How to NOT sell

Do not just randomly connect with someone on LinkedIn then send a stereotypical sales message, followed by 3 more sales messages when there is no response. It DOES not work. Your brand should be authentic, human, imperfect. Do not ‘systemise’ approaches, it will detriment your brand rather than do good. Put your heart into it 🌎💙

Businesses, put down your power

Collaboration is the future; with industry, cross sectors or communities. Traditional structures, private ownership, market monopolies, profit-driven, micro-managing businesses are dead. It’s a new world. It is no longer about being a single handed best-in-industry.

Open the inspiration box

How, as creatives, do we get our ideas? How do those ideas inspire our commercial work? It’s a process. Inspiration for me often comes from an extensive back catalogue of nostalgic tv, music and film references all stored in my head. For me to be engaged creatively I need to feel something, and film and music has the ability to generate that emotional response I need.

By Danni Gilbert

Graduated. Now what?

Graduating and finding work is difficult at the best of times. I wanted to share some of my story in solidarity with the many graduates that are feeling uncertain about the world of work and design. It will be challenging to find a role, but if your heart is in it, you are good at what you do and are prepared to work hard and learn – you can make it work. How do you navigate the road ahead?

Design Activism

Last night I had the pleasure of speaking to the wonderful Ladies Wine and Design community in Newcastle: A monthly salon night connecting creatives in the North East of England. My talk theme was ‘Design for Good’, with donations going to my choice of charity – the Angelou Centre. The Angelou Centre is a black-led women’s centre based in Newcastle upon Tyne. They support black women, children and women of colour locally, from training and development to fighting to end violence – their work is incredibly important.

It was an inspiring evening where we got to chat all things social change, inspiring content, recommended reading and how we can make change using our skills as creatives. Shout out to everyone on the call, please do keep in touch!

By Mandy Barker

Creative Industries must do more to be Anti-Racist

We had a chat with Renee Davis today to ask what more we can do as allies of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.