Location: Durban, South Africa (Hybrid, 3 days a week in Studio)
About the role:
OLIVER South Africa’s Communication Design Internship Programme is a 12-month opportunity offering practical experience in conceptual thinking, visual communication and creative design within a fast-paced marketing environment.
Working alongside experienced designers, creative leads and client services teams, you will learn how to interpret briefs and turn insights into original, relevant visual ideas. You will gain exposure to communication design, graphic design and motion graphics while developing your creative thinking, technical skills and understanding of the end-to-end design process.
At OLIVER, we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences are valued.
What you will be doing:
- Interpret creative briefs, audience insights and key messages.
- Generate original ideas and translate them into purposeful design concepts.
- Create mood boards, sketches, storyboards and concept presentations.
- Develop creative work for campaigns, digital content, social media and brand communications.
- Apply typography, layout, colour, imagery and visual hierarchy effectively.
- Adapt concepts and assets for different audiences, platforms and formats.
- Support the creation of motion graphics, simple animations and video content.
- Conduct visual, cultural, competitor and design-trend research.
- Contribute to brainstorming, concept-development and creative review sessions.
- Present ideas and explain the thinking behind creative decisions.
- Refine work based on feedback from creative leads, colleagues and clients.
- Prepare accurate artwork and design files for review, production and delivery.
- Collaborate with designers, copywriters and client services teams.
- Participate in structured training, coaching and mentorship sessions.
What you need to be great in this role:
- A genuine interest in conceptual thinking, communication design and visual storytelling.
- A completed degree or National Diploma in Communication Design, Graphic Design, Visual Communication or a related field.
- A portfolio demonstrating conceptual thinking, creative exploration and strong design fundamentals.
- The ability to develop ideas from initial research and sketches through to final execution.
- A good understanding of typography, layout, colour, composition and visual hierarchy.
- Familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
- Exposure to After Effects, Premiere Pro or motion design would be advantageous.
- Strong creative problem-solving, critical-thinking and communication skills.
- Excellent attention to detail and openness to constructive feedback.
- Good organisational and time-management skills.
- The ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
- Curiosity, adaptability and a commitment to continuous learning.
Req ID:
Our values shape everything we do:
Be Ambitious to succeed
Be Imaginative to push the boundaries of what’s possible
Be Inspirational to do groundbreaking work
Be always learning and listening to understand
Be Results-focused to exceed expectations
Be actively pro-inclusive and anti-racist across our community, clients and creations
Our recruitment process does not employ artificial intelligence for selection. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgement. Candidate evaluation and selection are conducted without AI-supported screening or decision-making. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate.
OLIVER, a part of the Brandtech Group, is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. All applicants shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodivergence, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by local laws.
OLIVER has set ambitious environmental goals around sustainability, with science-based emissions reduction targets. Collectively, we work towards our mission, embedding sustainability into every department and through every stage of the project lifecycle.
Skills Required
- Completed degree or National Diploma in Communication Design, Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or a related field
- Portfolio demonstrating conceptual thinking, creative exploration, and strong design fundamentals
- Ability to develop ideas from research and sketches through final execution
- Understanding of typography, layout, colour, composition, and visual hierarchy
- Familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
- Strong creative problem-solving, critical-thinking, and communication skills
- Excellent attention to detail and openness to constructive feedback
- Good organisational and time-management skills
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively
- Curiosity, adaptability, and commitment to continuous learning
- Exposure to After Effects, Premiere Pro, or motion design
OLIVER Agency Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about OLIVER Agency and has not been reviewed or approved by OLIVER Agency.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Feedback suggests vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays are strong elements, with time off frequently highlighted as a standout part of the package. UK materials also describe generous annual leave that increases with service alongside additional personal days.
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Retirement Support — Feedback suggests U.S. employees can access a 401(k), and at least one account notes an immediate match. UK materials indicate a formal pension arrangement within the parent group.
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Affordable Benefits — Feedback suggests U.S. medical coverage is paired with employer-funded HSA/HRA or flex contributions that help offset high deductibles. These subsidies can meaningfully reduce out-of-pocket costs for some employees.
OLIVER Agency Insights
What We Do
Established in 2004, we are the first and only company to design, build and run bespoke in-house agencies and ecosystems for brands. Today, we create work that delivers business growth, fame and purpose for over 200 clients in 46 countries and counting. Our unique model moves at the speed of modern business to drive change from the inside out; working smarter to make our clients’ money go further, and helping them build better solutions, systems and brands. Client solutions include Unilever’s U-Studio (a platform used by almost three-quarters of Unilever's brands globally), adidas’ off-shore hub and PepsiCo’s global digital team.
