Creative Careers 2007 – Follow up

Breaking into the web design trade is tough, very tough. That challenge was the motivation behind Web Designer’s inaugural ‘Creative Careers’ recruitment special back in issue 131.
We wanted to provide an annual opportunity to not only offer the latest university and training advice to creative hopefuls, but also showcase work from some of the country’s most promising students. The impact of what the coverage might achieve was unknown, so when the team received a call from a top recruitment agency to congratulate the feature – we were pretty ecstatic to say the least. The news was that the consultants at London-based Purple, already fans of the magazine for some time, had been able to secure jobs for some of the featured graduates.
Buoyed by the roles that both parties had been able to play in getting new blood into such a harsh industry, it was decided that an update article describing how it had all come together would be a nice idea. So here is a kind of ‘where are they now?’ follow up courtesy of Purple’s own Marc Shelkin, who played a big part in the story first-hand. The hope is that you’ll be fired up and inspired enough to get your game together and put yourself in the shop window in May 2008, eh?

Marc Shelkin, consultant, Purple Consultancy
www.purple-consultancy.com

About Purple Consultancy
Purple Consultancy was set up seven years ago by Toby Thwaites and Paul Wood. Purple has always been based in the Business Design Centre, Islington, London. It initially serviced the recruitment advertising and integrated markets, however, due to an ever-growing and busy industry, Purple soon grew in size and currently employs around 20 people with established offices in London and Leeds, and a Manchester office opening imminently. Purple Consultancy now specialises in the digital, integrated, publishing, design, PR and office support industries. We now have a specialist digital team who look after creatives, developers, account and project handlers, producers and information architects. We have recently rebranded with a more modern and creative identity, which represents where the company is now and proving it is more than a colour. To find out more, visit www.purple-consultancy.com.
Due to the lack of good candidates looking for a new job in the current market, our clients are looking to invest substantial money and time in top junior candidates who will be the future of the agency. Our clients are offering intensive training schemes and a great package to keep talent in-house for the next few years.
Purple has recently invested a lot of time in the junior market, hosting a couple of networking events across London. Recently we held a reunion party for the past and present graduates of HyperIsland, a top university in Sweden that focuses on creativity. It was a chance for current students on placements and past graduates who work in London full-time to catch up, and a chance for Purple to help anyone who might need our help finding a job now or in the future. Due to the joint success of this event and the reaction we got from our clients when the ‘Creative showcase’ article appeared in Web Designer magazine, I had to get in touch.

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