Not so long ago my friend was given a tour of her child’s secondary school and subjects. As expected, the importance and opportunities behind the core subjects were covered. However, when asked if they could talk more about the opportunities and how they identify talent within art and design their reply was somewhat foggy. Working as a designer within the creative industry, it got me thinking…

I had not long been to Warner Bros Studio – The Making of Harry Potter, which is an immersion of the creative senses. The writing, storyboards, costumes, sets, props, digital effects, videography, model making, robotics, trips through a real life Diagon Alley, Butterbeer tasting, etc. it was all wow, wow, wow!

I couldn’t help but wonder how many of the visitors that day had thought about the creative minds behind this wonder and been inspired about the potential career opportunities.

Whilst chatting to my friend about this I was excited to hear that there was an ‘Entrepreneur Week’ at her daughter’s school. A week of inventiveness & ambition – a bit like Dragons Den. Parents, friends and professionals were invited to volunteer to do an inspirational 30-minute presentation about what they do for a living. Now maybe I am just plain boring (!) but I was politely declined and explained familiar roles were more appropriate – Police, Nurse, Farmer, Teacher, the list goes on. Pupils naturally found this insightful but equally I could not help thinking ‘why not a Graphic Designer?’ Nike, Vans, Apple, Sprite, Coke, Netflix, YouTube – these exciting brands are everywhere, and are well-known by people of all ages.  

I am a senior designer who has worked with some awesome brands and with big commercial success, yet felt my profession was somewhat mis-understood ­– it’s a shame and very frustrating! Given the chance, my intention was to bring to life how brands that this generation adore, become so desirable. This is all done through considered thought, craft and design. Just imagine designing for one of these amazing brands or indeed creating the next Nike. How exciting that could be for the younger generation!

Children today are digital natives and been bought up in a world of online entertainment. To them creative is colourful, exciting and fun. So, anything with a ‘creative element’ instantly appeals and engages.

Sometimes jobs on the face of it seem anything but creative, however, there can be hidden opportunities that surprise and delight. A good example of this is an old colleague who I used to sit next to at a London agency. She is a number crunching accountant genius – a life of payrolls, profits, margins, purchasing, and invoicing. However, during a recent catch-up, she told me that she landed an accountant role with the BBC, where she had been costing up the explosion of the Queen Vic EastEnders Christmas special, writing off crashed cars to the budgeting of Kat Slaters wardrobe. Since then, she’d worked for Pinewood Studios and alongside David Walliams on his books and films. Now that is being creative with numbers!  

So, how many young people are unaware of where their education can take them? And I mean really take them. What can you become? What opportunities lie within certain subjects? It’s not to say you have to be exploding pubs or building movie sets for a job to be considered exciting or successful but, I would like my children to think broader, BE INSPIRED AND AMBITIOUS! Let’s start the conversation and talk about careers that may not have ever been considered or imagined yet. 

The possibilities are endless, and careers in creative are diverse, even if not always obvious. As consumers we all marvel at sights of film, furniture, fashion, food, celebrities, influencers, brands etc… we buy with our eyes.

I hope things have changed since I was in secondary school and a career in the creative industry is championed, encouraged and identified earlier in education. The next blockbuster franchise is ready and waiting to be created and I can’t wait.

LAURA REEVE

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER