Join us at Leeds Arts University as Creative Networks joins forces with Kerning the Gap to celebrate creativity for International Womens Day.
Poonam Saini, Sarah Dear and Jane Bowyer join us to chat about their career journeys, provide insight into the creative industries in the North and consider what they wish they'd known when they graduated.
About the speakers
Poonam Saini, Creative Director at Kiss Branding
At just 26 years old, Poonam, a young British South Asian CD, co-established KISS Branding, a design studio that transforms brands into immediate pleasure for old and new audiences. Poonam's approach is about ruffling a few feathers, questioning the norm and disrupting the old way of thinking for the better. Her studio is sector agnostic, meaning they bring a fresh perspective to a variety of brands, including viral projects like The Pink Ladoo Project, social gaming venues like Lane 7, and revolutionary city developments reshaping urban landscapes in both Leeds and London.
Sarah Dear, Managing Director at Born Ugly
Sarah has over 25 years’ brand consultancy experience. She loves the buzz and pace of the retail world and has spent most of her career in the sector, working with clients such as ASDA, M&S, Argos and Tesco as well as North American retailers Walmart and Loblaw.
Her experience focusses on directing brand strategy as well as brand identity, design and application across multiple channels. Sarah is a non executive board director of the Leeds BID, the goal of which is to make Leeds a more attractive and successful city and sits on the council for the Creative Industries Federation.
Jane Bowyer, Independent Artist and Designer, A Studio Called Jane
Jane Bowyer is a graphic designer and illustrator specialising in illustration, web design, branding and print. Her practice balances playfulness with purpose to deliver work that is both beautifully crafted and leaves a lasting impression.
After being the Senior Designer at Raw Design Studio, she now works as an independent designer and illustrator working directly with clients and with design studios on a freelance/consultancy level.
Working on creative projects for clients from a range of industries and disciplines, Jane's focus is to make effective, thoughtful work that has a positive impact on the client and end user. She is supported by a network of talented collaborators and suppliers, who help her to deliver the best work possible from concept to production.
For a long time, Jane has had an interest in social causes, aiming to use her skills as a designer and storyteller to inform and provoke peoples' thoughts and actions. In her own time, she has run workshops with young women on the representation of women in online and offline media and has worked on several personal and commercial projects for causes she feels passionately about.
Join us from 5pm for drinks in the foyer.
The auditorium will be open from 5:45pm and the talk will start at 6pm.