How universities

can unlock
creativity in
every student
 Introduction
Virtually every organization, from large corporations to the public sector and charities,
depend on people with design skills. Digitization has also created new roles, such as UX

Contents (user experience) and UI (user interface) designer.

» University perspective:
- ‘Creativity isn’t innate at all it can
be completely taught’
- Creative career route
Many creatives will say that a formal art or design degree springboarded them into their career,
teaching them the nuances of color, form and typography. Many would also say that their
university education helped them to develop their creative vision, become more commercially-
savvy and make contacts.
But it’s not just those pursuing a creative career who need design skills.
Plenty of people, from marketers to engineers, are required to produce graphics in some form,
whether for social media, reports, presentations or their own personal branding. That includes our
staff here at Serif, who come from a huge variety of backgrounds, and whose requirement for
professional design software helps us define our future development.
Creative technology has both leveled the playing field in design, and raised the bar on standards.
Many people can now produce good-quality work using intuitive and affordable software, which

» What the industry wants now
» Design skills for life
encourages them to develop their skills through experimentation. A formal design education isn’t
needed for most roles but design skills are increasingly
important – and with access to the right software, they can be
learned alongside any degree course.
In this report, we explore how universities can support students
to develop their creative and design skills whatever career path
they choose.

» A professional toolkit: We speak to Nick Lovegrove, from a UK university, who firmly

believes that creativity isn’t innate, and a graduate who
Helping non-designers develop describes her route from university into a design career. Mark
Fensom, a veteran of the creative industry, explains what
design skills employers are looking for today, while Si Beales, a university
lecturer-turned-coach, urges students to experiment to unlock
their creativity.

» University and beyond Ashley Hewson

CEO at Serif, developers of
Affinity creative software
Peter Moore Fuller, who uses Affinity software to deliver design
training, dispels some of the myths around creativity, and our
own Ben Viney offers practical tips on how to get the most from
our products.

