Hachette UK launches Changing the Story Design Project

Hachette UK has launched a three-part Changing the Story Design Project to bring the “best future design talent” to the publishing industry, responding to a “dip in career optimism” for those from under-represented backgrounds who are hoping to get into the creative industries.

The project comprises The Changing the Story Design Festival, the Freelance Designer Database and the Design Education Programme.

The Design Festival took place at Hachette UK’s London office on 19th September, and was held in partnership with the diversity social enterprise Creative Access. Spearheaded by Orion art director Charlotte Abrams Simpson, the aim was to attract a diverse group of designers into the industry. Workshops and talks were delivered by designers and art directors, and the day ended with a networking event for the 29 attendees and representatives from design departments across the business.

“The idea for the festival came from my own experience in publishing, seeing a complete lack of representation within art departments,” said Abrams Simpson. “Now, more than ever, designers are privileged to answer briefs from a thriving list of authors from different cultures and experiences. I think it makes perfect sense to unify this with an inclusive environment and support new, diverse talent into the industry.”

Laura Turner-Blake, director of Access at Creative Access, added: “It’s disheartening to see Creative Access data reporting a 10% year-on-year dip in career optimism from 2023 to 2024 among diverse creative career hopefuls. Initiatives like Hachette UK’s Changing the Story Design Project are essential in combatting this trend by providing under-represented talent with training opportunities and inspiration they otherwise may not have had access to.”

Hachette UK has also created a Freelance Designer Database to expand and diversify its database of creatives. The database will be promoted to a range of design-specific media and websites across the UK, encouraging freelance designers to register their interest. This is a continuation of the editorial freelancer project led by Katie Packer and the Hachette UK Managing Editorial teams in 2023.

“The database will provide an easy and accessible way to ensure freelancers’ work is seen across Hachette and we hope it will mean that we have a wealth of talent to work with who truly represent the breadth of our readers,” said Mel Four, creative director (Mono) at Octopus Books. “I’m really excited to use this new database to find freelancers to work on book covers and content, and marketing and publicity materials.”

The third element of the project is the Design Education Programme, which aims to increase awareness of publishing design careers among secondary school students. Hachette UK is partnering with schools to run the programme, with additional support from the African-Caribbean Education Network. Starting in January 2025, the expanded scheme builds on the work done by Little, Brown in schools and universities since 2009.

Madeleine Burrows, director of year seven at partner school East Manchester Academy, added: “It’s crucial to understand how important outreach is. To have colleagues and professionals from creative industries demonstrate that there is a future career path for them. It enables them to be able to see the connection between what they’re studying and how it works in the real world.”

Bekki Guyatt, deputy art director at John Murray Press, and Isobel Platt, designer at Octopus, are both based at Hachette UK’s Manchester office. “Being based in one of Hachette’s regional offices is a privilege, and we are passionate about recruiting locally and taking part in outreach in and around Manchester,” they said. “Being able to demystify the world of publishing and speak about creative roles within the industry to schools, colleges and universities in the North West can only be a positive thing, and we hope this will encourage people from different backgrounds to see a place for themselves within the industry.”

Anna Bond, managing director at Octopus Publishing Group and Changing the Story Publishing lead, added: “Changing the Story is at the core of Hachette UK. While we still have so much more to do to realise our ambitions, creating and funding annual projects such as these within each part of the publishing process – that then leave a legacy that becomes integral to the ways we all work – are further steps towards real and lasting change.”