New Views: what do Gen Z think about the future of the creative industry?

Applications are currently open for It’s Nice That’s Ones to Watch – a talent showcase championing the next generation of creatives. To mark the occasion, we’re publishing a series of articles exploring what it means to be a creative starting out today. In this piece, we hand the mic to those very people...

What does the creative industry look like to those entering it right now? What are its most exciting draws; what are its biggest hurdles? We invited four emerging creatives, ranging from school and university students to those in their first years finding their feet, to share their hopes, woes, plans and points of view.

Morola Oyefesobi, digital designer

Morola has been working as a freelancer for just under a year, bringing brands to life across their website, socials, email marketing, and digital advertising.

Entering this industry felt like being pushed out of a plane without a parachute; disorienting, directionless, and daunting. I scrambled to build a network as quickly as possible. I went to events such as Design Truth and Nicer Tuesdays, did portfolio reviews, etc. I’ve attended many events as one of the few Black people in the room. This isn’t an accurate representation of minorities in the industry, but may show a barrier to entry that dissuades these voices. Resources like Step promote roles to designers from these marginalised communities to help provide a leg up. Groups like Where are the Black Designers? showcase Black talent in the industry. You learn quickly that the industry is small – everyone knows everyone. You do the best you can to put your name out, make connections without expectation, and believe it’ll come in time.

When you’re stressed and applying to hundreds of applications a day, it’s easy to forget why you fell in love with design. Beyond layoffs and cut budgets, I’ve felt a hopeful spark shoot back through the industry. If Jony Ive’s midas touch on the Airbnb redesign is anything to go by, we may be heading towards a burgeoning era of design.

The goal had always been to become a full time designer at a design studio, somewhere like Blond or Morrama. But I’m starting to realise success isn’t cut one way. I plan to reap the fruits of my current labour and cement myself as an established designer / writer in the future.

Ryan Scott, RISD student

Ryan is a rising senior graphic design student at Rhode Island School of Design, interested in blending mediums of design with creative storytelling.

I’m the only creative person in my family, well, at least professionally creative. I don’t know how much of my extended family even knew what I was going to school for until I told them about graphic design and they said something like “oh yeah, I know a buddy who makes logos” and then the burgers were ready and I could stop talking to them.

To me, graphic design seemed like such a wide open career path that I’d never have to stress about defining myself by industry labels. UI/UX, editorial, web, print, identity, etc; if I was asked what I was planning to do after graduation, I’d just say “design” and figure the rest out later. Quickly entering my last year at RISD, I’m caught in a weird purgatory of almost done with design school but trying to figure out what I’m gonna do post grad as soon as possible. My professors talk about “gaining experience”, but what experiences are the best for me? Nevertheless, I hope to grow my connections this summer. There’s so many RISD alumni working in the creative industry that we should have a secret handshake at this point.

But no matter where I end up, I still want to keep making. Fresh ideas, new collaborations, and excitement for what comes next have kept me going and led me to where I am, so I know that I’ll eventually get there, even if it takes some time getting used to the real world.

Katie Tang, A level student

Katie is an A-level student and all around creative, plus an editorial intern at It’s Nice That.

Entering the creative industry in 2025 is a bit shaky, but the future looks promising. I think I’ll take a gap year and try to figure out what I really, really want to do – especially since there are so many different paths to explore, even more so with the influx of creative resources online. I can’t wait to find out new things about myself over the next few years, and I’m really excited to see the future of the creative industry, particularly as posting to social media becomes the norm, and sharing art becomes more and more accessible. I’m really looking forward to that; the future of the creative industry will hopefully have a more level playing field for everyone, and I can't wait to see the next generation of creatives and the expanding scope of creativity that media-sharing platforms provide.

I’m eagerly anticipating the takeover of lesser-known artists – especially the ones who aren't afraid to experiment – and I hope the next generation of creatives will embrace and encourage that. I think the creative community uplifting one another will become incredibly beneficial, especially as things start to get uncertain for us. This applies to most professions, but the job market is shrinking quite a bit, so finding jobs will take a lot more effort and luck, which can be unsettling. I’m just trying my best and getting by in my bedroom! Uncertainty is a difficult thing, but having a community of people in the same boat that are willing to offer unconditional support helps ease my worries.

Joana Tavares, MA graphic design student

Joana is a Portuguese graphic designer and art director with a soft spot for social goodness. She is currently studying for an MA in Graphic Design and Editorial Projects at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto.

I managed to scrape right past the dream-crushing, soul-sucking creative industry I always read about – which is a privilege, but also a fate more accessible than ever. All we need to do is scroll far enough to reach the people we want to surround ourselves with, so why wouldn’t we?

For this corner of the community (or internet, for the sake of my argument), identity and connection hold as much value as output. Take this: sometimes I’m scrolling and find myself thinking “I could never come up with something like that!”. And I’m right! I couldn’t. Our work is rooted in our lived experiences; not as a trend any more, but as the norm. I didn’t come up with it because it doesn’t belong to me, and that’s a liberating thought for an over-achiever.

Scrolling, however, becomes overwhelming often. What we share is inherently creative and bleeds into online personas, with designers becoming niche online content creators and the rest of us left to wonder when our portfolios stopped being enough. It’s a conundrum, really – when did comparison become competition? Is my sense of joyfulness from a second ago performative? And if not, why am I feeling so behind?

Choosing to believe in a progressive creative industry for everyone is not sustainable if I’m naive (I got rent to pay!) – so, for now, I’ll allow myself these doubts and apply that thinking to how I navigate it: with softness, but strategically. Online and offline. The rest will follow. And I’ll stop the doomscrolling.