Jake Thompson graduated from the University of Salford in 2017 with a BA (Hons) Graphic Design. Today he is Creative Director at global social marketing agency Spin, leading creative teams and shaping campaigns for major brands. He reflects on his time at Salford, the journey that followed, and the lessons that have stayed with him.

What made you choose the University of Salford, and what stands out most about your time as a student?

MediaCity sold it to me. It didn’t feel like a traditional campus, it felt like you were already orbiting the industry. I remember walking across from the tram stop in absolute awe of it all. As a design student, having professional-level facilities and a state-of-the-art print room was the dream.

But the tutors were the real differentiator. Most of them had actually done the job. They were teaching from vast and varied experiences, which meant feedback was honest and occasionally brutal, but in the best possible way. So many conversations with tutors helped shape who I am both professionally and personally.

What stands out most is being pushed. There was an unspoken rule that your first idea probably wasn’t your best. You had to dig. That discipline has stayed with me.

Tell us about your journey since graduating.

Between second and third year, I took an internship at a social marketing agency in Manchester city centre. It had a slide, cute dogs and a tiny team. I assumed it would be temporary. It lasted my entire twenties.

I joined as a design intern, and at the time there wasn’t really a creative department, so I started answering briefs anyway. Curiosity turned into progression: Designer, Creative, Creative Lead, Creative Strategist and eventually Creative Director.

I helped establish the agency’s first dedicated creative function, moving us from one-off social activations to retained partnerships. I worked across global brands, wrote strategies behind award-winning campaigns and helped open our London office.

Today I’m proud to be Creative Director at Spin, leading the agency’s creative function.

What’s a moment you’ve felt proud of since leaving Salford?

Being recognised in Campaign’s 30 Under 30 was a big moment for me. A gay, working-class northern kid being recognised for contributions to the industry doesn’t happen every day.

Advertising can be loud and everyone is “innovating”, so to be acknowledged by the industry felt incredibly validating.

That said, the proudest moments are often quieter. Watching someone you hired as a junior confidently present in a pitch, or seeing an idea go from a scrappy deck slide to something that genuinely moves people. That’s still what motivates me.

What do you do now, and what do you enjoy most about it?

I’m Creative Director at Spin. My job is to raise the bar creatively and culturally.

I oversee our creative output across the agency, from big campaign thinking to the daily craft of building brands on social. I work across disciplines with designers, strategists, creators, editors and producers to make sure ideas are sharp, relevant and effective.

What I enjoy most is momentum. Taking something complex and crafting it into something so simple it’s annoyingly clever. Pushing teams past the safe idea and building an environment where creativity can come from anywhere.

The role is less about being the loudest voice in the room and more about making sure the best idea wins.

How did your time at Salford help shape where you are now?

Two big things stuck with me.

The first was learning how to make good work quickly. My final major project was a self-written, designed and published design magazine. I gave myself no safety net, just ambition and a deadline. Producing it forced decisions and stopped me overthinking. When I graduated into agency life, which moves quickly, it didn’t feel overwhelming.

The second was learning to trust that gut feeling. The one that tells you an idea is a bit weak or a line could be sharper. It’s easy to ignore that voice when you’re tired or under pressure, but every time I have, it’s come back to haunt me.

Salford was where I learned that taste really matters.

If you could share one piece of advice with current Salford students and recent graduates, what would it be?

Say yes before you feel ready.

A friend and fellow designer, Katie Riddell, and I once organised a spontaneous exhibition called Top of the Crops, showcasing first-year collage work. We secured space at Islington Mill, sponsorship from G.F. Smith and even home-brewed wine from one of our tutors. Neither of us had a clue where to start when we said yes, but we made it work.

Talk to your tutors. Collaborate outside your comfort zone. Put your hand up for things. I signed up for an international design summer school in Portugal after a tutor suggested it, and it became a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Your degree is important, but the relationships you build and the risks you take matter just as much. Some of the people around you now will be future collaborators, clients or founders.

University is a rare moment where you’re allowed to experiment. Don’t waste that by colouring inside the lines.

Looking back

I would give anything to be sitting in the New Adelphi studio at 11pm the night before a submission, hand cramping from using a bone folder, surrounded by friends doing the same, creating their own art, just one more time.

Thank you to Jake for sharing his story! If you’d like to share your Salford story, we’d love to hear from you – get in touch at alumni@salford.ac.uk.