‘British English’: Inside Uncommon’s First Student Residency with Ravensbourne University

Above, left-right: Jordan, Anthony, Chloe, students who were part of the first Uncommon x Ravensbourne University residency

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Earlier this month, London agency Uncommon Creative Studio unveiled ‘British English’, a creative showcase from students at Ravensbourne University.

It marked the culmination of a four-week creative residency, and the first collaborative partnership between the university and Uncommon.

During the residency, students explored how their insights could inspire a campaign for positive change in British culture, and a selection of work from students who study a range of disciplines will be presented.

At a time when the arts are in critical need of government funding, and ahead of the next cohort of graduates entering a challenging job market, the event promised as great opportunity to see firsthand an initiative that upskills students before they enter the industry.

In fact, it was a refreshingly in-depth affair. "A creative residency of this scale hasn't been done before,” says Jhy Turley, chief of creative and design operations at Uncommon Creative Studio, “but when the opportunity with Ravensbourne arose, it felt like the perfect fit for Uncommon.

“From the selection process to the final presentation, we wanted this four-week residency to be a close collaboration between the students and Uncommon crew – our team felt the students’ enthusiasm and passion from day one, and we were just as excited to help develop and shape their thinking as they were to engage with the programme and the mentorship we offered throughout.

“Ultimately, we've been able to supercharge the curriculum and build an experience that truly helps the next generation of creatives thrive in our industry from the outset, an industry which is increasingly competitive, and constantly evolving. It's been an epic journey, so valuable for both the students and our studio, and an initiative we hope to build on in years to come."

Three of the cohort reflect on their experience of the residency for LBB.

Chloe Berry
(19, Essex)

“Not having a safety net to fall back on is my greatest strength”

I’m the first person in my family to go to university – my mum’s a civil servant, my dad a cab driver. Two months before starting, I wasn’t even sure about my decision, I was worried it would be a waste of time and money. Coming from a working-class community, there’s definitely fearmongering about uni, people say it’s a less stable choice than going straight into a full-time job.

I found out about the Uncommon residency after attending a night-time talk at uni and 100% knew it was for me. I did creative writing at college and loved it, so the industry always interested me, but I didn’t want to end up working for a company that was just selling more stuff that no one needs. Uncommon felt different, there was a sense of purpose behind the work, the company’s values.

My creative partner and I came up with an idea to exaggerate school uniform art pieces that bring to life the toxic words used against girls in schools… working title, ‘the weight of the word is to wear it’. As young women, we can both relate to having some sort of negative experience in schools, and the sad reality is this language is ingrained in British culture. We also wanted to hijack the attention that ‘Adolescence’ is getting right now.

The experience has taught me to have confidence in brave ideas. Pick the ones you’re scared of, and don’t waste time on the weaker ones.

I’d love to set up my own agency one day. There’s gaps to be filled, we need to support more people with ADHD, more working-class people. Not having a safety net to fall back on is my greatest strength… I think you're either born with that ‘get up and go’, or you’re not.

Jordan Wynter
(31, Essex)

“I discovered my passion for graphic design thanks to Rio Ferdinand”

My path to university has been far from traditional. I started out as a footballer, playing for Arsenal from the age of 8 to 19, then filtering into non-league and ending up where I play now, Dulwich Hamlet FC.

I crossed paths with Rio Ferdinand during my time playing for Dartford, and he asked me to help on his podcast, doing a weekly football round-up called ‘Vibe with Five’. We’d write it, film it as a pre-record, edit it, cut it down for socials and put it out that same day. This introduced me to the world of graphic design, which I didn’t even know was a career.

As I was coming to the end of my football journey, I realised I’d finally found my new passion. I taught myself how to use Photoshop, applied for apprenticeships but got nowhere – they all wanted someone with experience, which I didn’t have. My partner said I should consider university, before that I’d thought it would be a waste of money. But coming here has changed everything.

My creative idea is to set up a scheme where we can honour the contributions of the Windrush generation. I didn’t know about the level of suffering the victims experienced until I started researching it in more detail. I thought – how is this still happening? Where is their recognition? I want to inspire, make positive change and do something different with my life, which is what drew me to the Uncommon residency.

In the future, I want to work at a creative agency that reflects my passions and values. I’m not too worried about graduating, I’ll just need to hustle, which I’m prepared to do, it’s survival of the fittest. I know that networking is key, this experience has connected us with so many people, now it’s about building on that ourselves.

Anthony Romero Perez
(21, Hackney, London)

“Growing up in Hackney, our youth club was a constant in an ever-changing community”

Growing up in Hackney, it always felt like things were changing around me. Not always in a bad way, but I was definitely aware of it. My next door neighbour James, ran our local youth club, Pedro Youth Club. He was like the area’s guardian and I always felt safe with him around, we would often cross paths on my way home. He always greeted me with a firm handshake, he checked up with me and my family and always gave me some life advice. We often walked home at a similar time and he’d give me all this life advice.

Pedro was, and still is, a great place for kids to hang out… it’s a safe space, a place to make friends, have fun and to learn what it means to be disciplined. The door is always open for everyone, it gives you a sense of belonging and community. So when I joined the Uncommon residency, I knew I wanted my creative idea to focus on giving back to the place that gave so much to everyone. I wanted to partner with a well-known sports brand, to raise awareness of the ongoing issue of youth club closures across Britain, raise funds for Pedro Youth Club and to start a movement to get closed youth clubs up and running again.

I’m someone that likes trying my hand at everything, from sound design to music, photography… I want to upskill my knowledge in lots of areas and I can confidently say that Uncommon has taught me so much, I will definitely apply what I’ve learnt to my future career. But one day, my dream is to own my own video post-production company. If that doesn’t work out, maybe a video editor.

I’m incredibly grateful to have close family that are in the creative industry, which gives me confidence that I will find a job after graduating. But I still think it’s important for me to retain independence, and make my own connections. Thanks to the residency I was able to make connections with such incredibly creative people, I really feel like together we could really make such an impact on the world.