Gap in the industry for black female creative directors
There is a clear gap in the advertising and design industries for black female creative directors – a gap that seems to be widening, to the detriment of both agencies and their clients
Despite the concerted drive the advertising and design industry is making towards transformation, there remains a dire need for female, in particular black female, creative directors to provide diversity of input in terms of branding and design. The primary reason for this, according to Anli Grobler, senior academic navigator at Vega, is that design careers have been incorrectly positioned as a career in the arts. The implication of this is that it’s neither sustainable nor lucrative, which makes it a less popular choice among parents and guardians as well candidates themselves, who would rather pursue careers with status and salary tags attached, such as those in strategy or project management. Grobler says that while some females are enrolled in Vega’s design courses, the creative and communications industries need to invest in an internship audit to compare what other immersion and internship programmes have on offer. They should take note not only of the creative and communicati...
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