Blog

25.05.21

How to Retain Black Employees by Daniel Peters

25 May 2021 marks exactly one year since the police killing of George Floyd. In remembrance of his brutal death and the momementus racial equality protests and critical conversations that followed, we shine the spotlight on Black people working in the creative industries today and the racial injustices we’re still having to face.

We handed the mic to Daniel Peters, a leading advocate for diverse voices and author of the Fashion Minority Report, to share his experiences and insights of working as a Black creative. Daniel writes that race still matters in the workplace and remains a powerful barrier when it comes to pay bias and employer retention. And that while we’ve made some progress towards racial equality in the workplace, we do still have a way to go.

In light of this, we drew up a short list of easy, actionable ideas for employers to invite real change in the creative workplace. What better way to honour George Floyd’s death than by helping to drive racial equality where it matters: through design as a reflection of the world we want to live in.

Handing the Mic to Daniel Peters

The most effective step an organisation can take to change racist culture in the workplace is to listen to a Black employee’s perspective. Tuning in can help anyone who is not Black better understand racial discrimination, racial coding and the racial pay divide and from there, work towards reducing prejudice in the workplace.

That’s why we asked Daniel Peters to write a piece sharing his thoughts on best practice for retaining Black employees. Daniel is a brand and marketing specialist, who in the wake of the global 2020 BLM protests, launched the Fashion Minority Report, to promote conversation around inclusion and diversity in order to mobilise change.

Daniel articulates and shares changes he would like to see in the workplace, ranging from racial salary bias to career stagnation to racist work cultures and makes empowering practical suggestions as to what employers can do to advocate for equality.

How to Retain Black Employees by Daniel Peters

One year on from George Floyd’s death and the global BLM protests that followed, our lens is even more firmly focussed on problems of diversity across the workplace, especially focussing on the creative industries.

The Black Lives Matter movement, founded 8 years ago, as a Black-centric political movement, has rightfully gained global momentum in the wake of widespread racial injustices such as the Floyd case and shone a light on inequalities faced by Black people in many aspects of life, both now and historically.

As I see it, employers in the creative industries face two major challenges when it comes to equality: who to hire in the first place and how to best retain Black employees once we’ve been hired.

According to research from D&AD, only 11.4% of jobs in the creative industries are filled by Black, Asian and other ethnic minorities. Beyond that sobering statistic, the retention of marginalised voices within creative roles is an even deeper problem. The Design Council recently released data on diversity in the design economy revealing that black and brown designers are least likely to fill more senior roles, accounting for just 12% of all managerial positions. It’s evident that our voices are not as respected or valued as our white counterparts.

There are two aspects in business which cause fleeting tenures in companies for employees of any ethnic background: salary review and career progression. This is especially true when applied to the Black community. Without fair and equal salaries across all levels of hiring, it’s become typical to see diverse employees move from company to company. It’s common knowledge that the only way to level up and receive a comparable salary to a white designer and other creatives is to frequently change employers. The same route to equality via internal promotion for Black employees just isn’t there.

A recent article in Fast Company explains that pay inequality is a form of systemic racism. And to further support this, according to the latest UK government statistics, white British employees in London tend to be paid almost a quarter more than their black and brown colleagues. When it comes to pay bias, I’d like to ask employers this: if a Black creative’s talent and output is comparable to the same work by a white creative, why is this not reflected in what they are paid?

But it doesn’t just boil down to equal pay. We also need to look at Black employees’ career trajectories. The first thing an employer can do is run internal data to see who within the company has had stagnant career progression. How long have they been in the same role? How often have they been looked over for a promotion? Take this data, and comparatively examine if this has been the same across other ethnicities and genders.

It’s important that employers provide career development planning that offers measurable personal progress for all staff, in particular Black creatives. We’re repeatedly told that we lack the experience to become a senior designer, or lead strategist. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it make sense for employers to offer training and resources that bolster our chances of climbing the ladder in the same way our white counterparts do?

I speak from experience when I say that I’m regularly called the sassy, funny, charismatic member of a creative team. I’m also proud to say that I’ve been part of award winning campaigns at one of the world’s largest tech companies. And I also speak from experience when I say I’ve stayed at the same company for three and a half years and not scaled the ranks, with no justifiable reasoning as to why. When I think back to those earlier scenarios, I would like to ask my previous employers why I was never given the chance to climb the ladder and if it had anything to do with racial bias.