» How we can help

2 How Universities Can Unlock Creativity in Every Student

 University perspective
‘Creativity isn’t innate at all it can be completely taught’
Nick Lovegrove is a Vice Chancellor Awards-winning Principal Lecturer, designer and Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Graphic Design and
Illustration courses at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Creative Arts in the UK. Here, he challenges the idea that creative skills can’t be taught.
Having worked in graphic design since the late
‘90s and teaching at the university for eight years,
you will have witnessed the adoption of digital
technology. Has this helped to level the playing
field, enabling more people to become designers?
Yes, and that’s a really good thing. The fact that, unlike
30 years ago, everyone now can have their own design
tools and produce their own work is incredible. You
don’t have to be part of a large company to produce a
charity leaflet or grassroots newsletter, or just have
fun with graphic design in your own home. Removing
previous barriers is fantastic.
The challenge is that while you can learn graphic
design outside of university, you don’t always build
those wider skills. Additionally, the industry is spoilt
for choice when it comes to the thousands of graphic
designers out there, so employers will naturally look to
those with a degree for assurance when hiring.
Those wider skills are developed not just in a studio
listening to experts in the field (of which we have
many in this country – London being one of the
world’s centers of design) but through practical work.
Graphic design is social and collaborative – you learn
3 How Universities Can Unlock Creativity in Every Student
just as much from your surroundings and classmates
as you do from your tutors. A degree gives you a
skillset that’s hard to master by yourself.
What does that mean in terms of diversity?
At our university, we have a proven track record of
accepting a diverse range of students and many of our
most successful students come from backgrounds
different from the traditional art student profile. One without relying on external design agencies is a
of the brilliant aspects of university is that everyone valuable skill in itself.
comes from unique experiences and, on the first day,
everyone is thrown into a room together and they are UX design is particularly lucrative and offers well-paid
all instantly equal, learning from one another. career paths, which attract a significant number of our
Regardless of race, class, or gender, the cultural graduates. Interestingly, most UX designers do not
influences brought by students are amazing to have formal training in design. This is where our
witness, as they learn from each other's perspectives graduates excel because they possess a solid
and experiences. understanding of different types of software,
typography and core design principles. ►
It has been a pleasure to witness this diversity and the
breakdown of barriers. Companies, too, have become
more aware of the importance of employing
individuals from different backgrounds, including
those who are neurodiverse, and universities can
harness that.
In the digital age, are there more roles that require
design skills compared to previously?
Absolutely. Demand is increasing across most
industries and if employers can see that someone is a
good designer, it can open up many different roles.
Whether a company is in the creative sector or not, it Nick Lovegrove
will have design requirements. Being able to create Principal Lecturer
impressive pitch decks or presentations for clients University of Hertfordshire
 ◄ Speaking of typography, what is the value of
learning formal design techniques such as this
and other key skills at university?
It’s all about working with a huge variety of people
and in ways that make you think. You can learn core
skills in a book or online but it’s a very dry method of
learning and lacking in any practical application.
Universities offer a unique environment where you
can learn these skills and apply them in loads of
different ways within a social environment. While
you can certainly find tutorials on platforms like
YouTube, we strive to provide a diverse range of briefs
to enhance our students’ learning experience. One
week, you might tackle a short brief aimed at
addressing a social issue, and the following week, you
may engage in a collaborative and more extensive
brand-oriented project.
What part does professional creative software
play?
As much as our course is idea focused (and we really
push our students to produce clever, unexpected
ideas) designers still really need to produce lovely
work, so using professional software to collaborate
and explore as well as producing visually appealing
and well-crafted work is crucial.
Most students love being taught about different types
of software, it gives them a huge sense of satisfaction
to follow a really steep learning curve. As creative as
you may be, in the real world, your work needs to
appeal not only to clients but also to the general
public (in most cases). Therefore, you must convince
potential employers that you are worth hiring. You
only have a few seconds to make an impression, so it’s
