Above+Beyond Champions Next Generation of Design with Ravensbourne University London Partnership

Above+Beyond is launching an initiative to champion design and other visual media students and help to increase inclusion of creative talent from groups currently underrepresented in design and advertising in a new partnership with Ravensbourne University London.

The independent creative agency has joined forces with the university – one of the leading institutions for design, digital and media studies – to give students opportunities to work on briefs that uncover audience insights and bring them to life via a range of visual media.

At the end of each project, selected students will go on to spend time in their focus area of the industry as part of Above+Beyond’s new internship scheme launching this summer. 

The first brief has been given to Ravensbourne’s photography students: to capture their experiences in their lockdown bubbles. The work they create will be curated and exhibited online at Beyond Us, Above+Beyond’s new platform for showcasing audience insights in creative, visually engaging ways. There will also be an exhibition of the work at Above+Beyond’s award-winning space in Weston Street (if lockdown permits).

As Beyond Us develops, it will become a source of visually engaging audience insights direct from up-and-coming creative talent, initially from Ravensbourne but with an eye to opening it up to others in the future.

The partnership follows the recent appointment of Zaid Al-Zaidy, Above+Beyond’s CEO, to Ravensbourne’s Board of Governors. Its aim is to help democratise the design and advertising industries by increasing the inclusion of talent from groups who are currently underrepresented. It is well documented that the people who make advertising are far removed, both demographically and attitudinally, from the those they seek to speak to. 

Zaid Al-Zaidy, CEO of Above+Beyond, said: “As a London based agency, we’re aware of how important it is that we reach out beyond our own four (currently virtual) walls. There’s been a lot in the media about the impact the pandemic has had on students, but we want to give students themselves the opportunity to share their experiences directly. We can’t wait to see the different perspectives they bring to the brief, and we look forward to more exciting initiatives with Ravensbourne in the coming months.”

Andy Cook, vice chancellor of Ravensbourne University London, said: “It is a brilliant opportunity for our students to work on briefs that feel timely and can incorporate the various disciplines. For the next generation of creative talent, access to the advertising industry with an initiative such as this is hugely beneficial, and we’re delighted to be in a position to offer it in conjunction with Above+Beyond.”