A final and often overlooked area of the retention puzzle is the work environment itself, and in particular, workplace and staffing culture. The creative industry is known for being a white straight male dominated space, stats are getting better, but white men still hold a staggering 90% of roles. While many of these men holding leadership roles claim to be onboard with the push for diversity, creative office culture often doesn’t reflect this and unconsciously create environments that make others who don’t organically “fit in” to feel ostracised.

All of this can change. It’s time to stop leaving Black design talent in the starting blocks and instead provide us with real, tangible opportunities to help us develop our careers as professionals and create working environments where we can be our authentic selves. Because, trust me, Black design talent is there and now is the time to develop, nurture and promote us.END

Simple Actions You Can Take

1. Start conversations about race
A lot of companies still believe it’s taboo to talk openly about race and as a result leaders of all races remain silent on the issue. Research shows that businesses who avoid the topic of racial inequality and injustice are only adding to the problem by encouraging an avoidant and closed working environment. Begin to initiate conversations on race even if you worry about feeling uncomfortable or saying the wrong thing.

2. Reach out to your Black employees
Check in on all your employees and make sure you reach out to your Black employees in particular, whether that’s in person or remotely. Connect and engage with your Black employees by asking about their current experiences in the workplace. Start by checking in on their mental health, and follow up by asking about ways in which the business can better support them.

3. Write a company statement on racial injustice
Write a simple statement of intent for your company that states your clear commitment to addressing racial inequalities in the workplace. This should start as an internally facing statement, limiting public perception of performative allyship. A company statement signals to employees that the company is being proactive and consciously aware of the problem of racism at large. If it feels right, create a public facing statement that addresses your business commitment to becoming an inclusive workplace and the steps that you are taking to do this.

4. Try blind hiring
Blind hiring is proven to radically reduce bias in the hiring process. Removing information like, name, gender, religion and academic qualifications means that candidates are judged based on their skills in isolation of any other factors that may lead to a biased hire. If carried out carefully, this hiring process approach has been proven to increase diversity in the workplace.

5. Make change that is both structural and symbolic
Make change that is both structural and symbolic. Research shows that companies who fully “affirm the dignity and fulfilment of Black lives” meet both these criteria. Making structural company change could mean monitoring diversity and inclusion numbers for instance. Examples of symbolic company change could be showcasing work by Black designers in the workplace or recognising Juneteenth (celebrating the end of slavery).

Words: Daniel Peters

Illustrations: Ananya Rao-Middleton

14.03.21

Final Call: A-Team Mentoring Programme by The Arena

It's the final few days to get your entries in to The A-Team Mentoring Programme by our lovely friends at The Arena. Not only that, but our own Jamies McLearie is part of the line-up, offering young creatives one-on-one advice, to point you in the right direction and to lend an ear.

"The A-Team are a collective of mentors ready to listen, guide and empower the next wave of creative talent. Each successful applicant will be partnered with a mentor from the team, for a 30min video call via Google Meet, between 1st & 11th April. After your intro call, it’s totally up to you whether you maintain an ongoing relationship with your mentor", says Dom, Ben & Lauren, founders of The Arena.

So far there's a stellar list of 24 mentors to be paired with, across every facet and experience-level the creative industry has to offer; from motion design to photography, graphic design to UX & UI, there's someone to help – whether you're out of university and looking for work, thinking of sidestepping into a new career, or even at secondary school tempted to make those very first steps.

At the back end of last year, The Arena interviewed our own James McLearie on the importance of external help. "A very simple idea, but one that I feel isn’t talked about enough is the ability to ask for support or help when you need it. This could be at work when you’re unsure about the best way to go about a technical task or not understanding a new brief the first time around. It's always quicker and easier to learn from someone else than trying to figure it out yourself (which is often the long way round).

It could be when hunting for a job, asking for help from a more senior designer in getting your portfolio up to scratch or asking a friend to help proofread your CV.

It could also mean asking for help when you're struggling with your mental health or factors outside of work. There’s a solution to most problems and the best way to find it is to work together.", says James, who looks after junior and middleweight graphic designers and art directors at Represent.