important to use good software to ensure that your
work is impactful.
4 How Universities Can Unlock Creativity in Every Student
What career paths do students who've studied
design-related subjects generally follow?
Graphic design encompasses a wide range of skills,
and each specific skill set can lead to different career
paths. For example, although the majority find work
as graphic designers, some students may focus on
motion design and pursue careers in animation and
moving image production, while others may work in
advertising. Additionally, many go into marketing,
creating visually appealing graphics as part of their
day-to-day role. In our course, we also teach brand
strategy, which opens up opportunities for students
to pursue roles as strategists rather than solely
designers, as their understanding of the visual side
complements their strategic thinking. We’ve also had
some graduates go onto be successful entrepreneurs.
Do you believe that creative vision is innate, or
can it be taught?
It’s not innate at all and can be completely taught. For
young people there are certain societal pressures that
can hinder the development of creativity, which is sad
to see. While it can be challenging to encourage
young people to be creative, it is indeed possible to
teach them. All individuals have a natural talent in
something, whether it be specific areas such as
writing or drawing, while others may have a passion
for coding or collage. Our personalities also influence
our abilities in certain skills – it’s up to us as
educators to draw out that creativity. If a student is
willing and open to learning, creativity can be
nurtured and taught no question.
Nick Lovegrove Principal Lecturer at the University
of Hertfordshire, UK
 ‘My degree has provided many opportunities
and experiences that led to my employment.’
Creative Career Route
You only have to look at the visual résumé of Poppy
Scoffings, a graduate from the UK’s Northumbria
University, to see her creative talent. Alongside a
first class degree in graphic design, she holds
accolades including the D&AD New Blood Graphite
pencil and New Designer of the Year runner-up
award. Now working at The Chase Creative
Consultants in Manchester, England, she reflects on
how her degree helped kick start her career.
Our degree prepared us with a strong portfolio that
reflects our skills as designers. We learned the basics of
design thinking, craft and problem-solving in our first
year, and then started to craft our portfolio and apply for
industry placements in our second year. Throughout
our third year we had the opportunity to answer live
briefs, competition briefs and write and answer our own
brief, which allows you to show both your interests, your
craft and who you are as a designer.
From degree show to first job
I co-branded our degree show and stall at the UK’s New
Designers exhibition with a classmate. Our concept,
'Canny', drew inspiration from a regional term in
Newcastle, England, that means 'great'. We used cans of
beans instead of business cards, and created a fun
'shopping' experience with aisles showcasing our work.
This caught the attention of my current boss, who was
visiting the exhibition and led to me getting my job.
Our briefs developed our design thinking and each one
added another element to our overall approach. We were
given the freedom to fail and experiment, which helped
me develop the ability to learn from my own mistakes.
As someone who learns by doing, this way of working
5 How Universities Can Unlock Creativity in Every Student
was highly beneficial and made the experience more helped establish my credibility as a designer to
memorable. potential employers.
A Graphic Design degree involves a lot of face-to-face
Collaboration and creativity
teaching, having critiques in small groups and spending
a lot of time with both your tutors and coursemates,
I think working collaboratively forces you to critique
which means that your tutors know who you are and
both your work and others in your team, enhancing the
are invested in your personal journey. The working
space and course hours created a studio culture which is
similar to how it is in the
‘We were given the industry. We also visited
real studios to see how
freedom to fail and they work.
experiment, which You don’t have to have a
helped me develop the degree to work as a
graphic designer but I
ability to learn…’ believe the degree has
provided many
Poppy Scoffings opportunities and
outcome. This experience provided me with a strong Graphic Designer experiences that lead to
appreciation for teamwork. my employment. ►
As my degree coincided with the pandemic, my
experience of blended learning helped me adapt to the
current work environment where working both from
home and in an office has become normal.
I enjoyed seeking out opportunities – for instance, I
participated in a live branding brief for a new campaign
at the university. This provided me with the chance to
work with a real-world client and develop my
presentation and communication skills.
I also took part in another project that resulted in my
work being featured in the local paper. This recognition
and exposure not only boosted my confidence but also
 What the industry wants now Opening the door

