Young Creative Network develops branding for Futurising event

The Young Creative Network is developing an identity and website for Futurising, an event which aims to find employment for creative graduates and engage employers and educators.

Organised by University of the Arts London, Futurising will feature speakers including Saatchi & Saatchi chief executive David Kershaw.
YCN [members pictured right] works as a consultancy and an award programme for emerging creative practitioners. It was appointed in November having been invited to pitch. YCN director Nick Defty says that an ‘existing relationship’ and the credentials of the YCN Student Awards helped win the business.

The consultancy will first work on an identity which is to be developed ‘internally’, but in consultation with recent MA graduates, Defty explains.
He adds that the branding will have to appeal to graduate and employer stakeholders. ‘We need to reference both of these groups and create something visually fresh and flexible that can be easily embellished,’ Defty says.

Futurising will combine, keynote talks from celebrities, up to 100 stands (for employers, training, skills, and business support providers), CV and portfolio advice, seminars and workshops, an entrepreneurs’ zone and policy breakfasts.

Marice Cumber, director of Futurising, says the event will target non-creative businesses and try to open up their recruitment process. She hopes to encourage graduates to ‘better understand the value of their creativity’ and consider jobs at traditionally non-creative businesses, where they will need to think ‘beyond the studio’.

The event, which is to be held on 29-30 June, will aim to link graduates to business support networks and professional and cultural development organisations, such as Cockpit Arts and the Social Environmental Enterprise Design Foundation.

Cumber is calling on the design community to further contribute to the event and ‘would welcome more contributors to panel discussions’, she says.

‘I’d be keen to create further engagement and am happy to hear from people. We also welcome suggestions, as the whole event needs to be user-led,’ adds Cumber.