As the Arena say themselves, If you are between 16-25 years-old, based in the UK and passionate about working in the creative industry, then this opportunity is for you.

Of course, the programme is 100% free and applications are open until Friday 19th March 11pm GMT!

You can view more about the programme and apply here:
thearena.org.uk/mentoring

More on their recent interview with James here:
thearena.org.uk/in-the-arena-with/james-mclearie

Words: Joe Cooper

28.02.21

Podcast: A Change of Brand by Matchstic

I think I'm a podcast kind of guy. I'm not great at multi-tasking, so, for example, I couldn't write this blog post and digest the content of a podcast at the same time. I wish I could, I try it all time, I can't make it work. So the ones that do make it into my daily routine, are often useful to what I'm doing work-wise, largely insightful/informative, and ideally contained into hour-long bursts. A recent one to tick those boxes is A Change of Brand by Matchstic.

Matchstic are an Atlanta-based branding agency, and producer of the show, who describe the podcast as being, "... about the world’s most loved consumer companies and their rebrand glory, drama, or disaster". Launched at the start of this year, and with a new episode dropped every week, each hour-long instalment chats with a different business owner or creative director to unpick a typically well-publicised rebrand, from the perspective of those involved.

"We go deeper than colour palettes and typography, talking with brand leaders and agency creatives to retell the story behind the change. Getting into the nitty gritty details, we learn about their leading edge work, creative process, and approach to change management. Regardless of fame or fail, our mission is to retell these stories to educate and inspire those facing a change of brand".

Presented by Matchstic founder and creative director, Blake Howard, and co-hosted by Sarah Gail Hughes, the series prides itself on being able to allow viewers from the outside a peak behind the curtain into the complexities and rationale behind design decisions, as well as the importance of context. Which, let's be honest, in times where 6 months of work can be torn apart online in a matter of minutes, it's a perspective often not told.

So far there's 8 episodes to sink your teeth into, starting with Mailchimp, before tackling Airbnb, Dropbox, GoDaddy, and most recently video messaging service Loom, to name a few.

As you'd expect you can find it anywhere you get your podcasts from, as well as on the links below! Enjoy!

You can see more on their website here:
achangeofbrand.com/

And more on Mathstic here:
matchstic.com/

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Words: Joe Cooper

12.02.21

San Francisco Symphony: A Harmonic Identity for A Digital Age by Collins

I half-made a promise to myself at the start of this year: that I'd try to focus less on widely-publicised branding projects, and more on the other, more locally-impactful stuff, buuut this recent identity revamp by COLLINS is a corker, so.

The US-based agency sums up the challenge perfectly themselves in that, "‘classical’ music suffers from an ongoing and ruthless PR problem: it is too often perceived as an unchanging, dusty, old-world music for elite audiences only", a sentiment difficult to disagree with for most people.

What is easy empathise with, however, is the ability music has to unite, entertain and inspire, and that each genre should be seen as accessible regardless of its perceived level of status from the outside. "Music is one of humanity’s most powerful creations — it meets us at our emotional center. Like all great art, it both inspires and reflects the times we live in.", writes COLLINS.

So how do you go about making a 108-year old cultural monolith, such as SFS, relevant in a digital age? Well, for a start it begins with a culture shift within the institution itself as Music Director, Michael Tilson Thomas finished his revered 25 year tenure. In his place, a somewhat shock-appointment in Esa–Pekka Salonen, whose task is to reposition the brand and genre for the 21st century. This is where COLLINS steps in.

"COLLINS was invited to help clarify, define and express this new vision for the Symphony, and help them re-assert classical music as a crucial, global contemporary art form — all while staying rooted in our community and strengthening the bonds that have made them so successful for over a century."

The design solution begins with a wide range of collaboration; from board members to audiences, across each facet and viewpoint, finally focussing on a dynamic and ever-evolving system of branding, with digital at its core. The logomark and typeface, for example, is routed in the genre's incredibly rich history, but with a 21st century twist. "we used responsive and variable font technology to add an unexpected contemporary behavior — giving each typographic character the ability to immediately change form in reaction to sound and music."

Regardless of it's application – whether physical or digital – the final outcome oozes contemporary sophistication, reinstating a cultural icon, whilst blowing the dust off a vibrant genre fit for the future.

