Career connections: how our Michigan team is inspiring the next generation of design professionals

As part of our partnership with Battle Creek Central High School in Michigan, team members from SGK and Equator recently joined forces with teachers to deliver a mock design project with a tasty theme – and some very important outcomes. In this blog post, we explain the significance of this project and the wider partnership, not only for the local community but for the future of design.

The background: diversity in design

Design is everywhere – from product packaging and subway advertising to office interiors and corporate branding. An industry with such vast influence should be able to reflect perspectives and experiences from across the spectrum of society, but diverse voices in design are scarce. In 2022, statistics from Data USA showed that more than 70% of the graphic designer workforce were white.

At Equator, we recognise that we have a role to play when it comes to diversifying the industry. Helping to facilitate early access to design is a key part of this process, enabling young people from different backgrounds to explore the opportunities on offer across this exciting and varied field. Currently, too many young people simply don’t know that this is a viable or sustaining career choice.

The partnership: Battle Creek Central High School

We know we can make the biggest difference by focusing our efforts within the local community. For our Michigan office, this approach involves a longstanding partnership with Battle Creek Central High School (BCCHS) where the student population is 41.1% African American, 29.7% White and 14.3% Hispanic, with 63% on free or reduced lunches.

As a partner, we support the School’s Career Academies through engagement opportunities, such as project-based learning activities, guest speaking and participation in career fairs. We don’t always shout about these initiatives, but our recent project, delivered in collaboration with teachers at BCCHS, is an excellent example of the benefits that industry-education partnerships can bring.

The project: designing a new food package

Volunteers from Equator’s and SGK’s Michigan offices worked with teachers at BCCHS to create a mock design project where students in five classes were tasked with designing a new food package for a specific snack item. Each class was given a different product, from Cheez-Its to Cheddar Chips (and a box full of those products to enjoy while working on it – to their delight!).

As well as devising the brief, our team took students through the roles and responsibilities of the people typically involved in this sort of project, breaking down the timeline, providing examples of relevant client work at various stages, and showing them how to use the tools they would need to present to their client (us, plus the teacher) at the end of the two-week period.

Students worked together in groups of two or three, taking on the roles and responsibilities of designers and account managers. Jacquie Timm, Design Director and D&I Council Lead recalls: “The account manager’s job was to go and research what other brands in the space were doing, while the designer’s job was to design based on those insights. We were pushing them not just to create something they thought looked cool, but to actually respond to what they saw in the market.”

The outcomes: exploring career paths

For many students, this project was the first time they had been introduced to the notion of design as a viable career path. “Part of why we’re doing this is to raise awareness that you can build a career in design, and you don’t have to be an artist,” said Jacquie. “One of the students told us she loved being the account manager, contributing to ideas, managing the timeline and working on the presentation deck, but she had no interest in being a designer. Now she knows that there are other options available to her that still allow her to be creative.”

“I’ve given a few talks at high schools prior to this, and a lot of students dismiss design if they aren’t interested in art – until you point out the ways design influences the world around them,” added eCommerce Creative Director AMER, Marcia Stevens. “I liked how this project taught valuable soft skills, while also showing students how they could use their abilities to build a career in design. Without it, they just wouldn’t have been aware of the many options available to them.”

And it’s not just the children who are learning about the variety of roles on offer in the design industry. “When educators understand the careers within design, they can share this knowledge with children and their parents,” says Associate Creative Director Diana Lee. “I ended up in design because of my third-grade teacher who saw that my book reports, while light on content, were so elaborately designed. He called my mum and suggested I get into design school. They didn’t even know that was a possibility! That’s what’s so valuable about this kind of project.”

The results: inspiring creativity

The students took a variety of approaches during the mock design project, with some employing digital tools like Canva and Photoshop, and others drawing or making collages. “We weren’t looking for amazing design,” says Jacquie, “We just wanted to see their design thinking and whether they made choices based off of personal preference or market research. But there were a lot of really great creative ideas!”

Feedback following the project showed just how valuable it was, with student Alaina Healy commenting: “Thank you to you and your team for everything you did to support my class. I REALLY enjoyed this type of work and want to know more about it. I’m thinking this could be a career fit for me… The direction that I enjoyed the most was the account manager position because even though I was the account person, I could make ideas with the designer and see how they were feeling about certain ideas I also had come to mind.”

And it wasn’t just the students who enjoyed the process. “It was such an inspiring project to be a part of and really fun to see how the kids took our direction and worked together from the brief to the creation and final presentation,” said Account Director Alison Perks. “They seemed excited by the project we had given them, and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing them share their ideas.”

The collaboration with BCCHS continues as SGK and Equator’s Michigan teams pursue their shared ambition to diversify the industry by increasing awareness among younger students and promoting the variety and viability of creative careers.

Businesses looking to support young people into sustainable and fulfilling careers can get involved with can learn more about becoming a BCCHS community partner by visiting their website.