Our next portfolio review is for those starting out in branding! Branding is a broad discipline and industry that can lead to many roles and opportunities – from working as a creative to specialising in copywriting, strategy, graphic design and more.

So whether you’re a student, a grad or just simply in the first year of your career journey, this is a chance to get some advice, meet industry professionals and connect with fellow emerging creatives.

The session will take place over Zoom on Thursday 28th April, from 5pm to 8pm BST. There are only a limited number of places available, so make sure you sign up to register your interest.

The event itself is fast-paced: In breakout rooms of three emerging creatives and one reviewer, you will get the opportunity to show and discuss work, and get advice and feedback. This will then rotate, so you get to meet several reviewers throughout the evening.

Please also note that the session is open to those looking to work in branding with no more than one year of experience. You will be required to have something to show (e.g. one to two projects or pieces of work that capture what you do), but don’t worry if this isn’t a polished portfolio.

Andrea Dell'Anna, design director, Human After All
With over 10 years experience in the industry, Andrea’s work is inspired by storytelling and strategic thinking. Specialising in brand design, Andrea works with both independent clients and industry leaders. In the past Andrea has developed brand and communications projects for the likes of Meta, Climate Group, Instagram and Born Social.

Read more about Human After All here.

Lydia Pang, creative director and co-founder, Morning Studio
Based in Wales, Lydia started her journey studying at the Courtald Institute of Art before cutting her teeth at M&C Saatchi, Anomaly NYC, Refinery29 and Nike HQ in Portland. She is now the creative director of Morning Studio, (founded by herself and Sam Jackson) who use brand strategy, social strategy and web3 strategy to “empower the creator economy to reclaim their narratives.”

See more from Lydia here, and read more about Morning Studio here.

Katee Hui, associate partner, Pentagram
Katee Hui has 14 years experience working in brand strategy, sustainability and social impact. She studied at the London School of Economics before going on to work at a variety of companies such as Nice and Serious, Do The Green Thing and Kindred. Now based in Toronto, Canada and an associate partner at Pentagram, Katee works across graphics, brand identity, exhibitions, packaging, websites and digital experiences.

Read more about Katee here, and read more about Pentagram here.

Sebastian Pape, senior graphic designer, Pentland Brands
Based in Nottingham, Sebastian comes from a fine art background and initially started out working in the apparel industry. Spending time in both a freelance and in-house capacity, Sebastian worked as a designer for action sports brands such as Animal. Now as part of the team at Pentland, he has contributed to projects for the likes of Speedo, Berghaus, Canterbury of New Zealand and Mitre.

Read more about Pentland Brands here.

Jess Ardizzone, creative lead, Stink Studios
Kicking off her creative journey in Milan, Jess studied communication design at Polytechnic University, focussing on graphic design, history of art, branding, editorial design and service design. Before working at Stink Studios, her eight-year career included working full-time at agencies, Rankin and BMB as well as freelancing at VCCP, FCB Inferno, Elvis, Mother and more.

See more from Jess here, and read more about Stink Studios here.

Matt Saint, senior designer, Wolff Olins
A London-based designer, Matt has spent eight years in northern England as a designer for Brother, Well Made Studio and Golden before joining the Wolff Olins team this year. Specialising in design and art direction, he creates brand and campaign visual systems, collaborating with the likes of Nike, Coca-Cola, Beats by Dre and Samsung.

Read more about Wolff Olins here.

Pali Palavathanan, creative director, Templo
Pali is the co-founder of Templo, a branding and digital agency focused on creativity for change. Their work has included projects for the United Nations, Greenpeace, Migrant Help and the Committee on Climate Change. With over fifteen years of experience, Pali has worked with the likes of Virgin Atlantic, Amnesty International, Disaster Emergency Committee and the Guggenheim Museum.

Read more about Templo here.

Yasamin Shadanlou, designer and art director, Adidas
A graphic designer and art director based in Amsterdam, Yasamin started her design journey as an admin assistant at a range of magazine publishers. Having worked both full-time and freelance, she has moved into working in fast-paced ad agency environments such as Grey London, Wunderman Thompson and specialising in pitches and brand identity, before becoming a designer and art director at Adidas.

See more from Yasamin here, and read more about Adidas here.

Jed Carter, design director, DixonBaxi
For the past eight years, Jed has designed prototype brands and digital experiences. Initially climbing the ranks of design studio Moving Brands (from design intern to senior designer), he later joined DixonBaxi as a senior designer, and now design director. In his role, he helps teams to thrive by seeking clarity and encouraging a hands-on approach to creativity.

See more from Jed here, and read more about DixonBaxi here.

Stephanie McArdle, design director, Droga5
Since graduating from London College of Communication with an MA in graphic design, Stephanie has worked at Wieden+Kennedy, Uncommon and Anomaly, before joining the team at Droga5 in 2018. Originally from Ireland and now based in London, Stephanie brings engaging branding design together with storytelling expertise for clients like Diet Coke, Barclaycard and Amazon.

Read more about Droga5 here.

This session is open to students, grads, or those within the first year of a creative career. You are only eligible to register if you are:

• Not in full-time creative work
• Within the first year of your career
• Based in the UK
• Aged 18 and over

Please note that you will be required to submit an example of your work in your application. Register your interest by 9am on 19th April via the link below.

Registering for this event does not guarantee a place. Those invited to attend will be emailed a week before the event, and will be asked to pay a £5 deposit. This is to confirm your attendance, and will be refunded after the session.

Attendees are selected based on their eligibility, so please be assured that if you are not invited, this is not a reflection of the quality of your work.

We hope to see you there!