You can see more imagery and information on COLLINS' website here:
wearecollins.com/work/sf-symphony/

And the San Francisco Symphony website here:
sfsymphony.org/

Words: Joe Cooper

26.01.21

Live Event: The Middle School in conversation with Elise Santangelo-Rous

This week (tomorrow!) see's the return of The Middle School; a series of live events aimed at "providing honest advice and practical skills to designers in the middle of their careers".

Originally launched in 2019 by Accept & Proceed design director, Alison Haigh, the newly-adapted-for-life-in-2021 format swaps the physical for the digital, starting with a series of Instagram Live conversations – the first tomorrow at 7pm.

The school's aim is to target the often forgotten portion of a designers' career when "professionally, you are starting to lead projects, mentor juniors and build client relationships, all whilst balancing new responsibilities in your personal life".

Alison found, "There are lots of amazing initiatives and resources out there for designers at the start of their careers, but far fewer options tailored to more senior designers. The Middle School aims to fill that gap by providing open, affordable events and online content."

That could include anyone from a "middleweight to creative director" level, with a focus "on the skills you need to succeed as a designer, beyond the design basics. We will cover topics such as presenting, leadership and mental health, through to art direction and strategy."

Tomorrow's first online event see's Alison in conversation with Elise Santangelo-Rous, creative director at DesignStudio, and an old candidate of ours at Represent. In it they'll discuss "the differences between the role of a DD and a CD, how living around the world has changed her approach, and the power of being kinder to yourself". You can tune in from 7pm (GMT) tomorrow via their Instagram account. Links below!

And what can we expect from The Middle School going forwards? "The plans for the future are to do a few more Instagram Lives, launch a new initiative called The Lunch Table (more info coming soon!) then work towards getting a podcast out, and then eventually getting back to live events!", says Alison.

For those wanting to get involved, or keep up to date, you can take a look at The Middle School's website here:
themiddle.school/

Their Instagram account, where tomorrow's interview will be streamed (7pm GMT) here:
instagram.com/the_middle_sch/

And their Twitter account here:
twitter.com/The_Middle_Sch

Words: Joe Cooper

08.01.21

Burger King's Mouth-Watering Rebrand by JKR

What better way to celebrate a diet-ridden and detox-laden Veganuary, by indulging in the juicy new Burger King rebrand by JKR New York.

It's been 20 years since their identity was last revamped, and a lot has changed since. The rebrand – a collaboration between Burger King's in-house design team and JKR New York – intends to not only highlight their playful personality, but future-proof themselves for a digital age. In a statement, BK described the new design as "mouthwatering, big and bold, playfully irreverent and proudly true".

To say the brand has been "simplified" perhaps doesn't do it justice, but as far as bold, flat re-brands go, it's comfortably one of the best. "We were inspired by the brand’s original logo and how it has grown to have an iconic place in culture. The new logo pays homage to the brand’s heritage with a refined design that’s confident, simple and fun", says JKR.

With that in mind, there's not a touch-point that hasn't been considered; from the new 60's-inspired logo and groovy 'Flame Sans' typeface, through to revamped packaging, staff uniforms, photography and even illustrations by Cachete Jack.

JKR describes the latter as being "an in-your-face photography style that uses big, dramatic close-ups to get people to crave the food and to communicate its freshness, flame-grilling perfection and above all, taste. A playful illustration style allows the brand to tell memorable stories like never before."

The reaction online has been almost unanimously positive since the news dropped earlier in the week, which is refreshing itself. In particular, the fantastic "mini" BK Monogram – in collaboration with Stephen Kelleher Studio – hasn't gone unnoticed. "The Burger King rebrand is great. But this little avatar/monogram is next level lovely. Wish I’d done that.", says one user, and "Mind. Is. Blown. @BurgerKing‘s new monogram design. Kicks fu^*%ing ass!", from another.

Now comes the long task of roll-out, which Burger King themselves admit will take a few years to fully implement. We'll be keeping a close eye on it over the coming months, and we're excited to see it in the real world.

You can see more on the JKR website here:
jkrglobal.com/case-studies/burger-king/

And more on the Stephen Kelleher Studio monogram here:
instagram.com/stephen.kelleher.studio/

Words: Joe Cooper