In a new campaign, The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is shifting the focus back on to the importance of the creative industries, after the setback caused by COVID-19.
The new campaign, ‘Creativity Matters’, designed by creative agency Wash Studio, sets out the value of creativity and is aiming to inspire the next generation of workers in the creative industries. Oxford Economics predicts the creative industries will generate 300,000 more jobs and an additional £28 billion in GVA across the UK by 2025. However, the pandemic has led to financial struggles for organisations in the sector and a lower employment rate – a trend that UCLan’s School of Arts and Media wants to change.
The campaign emphasises the stats around the creative industry, the jobs supported, and its contribution to the UK economy. Through colourful film and photography, the campaign demonstrates its value and importance, in particular showing where the world would be without creative professionals.
‘Creativity Matters’ was launched at the Create Your Future UCAS event in London, an event for those looking to train and take on creative careers.
Heather Ellis, Director of Marketing at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “Britain’s economy is founded on creativity, without it, there is so much that would be lost. Across the North West, we have a thriving creative community and a strong vision to produce creative, work-ready graduates who contribute to the creative community and add to the economy.
“As we recover from the pandemic, we saw an opportunity to reiterate the value of the arts and set out a vision for a fourth industrial revolution, driven by the creative people looking to contribute to our society and shape the cultural landscape around us.”
Lynsey Thompson, Managing Director at Wash Studio, said: “We are surrounded by creativity in our everyday lives. From the clothes we wear to the images on our screens, we simply wanted to cover it up and create a blank world, but do it in a way that looked like a creative piece or an art installation in its own right. We also knew it would give us some great material for all the social platforms.
“Although we needed to get a strong message across – we also wanted it to be engaging and fun. Who wouldn’t want to throw paint everywhere? Having said that, we needed to carefully curate and choreograph the filming, as we only had one chance to make this work!”
