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