Where are the women now?

GIRLS girls girls – what wouldn’t you give to work alongside a bunch of dishy northern hunks like Attik Design?

Obviously, female graphic designers have other priorities. Yummy but worried looking Simon Needham, founder of Attik’s new London office (DW 17 February) has recently been advertising for two designers, one for London and one for his Huddersfield base. Ninety per cent of applications for both jobs have been distinctly male.

“I don’t want to sound sexist, but we need some feminine touches,” sighs Needham. “Our stuff is quite masculine in style, a lot of our guys will put in a huge solid coloured area – a woman might approach it with more finesse.” When he was a student, there was an equal balance of women to men. “Where did they all go – did they get disillusioned with graphics? I don’t hear of any of them now.”

Perhaps they’ve all disappeared into comfy marital nests and channelled their creativity into baby design. Done the done thing and left the jobs for the boys. Well, the boys want them back. Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without them. So come on girls – what are you waiting for?