That said, it poses the question of what the value of

studying design today holds. Tutors are still influential
– though today it might show itself in the standard of
With a career spanning more than two decades, Mark Fensom has worked live briefs or placement opportunities they can get for
their students, rather than giving them the right
on projects in sectors ranging from fast food to finance since studying person to address a hand-written letter to (I still have a
batch of letters I received from a number of agencies,
Visual Communication at the University of Central England. Now director rejecting or accepting my request to work with them!).

of creative agency Warbox in Nottingham, England, he shares his When I came out of university with a degree in Visual
Communication, my first paid position was for a sales
thoughts on how the sector has changed during this time, and what he promotion agency where we worked on global
multimillion pound briefs. Would I have been able to
looks out for when hiring new graduates. work on accounts like that if I hadn’t gone to
university? No, probably not, because I wouldn’t have
had that foot in the door thanks to my tutor.
These days, I’d argue that people have access to so In a broader sense, though, the importance of a
much more information around the types of creative education should never be underestimated.
careers you could consider as a creative person – Creativity is being swept under the rug these days, yet
Showing the full process
even if that isn’t supported traditionally within the skills needed for creative problem-solving can
education. When I was studying we were slightly Fast-forward to today, and I’ve had a number of benefit so many other areas beyond producing
blinkered as we just didn’t have that knowledge; we beautiful art or design.
different roles since graduating. Now, as an agency
couldn’t sound out companies, industries or people owner, I’m the person responsible for recognizing new
working in them through websites or social media. Other areas I’ve worked in include packaging design
talent and hiring them for their first job. Being able to and printed literature, before moving into advertising
create something that looks great is one element, of and then branding. It just shows that, if you have a
I was at university during a strange time. A big course, but there are other skills that I look for when creative mind and a willingness to learn, there will
technological shift happened in the late ‘90s, and the assessing if they’d be a good addition to my team. always be an industry that you can tap into – even
widespread use of the internet and emails was just in beyond design and marketing.
its infancy. Beyond the final aesthetic output, I want to see the
layout software, which was also in its very early days.
research, insights and decisions that led them to With new developments
Many years ago, universities didn’t have the resources
Back then, the value of creative education was simply choose every motif, color or placement. Sometimes a like AI and a push for
to give us all access to it – and like any new technology logic and mathematics,
from the connections that your tutors could bring you. portfolio will look visually stunning, but it isn’t clear
they were probably limited by waiting for industry and it’s becoming much more
Before platforms like LinkedIn became the norm, this how that person arrived at that final image. When you
senior leaders to respond. accepted to get an answer
was the key to gaining your first job once you start to work commercially, this aspect is so important
graduated. Tutors were incredibly influential, to a question – or even
The situation now is very different and most – and if a candidate can’t articulate that through their solving a visual problem –
especially if you wanted to get into certain big portfolio, then it makes me wonder, ‘did they really by simply asking a digital
universities will have lots of computers, Macbooks and
agencies. work on it in that way?’ system to give an output.
different software packages, while it’s much more
common to have personal laptops and tablets too. If the But when we allow
Creative thinking vs practical skills It’s up to me at some level to train up new staff, but if students to express
students now are anything like we were back then, I’m
they can demonstrate that they already have a sense of themselves creatively,
sure they’ll be trying out creative software for
A lot of what I actually learned at university focused on commercial awareness, as well as creative skills, then Mark Fensom and come up with
themselves – though rather than reading books for alternative answers and
being able to answer a brief creatively. The practical they’ll have a head start above everyone else. Director
tutorials, they’re probably watching YouTube Warbox solutions, they evolve as
skills were largely self-taught. This was certainly true
videos instead. a person as well.
when it came to using the latest design, creative and

6 How Universities Can Unlock Creativity in Every Student


Design skills for life
Si Beales runs Future Skills Club (FSC), which aims to help young people reach their full potential through building vital
life skills such as creativity and collaboration. Before this he spent many years in higher education, working as Principal
Lecturer at the Nottingham Trent University and he has also supported students at a handful of other UK-based
universities including Solent University, London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins. Here, he asks whether
creativity is innate, and to what extent can it be taught?
Creativity is about looking at things from a
different perspective, deconstructing everything,
pulling it apart and seeing how things could be
done better.
Typically, most people are very creative when they’re
young, but over time they lose the idea of being
disruptive or trying to improve things - they’re
nervous of failure and experimentation.
We’re told to specialize in a certain subject or way of
thinking really early, which means that people are
almost scared to be creative if they haven’t been
defined as an ‘artist’ or ‘designer’ during those
formative years. Even if they might still have that
spark in them amongst other interests and talents.
EXPLORE SEEK
Icons illustrating parts of the creative process
7 How Universities Can Unlock Creativity in Every Student
Learning new habits
There’s no doubt that you can teach the creative
process though. It’s possible to break it down into
relatively simple habits.
The first thing you need is curiosity, and then you
have to open your eyes to see what’s out there already
to borrow, steal and remix. In order to do that, you
need to be able to explore, go to strange places, look for
trends and identify opportunities. Some people will
have a natural tendency to do all of those things, but
the process is relatively simple and can be developed
over time.
I know that this is something that a lot of lecturers
and academics want university to be about –
experimentation and practice, discovering what you’re
passionate about and finding a flow. And when the
courses are good and built with this in mind, there’s no
question that university can be incredibly useful.
EXPERIMENT HIT THE MARK
Supplementing development
The same theory can also be applied to learning the hard
skills I mentioned previously. Workshops and seminars are
a good starting point, but quite often students need – and
want – to supplement that development by practising
beyond these lessons, whether that’s through watching
online tutorials, collaborating with people or working on
their own projects.
To get the most out of university and stand out in the
workplace, students need to develop their skills on and off
their course. It’s important to think about where you want
to be and how you need to get there; taking a personal
responsibility for your learning, coaching and training. A
A rounded set of skills university won’t do that for you – part of being in higher
education is learning to be self-motivated. This means
University is a place where you can meet a vast range getting involved in different projects and activities, and
of people with different experiences and collaborate developing the skills needed for the workplace during
with peers and experts. internships and sandwich years.
It can also help you to develop the hard skills needed Creativity certainly is in all of us. But even with a natural
for whatever discipline you’re studying, by learning talent, it needs to be nurtured to realize its full potential.
‘Explore, go to strange
places, look for
trends and identify
opportunities.’
how to use specific tools or software, for example, or
the fundamental elements of design such as form,
color or typography. Soft skills such as collaboration
and curiosity mustn't be forgotten either – Rohan
Rajiv, Director of Product Management at LinkedIn
stated that soft skills featured in 78% of job adverts
posted globally in the summer of 2022. With this in
mind, while hard skills can definitely be taught and
perfected with practice, if you don’t apply them to live
projects then when you enter industry you’ll always be
a little behind the other candidates.
 A professional toolkit:
helping on-designers develop skills
Infohackit first launched in 2015 as a 12-hour ‘hack’ event which aimed to provide a space for scientists and designers to come together and discover new ways to
communicate research. Now it’s a full-time design training hub, working with research institutes and universities to upskill scientists with the tools to produce visual
representations of their work.

