FUTURE FWD has established a new scholarship with Northumbria University, in partnership with Fraser Muggeridge studio, as part of its mission to advance equality and inclusion in graphic design education.

The £30,000 scholarship provides material costs and living expenses for a student from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background who has been accepted on the BA Graphic Design course at Northumbria University. Additionally, the scholarship includes access to mentorship throughout the course and a paid internship opportunity with one of the studios.

Associate Professor Jamie Steane from Northumbria’s School of Design says, “At Northumbria we are committed to providing fair access to enriching and empowering higher educational experience for students from all backgrounds. The support from Zak Group, Pentagram, Some Days and Fraser Muggeridge will provide an incredible stepping stone into higher education for talented designers and open doors to industry, helping them to build a strong platform for success in their future careers and life ambitions.”

Fraser Muggeridge studio joins design studios, Pentagram, Zak Group and Some Days to support the scholarship for the 2023/24 academic year.

“This scholarship offers financial support during university education, and crucially also mentorship and industry experience that aims to bridge the gap towards active employment or the foundation of a studio practice. I would like to encourage all graphic design companies, at whatever size, in whatever discipline to get involved in contributing, supporting and promoting the FUTURE FWD scholarship,” says director Fraser Muggeridge.

Northumbria University is the second university FUTURE FWD is collaborating with to provide £30,000 scholarships for students from underrepresented communities. Since 2021, FUTURE FWD has also collaborated with Central Saint Martins to provide scholarships for two students, with a third scholarship recipient to be announced shortly for the 2023/24 academic year.

“We are very pleased to be extending the FUTURE FWD scholarship beyond London and collaborating with Northumbria University. We firmly believe that the design industry needs to become more inclusive and diverse and this begins with making design education more accessible to students from underrepresented communities throughout the UK,” says Luke Powell, Partner at Pentagram.

The FUTURE FWD scholarship was established and first awarded in 2021. It is an ongoing initiative with the aim to support the next generation of design students. The ambition is to fund multiple students each academic year at universities around the world. To this end, FUTURE FWD would like to partner with other design studios to enable these opportunities.