It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been out of education, the sharp September air is sure to bring with it that back-to-school feeling.

The seasonal transition brings with it a moment to recalibrate and take stock. Breathing space which allows us to enter the all-important final part of the year feeling prepared. For many, it offers a time to embrace a learning mindset and think about doing things differently. For others, the ‘back to school mindset’ might trigger sensations similar to the Sunday scaries.

In an industry where we are forced to keep up with the rapidly changing pace of culture, being open to learn, evolve and develop helps us to find the much needed fuel for creativity we need year-round.

While for many industry leaders formal education might be a hazy memory, there is no need to tie a back to school mindset to a single point in the year. With this in mind we asked the industry how brands and agencies can better adopt a back to school mentality all year round, to embrace new ways of working and find sources of creative inspiration outside the confines of the classroom.

The day I leave this industry will be the day that I no longer feel as though I am developing, learning and experimenting. We are so lucky that as creatives, it’s our job to always be inspired. So if it feels that we’re only picking up new books, using new tools or sharpening our pencils at one key point in the year, then we’ve got a problem.

We need to be providing creatives with the motivation to attack every brief feeling fully charged all year round. Giving teams the space to feel balanced, heard and rejuvenated when they need it: Not just the period where schools take a 6-week hiatus.

When you think about it, education in the UK is based on a rule system of lessons and attendance. Derived from a military cohort, it doesn’t incentivise creativity. So why should we continue to follow this pattern of using the summer months to vacate and recuperate, when we should be listening to our bodies and minds year-round?

One of the things we help brands with at Virtue is understanding their communities. And we wouldn’t be true to our values if we didn’t let this approach lead our company culture too.

Are we giving our teams what they need? How’s the balance? Working hard needs to be met with the feeling that your agency is invested in you. Understanding your passions, providing opportunities to have fun and get to know one another as individuals. Give creatives everything they need to encourage both self and professional development. That’s how you’re going to help them to make the best work of their lives.

Make it a joint effort to stay ahead of industry trends, share knowledge and encourage open collaboration to always keep things feeling fresh. Never stop experimenting with new ideas, recognise efforts frequently and celebrate the small wins.

Ultimately, the essence of the back-to-school mindset is preparation, growth, and renewal—principles that have the power to drive long-term success in a rapidly changing market. Leading with empathy, continuous learning, and a collaborative mindset ensures that "back to school" energy doesn't fade after September. It thrives year-round.

One of the great things about this industry is that it’s back to school every day. As much as ‘living in an era of constant change’ may have become a bit of a cliché, there is truth in it. Technology is changing rapidly, consumer behaviour as well, and culture moves at a faster pace now we have the white-water rapids of social feeds churning trends at accelerating speed. Responding to these changes is critical: if you are no longer where consumers are, you are dead. And on the upside, first mover advantage is no longer just a long-term objective but a daily possibility.

It's critical, then, to not get stuck, to resist the siren call of inertia and the temptation to only reach for the old textbooks.

And of course, as you strive for the new, it’s imperative not to lose sight of the tried and trusted foundations along the way. The discourse in this area can sometimes be drawn along unnecessarily binary battle lines: the old ways vs the new guard. When of course the golden mean is the same as in everything else - master your fundamentals, build on what you learned last year and embrace new learnings every day. Embedding this mindset is key.

To do this, it’s critical to make the unfamiliar seem both exciting and accessible. Keeping pace with culture these days is a never-ending job. As agencies, our responsibility is to keep the windows open: to create the tools and the space that enable constant learning, immersion and participation. To this end, we’ve created a platform called SHIFT that helps us learn every day, tracking all the new stuff that’s happening, and making it usable for our clients.

For many, back to school is a time for a fresh start, where we feel optimistic about the year ahead, and what we might achieve with our renewed sense of energy, passion and focus - as well as some killer stationery choices. Here’s how brands and agencies can adopt this mentality all year round.

The most successful brands build with their customers, not just engaging with them during seasonal spikes when you want something from them, but instead building a year-round connection where you play a meaningful role in their lives, getting them to participate with you and offering some sort of value exchange.

As businesses, we often set out annual plans or marketing strategies, but how many go back and course correct in line with what we’ve learned, even if this means drastic changes? In the current climate, we need to adopt a more fluid evaluation and optimisation approach.

Then finally as individuals, what is our own learning and growth agenda inside and outside of work? We often start off with good intentions only for them to fade out. I often look at the year ahead and where I want to be in a year’s time, identifying what’s going to help me get there and breaking this down into chunks. Those grueling dark 6am workouts, no matter how bleak, have boosted my resilience in the workplace.

At Mother Design, we believe that keeping a “back-to-school” mindset alive year-round is key to staying competitive and delivering innovative results. That sense of excitement doesn’t have to be limited to September. Instead, we’ve built processes that ensure we’re constantly pushing boundaries, to drive creative excellence and tangible business outcomes for our clients.

Our approach starts with the brief— we don’t just take it at face value. We challenge assumptions and ask the tough questions. This doesn’t just lead to creative breakthroughs—it enables us to uncover opportunities and expand our thinking. We believe in Designing for Progress — for better outcomes for clients and creativity, transforming businesses and driving innovative thinking across all aspects of business and brand.

Regular workshops with our clients are also essential. These encourage open dialogue, break down silos, and enable real-time collaboration to co-create new ideas. By leveraging brand strategy and design thinking, we guide companies into uncharted territory, showcasing the brand's broad influence across every aspect of their organisation's ecosystem. By pushing ourselves (and our clients) to think beyond the obvious, we deliver work that’s creatively impactful, strategically sound and results-driven.

By treating every project as a strategic reset, we create space for brands to stay relevant, no matter the season. This is about consistently delivering work that drives growth, captures attention, and strengthens brand equity. By building that culture of ongoing exploration and collaboration, brands and agencies alike can keep that "back to school" excitement all year round.