Co-founder Peter Moore

Fuller explains the benefits
Speaking the Same Language
‘The features that design
of teaching design to people ‘I see a massive potential As well as giving scientists a new way to understand and
software offers such as
present their own research, giving them access to digital
studying beyond the subject
– and the part that Affinity
for working with design software is incredibly valuable in today’s job layers, guides, grids, as
software plays in that. academics in universities market. Many academics and public sector workers often
create their own posters or visuals for presentations and well as multiple export
I often find that a lot of to teach them how to use textbooks. Beyond this, whether you’re working in
options, gives the user
publishing or physics, having some knowledge of the
Peter Moore
Co-founder
academics can be put off by the
idea of ‘being creative’. Some
creativity to digest, technology used to make visuals can be very useful – much more freedom than
Infohackit do engage with it – we’ve even summarize and helping you to talk the same language as a design team
when you do work with one. when relying on finding
had some students who, after
taking part in our training, communicate workarounds on tools
Having access to software isn’t a ‘silver bullet’ for good
have discovered a new talent and started a new career in
design, making science communication their
their ideas.’ design though. Unlike other template-based systems, that aren’t purpose-built
when using something like Affinity it’s important to have
specialization.
Using Affinity, we’ll typically start off by inputting all of some training first – especially if you’re not from a formal for designing – and you
the text, which means that the creative can then work design background. But once you have that you’ll be able
For those who find it a little more challenging, I like to
around the functional element. Color, shape and form are to approach things with much more confidence. And most can create the outcomes
unpick it slightly and ask them to consider ‘design
thinking’ instead. A lot of them don’t realize that actually
brought in strategically rather than simply ‘making a big
rainbow on a page’. I find that a lot more of my
importantly, by getting an understanding of concepts
such as composition, typography, color systems and
far quicker.’
you can bring in all of this wonderful, functional maths
scientifically-minded students engage with the process images, your work becomes much more professional
and engineering knowledge and use it to inform your
better when I explain it like this. and engaging. The most important thing for me is getting people to think
visual work. Creativity can be deliberate and have lots of
like a designer, rather than just ‘drawing’ and ‘being
useful constraints.
You see, a lot of people confuse good design with being creative’. It’s about getting people to think strategically
able to draw. But I see a massive potential for working with about communications, considering things like target
Designing Strategically
academics in universities to teach them how to use audience, content, key messages and goals, before
The technical elements of design, such as understanding creativity to digest, summarize and communicate their empowering them with the skills to put that into practice
typography and grid structures, are fundamental to every ideas. These people often spend multiple years looking at using a confident visual language.
full-time design role, and can definitely be taught. Once one very small, niche area in the world of science. By
you have a basic understanding then it will be far easier to creating a poster or a visual abstract for a research paper,
use any type of design software effectively as the two go for example, it can provide a lot of perspective by looking
hand in hand. at the bigger picture.

