Join us, Google and Barclays to discuss the importance of design talent at New Designers '17

The 32nd New Designers exhibition starts on 28 June this year. The event will bring together design education, design consumers and the design industry to celebrate and recognise the next generation of graduate designers. Design Council is once again hosting a talk with industry-leading guests to help new design talent improve their employability.

On Thursday 6 July, our Growth & Innovation Director Ellie Runcie will chair a panel discussion on the skills new designers need to demonstrate to get noticed by leading companies.  

Our first speaker on the panel is Mustafa Kurtuldu, Design Advocate at Google. Mustafa has more than sixteen years’ experience working across many sectors including charities, local and central government, education and finance. He is a firm believer that design is a process of discovery.

Also on the panel is Clive Grinyer, Premier Design Director at Barclays. Clive is a design leader and evangelist, speaker and practitioner of design thinking across enterprise and public sector. Originally a product designer, Clive created and led teams across user interface and customer experience. In November 2013 he joined Barclays as Customer Experience Director, working with design and innovation projects across the bank. 

Joining them is Matt Candy, the European leader for IBM’s interactive experience business, IBM iX. In 2016 he was named individual of the year at The Drum’s Dadi Awards. He is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of talent by helping build a career pathway for the young designers joining his agency.

Last but not least is Peter Fullagar, Head of Innovation at Kinneir Dufort. Since 2011, Peter has led global innovation projects for the likes of Sony, Coca-cola and Unilever through to new startups. His team help clients identify new market opportunities, plan next generation products and create long-term innovation pipelines. 

Our speakers will discuss the power of design, what skills they look for in a graduate designer, strategic design use and why their companies got behind our interactive learning experience for undergraduate designers at UK universities, Design Academy.

Along with other design-led business such as IBM and Capita, Google and Barclays have been involved in the evolution of our Design Academy programme as it helps students optimise their versatility and employability by breaking down subject boundaries and promoting interdisciplinary practice. 

The programme offers design schools and universities world-class training for undergraduate students that helps them differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive job market. This academic year, Design Academy’s real-world project focuses on the national challenge of how to ensure people can live healthier, happier and more active later lives. 

You can see Mustafa and Clive speak on Design Council’s panel discussion at this year’s New Designers Exhibition on Thursday 6 July, in London. 

Book online now at https://goo.gl/ezVD7o     

If you're a university and would like to get involved with Design Academy, please email designacademy@designcouncil.org.uk to find out more about course fees and programme structure. 

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