Zak Group, Pentagram and Some Days unite to support the FUTURE FWD scholarship

Design studios Zak Group, Pentagram and Some Days have come together to commit their financial support for the 2022 FUTURE FWD scholarship.

Created in partnership with the globally renowned art and design institution Central Saint Martins, the £30,000 scholarship will provide material costs and living expenses for a student from a community currently underrepresented in the industry, who has been accepted on the BA Graphic Communication Design course. In addition, the scholarship includes access to mentorship throughout the course and a paid internship opportunity with one of the studios.

Zak Group, Pentagram and Some Days have joined forces for this initiative as they firmly believe that making a more inclusive and diverse design industry begins with making design education more accessible.

For the 2020/2021 academic year, the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) reported that 110,025 white students were enrolled in design and creative and performing arts-related undergraduate degrees as compared to 6,395, 6,235 and 9,610 from Black, Asian and mixed or other backgrounds respectively.

“As an industry we're only as good as the next generation of graphic design talent. By joining forces with two of the field’s leading studios we hope to demonstrate our mutual commitment to making design more inclusive” says Zak Kyes, Creative Director of Zak Group.

Pentagram partners Naresh Ramchandani and Luke Powell share, “We know that our industry can be homogenous and opportunities for people to progress their careers and work in a commercial setting are limited, especially for people who are from racialised backgrounds. By being part of FUTURE FWD we want to help make the industry more diverse and accessible through the scholarship and industry experience and exposure.”

Steve Reinmuth, Creative Director of Some Days emphasises, “Too many creative voices aren’t being heard due to the barriers of education including cost and access. We are passionate about supporting the brilliant diverse minds that will lead our industry into the future.”

“The Central Saint Martins Graphic Communication Design Programme is proud to be partnering with three industry stalwarts who share our commitment to a more inclusive future for graphic design – Zak Group, Pentagram and Some Days – for this year’s FUTURE FWD scholarship. The scholarship is an important tool for making a needed step-change in expanding access and diversity in our field,” says Rebecca Ross, Programme Director of Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins.

Applications for the scholarship will be accepted until 23 May 2022 and the recipient will be chosen in July 2022. Information on how to apply is available on the FUTURE FWD Scholarship website.

The FUTURE FWD Scholarship was established and first awarded in 2021. The scholarship is an ongoing initiative with the aim to support the next generation of design students. The ambition is to fund multiple students each academic year and to extend beyond London to more universities. To this end, FUTURE FWD would like to partner with other design studios to enable these opportunities.