From Design Intern to
Creative Project Manager

After graduating from Mahidol University in Bangkok, I joined KreaSpecs looking forward to putting what I’d learned at university into practice and experiencing what it was like to work in a professional agency.

My internship introduced me to the realities of agency life. Beyond the design work itself, there were client requirements to understand, feedback to consider, deadlines to meet, and different people involved in bringing a project together.

As my internship progressed, the team began noticing that some of my strongest skills weren’t necessarily related to graphic design.

I had always been comfortable communicating with people and keeping things organized. My colleagues also noticed that I was willing to take the lead when needed and make sure tasks didn’t fall through the cracks.

Towards the end of my internship, the team at KreaSpecs suggested that I consider moving into project coordination instead of continuing along the traditional graphic design path.

It wasn’t a direction I’d originally imagined for myself, but I was open to giving it a try. Rather than focusing on producing designs myself, I began helping organize the work behind them, coordinating with team members, following up on progress, and making sure everyone had the information they needed.

The transition didn’t mean leaving creativity behind. I was simply becoming involved in a different part of the creative process, one that required understanding both the people producing the work and the clients expecting the results.

Over the following years, I gradually took on more responsibility. As I gained experience working with clients and managing creative workflows, I became more confident making decisions, handling complex projects, and guiding the team through different stages of production.

Eventually, I was promoted to Creative Project Manager, a role that brought together many of the skills my colleagues had first recognized during my internship.

Today, I spend much of my time connecting the different people involved in a project.

On one side are clients with business objectives, expectations, and ideas about what they want to achieve. On the other are designers, developers, content creators, and other specialists responsible for turning those ideas into something tangible.

My role is to make sure both sides understand each other and that the work progresses in the right direction.

That often means discussing project requirements with clients, reviewing feedback, clarifying expectations, and translating those conversations into practical tasks for the team. I also help manage the internal review process, making sure work is ready before it reaches the client.

My graphic design background still comes in handy here.

Having worked on the creative side myself, I understand the thought process behind design decisions. When reviewing creative work, I can identify issues with layouts, visual consistency, typography, or the overall direction of a design.

I’m also able to contribute my own creative input. Rather than simply forwarding client comments to a designer, I can discuss what needs to change, why a particular approach might not be working, and how we could improve it.

This becomes especially useful when client feedback is subjective. Sometimes a client feels that something doesn’t look quite right but can’t explain exactly why. I can help interpret those comments and work with our designers to find a solution that makes sense creatively while still addressing the client’s concerns.

My involvement also extends into creative concepts and content strategy. Depending on the project, I contribute to brainstorming discussions, review messaging, and help ensure the content and visual direction work together.

I also manage project timelines, monitor deadlines, and review deliverables. When several projects are running simultaneously, priorities can change quickly, and keeping track of everyone’s workload becomes just as important as managing the projects themselves.

It’s a constant balance between giving our creative team enough space to do good work and making sure the practical requirements of a project don’t get overlooked.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced comes from working in a relatively small team.

At KreaSpecs, we often contribute to several projects at once. A designer might be working on a website one day, preparing campaign materials the next, and responding to client feedback in between.

This variety is part of what makes agency work interesting, but it also means we need to manage our time and resources carefully.

When multiple deadlines fall within the same week, or a client requests changes at short notice, we don’t always have someone available to immediately take on the additional work. I need to assess priorities, manage expectations, and make decisions about what we can realistically deliver.

Sometimes, a project needs to move forward quickly because of a fixed launch date. Other times, it makes more sense to adjust a timeline so the team has enough time to complete the work properly. Communicating these decisions clearly to clients is an important part of my role.

Creative work also requires concentration, and constantly switching between tasks can become stressful, particularly during busy periods. I’ve learned to pay attention not only to project progress but also to how the team is coping with its workload.

Sometimes, keeping a project moving means reorganizing priorities or helping resolve a problem before it becomes a bigger issue. At other times, it means giving team members the space they need to focus without unnecessary interruptions.

Over time, I’ve become better at recognizing when the team needs direction, when priorities need to change, and when it’s better to give people space to get on with their work.

As KreaSpecs has evolved, so has the type of work I help manage.

Our projects now extend beyond traditional creative production into websites, digital marketing, content strategy, and increasingly, AI-driven solutions and automation.

AI and automation are becoming a bigger part of how we work. For me, that means learning how to use new tools in ways that actually make projects easier to manage, rather than simply adopting technology because it’s new.

Whether it’s improving internal workflows, organizing information more efficiently, or understanding how technology can support the creative process, I’m continually learning alongside the rest of the team.

Being part of a small team means we’re not always confined to a single area of responsibility. Everyone brings different skills to the table, and there’s room to contribute ideas, question existing approaches, and take on something unfamiliar.

What I appreciate most about working at KreaSpecs is that everyone has a voice. We can share opinions, contribute creatively, and continue developing our skills as the business evolves.

It’s not always easy working in a small agency, especially when projects become demanding. But it also gives me the opportunity to learn from different disciplines, take responsibility, and see how our individual contributions affect the final outcome.