The realities of today’s junior talent landscape: Lánre Adeleye on the Design Next podcast

One thing is clear from this episode of our podcast: Lánre Adeleye doesn’t believe in waiting for permission. A self-taught designer who began his creative journey on YouTube at just 12 years old, he’s now a Brand Designer at HSBC and founder of The Junior, a grassroots initiative that supports emerging creatives.

“We’re going to lose amazing talent if we don’t pay people properly. It’s that simple.”

For the first series of our podcast, we’re interviewing design leaders across a range of ages – to get their take on an aspect of diversity that will affect every single one of us.

In this episode, we speak to the youngest of those design leaders. Lánre talks about forging an unconventional path into the industry, the challenges and superpowers of Gen Z creatives, and what the industry needs to do to become more inclusive and accessible. Spoiler alert: there’s a way to go.

From unpaid internships to creative confidence, this chat highlights the things we may have all forgotten about early careers, but need to rethink; whether you’re a design leader or a junior starting out.

“Entry-level jobs should mean no experience required. The industry needs to stop expecting the impossible from juniors.”

If you’ve ever wished for a look inside the mind of your Gen Z colleagues, and want to better understand their approach to creative working, give it a listen!

“Gen Z asks, ‘Why not?’ We’re not afraid to break rules to make things better.”