8 How Universities Can Unlock Creativity in Every Student


University and beyond
Ben Viney, product expert at Serif, looks at how our creative software can help
students bridge the gap between university and work.
We’ve seen in this report how important design
skills are to a growing number of roles today – and
why university is the perfect place to develop
them, whether or not a student chooses a design-
related course.
Many universities in the UK boast state-of-the-art
kit, including computers and creative software for
students to use on coursework and other projects.
But not every design graduate secures a job right
away. Sometimes they could spend a year or more
working in another role, working on their portfolio,
doing a bit of freelance work or entering
competitions. Similarly, non-designers still need to
9 How Universities
put together a professional-looking résumé, or
create presentations when looking for roles. So how
do they keep their skills sharp, and develop them
further when they no longer have access to the
university’s facilities?
The reason Affinity’s suite of creative software is
becoming popular in universities is because it gives
more students access to professional-grade software
at an affordable price. Then, when they graduate,
they can continue using it with a low-cost at-home
license. They can access it on their laptop, desktop or
iPad without needing a powerful graphics card – yet
the tools and output are professional standard.
In the world of work, Affinity can be used to explain
complex ideas to clients in industries like
construction; create impactful marketing and sales
materials; or simply reassure prospective customers
that an organization is credible when they land on
the website or social media channels. It’s also really
easy to create reports by flowing in the text from a
Word document and then automatically adding
headers, footers and a table of contents, or edit
photos quickly. Something as simple as being able to
edit a PDF using the software is a huge time-saving
benefit for businesses.
Outside the creative sector, design skills can be
undervalued by employers if it’s not the main
purpose of the business. Yet design isn’t about
making things look pretty – it’s an essential
communication tool.
Affinity is used in a wide range of businesses
including those where design isn’t the primary
focus. As Peter points out in the previous article,
users can access the tools as and when they need
them, without paying high
subscription costs. What
many organizations,
including universities, value
is its flexibility. Users who
already have experience of
other creative software can
transition to it easily, and
those who are just starting
out can play around with the
Ben Viney
Product Expert at Serif, tools and develop the skills
developers of Affinity
creative software
required for their role.
REASONS FOR USING
AFFINITY SOFTWARE
IN UNIVERSITIES
Great for design students – and those
who need design skills
Most students need design at some point –
whether for their studies, career or hobby. Affinity
is professional-grade creative software yet it is
also accessible and affordable for students and
supports a wide range of career routes.
Available on any device
From laptops and desktops to tablets, students
can access Affinity creative software on their
chosen device, both at home and on campus.
Site-wide access
Affinity is available via site-wide perpetual
licences which means more students and
lecturers can access the software they need to
complete their work and develop design skills,
without a monthly subscription.
Easy to use and affordable
With an easy-to-use interface, and plenty of
tutorials available, students can pick up the
basics of Affinity, or use skills developed from
other creative software. This means lecturers
don’t need to teach students how to use different
types of creative software, while graduates can
continue using Affinity with a low-cost at-home
license. This can give them a headstart in their
career, whether it’s completing briefs for design
jobs, or creating visually-striking résumés and
websites for any role.
 How we can help
The Affinity suite of award-winning creative software –
Designer, Photo and Publisher – is used in universities and
colleges, as well as schools and professional
environments.

Get in touch for a free site-wide trial to find out how it can
benefit your university.

FIND OUT MORE

affin.co/edu

10 How Universities Can Unlock Creativity in Every Student