About
About
Fuse is a Manchester-based collective uplifting underrepresented Black, Asian, and Global Majority creatives.
Beginning as part of a final-year university project in Manchester 2019, Fuse now has a growing network of creatives across the world — aiming to represent and empower creatives from underrepresented backgrounds.
What we do
Fuse showcases creativity from around the world; uplifting creatives by highlighting their practice, story, and work. We do this through community events in-person, social media spotlights, opportunity sharing, and our online directories.
We’ve worked with the likes of: Seesaw, HOME, Common, Nell’s, Manchester International Festival (The Factory), TCTLE, Creative Lives In Progress, Pechakucha Manchester, Birmingham Design Group, Bad Form Review, Do That Thing, Design Manchester, Spark & Co, Redeye The Photography Network, Short Supply, UP Projects, BIMA, Huckletree, The Yard Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, and more.
Who we are
Jaheed Hussain
Founder + Co-Director
Jaheed is the founder of Fuse, having established the platform in early 2019 as part of his final-year project during University. He’s also a freelance graphic designer who’s into visual identities, typography and loves working with words.
He’s worked with the likes of Spotify, Ace and Tate, The Factory and other agencies and organisations across the country.
Michelle Murray
Co-Director
Michelle is a Vietnamese-British Visual Designer and all-round Creative from sunny Manchester. Creating projects with heart and character is at the core of everything she does. She loves to create anything that resonates with real people, her creative process is to dream big and then rein it in. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, we can always give it another go, as it's all part of the beautiful creative process. They aim for creativity, they aim to push the boundaries, with no room for perfectionism.
A few years ago, she shifted into social media, with a strong foundation in branding, digital design, and advertising. She has gained skills from many years in the industry, from boutique design studios to global advertising agencies. She has since worked with global brands such as Amazon Prime Video, Arla, KFC, German Doner Kebab (GDK), and Beats by Dre, to name a few.
Lydia Hooke
Team Member & Event Photographer
Lydia is a multi-disciplinary designer who recently graduated from Sheffield Hallam.
She values the significance of communication and connecting with people and aims to reflect this in her work. She particularly likes to work in graphic design and photography but is always keen to develop and expand into other areas.
Zaynah Chandia
Team Member
Zaynah is a recent graphic design graduate based in Manchester that specialises in illustration and editorial work. Inspired by her perceptions of the world, visual and intangible, as well as how she can communicate through her art. Zaynah’s very open to new concepts and ideas that domino into solid, contemporary design work. She’s joined Fuse’s team to help run in-person events in the future.
Press
→ Creative Review
→ Creative Boom
→ It’s Nice That
→ Shado Mag
→ Design Week
→ Lazy Oaf: Black Lives Matter resource
→ MarvelApp: Black Lives Matter resource
→ Digital Arts
Our Current Partnerships
Content Partnership: Creative Lives In Progress
Creative Lives In Progress is an inclusive creative careers resource, on a mission to transform the way emerging talent access the industry - we’ve teamed up to share content across our networks to make sure no-one misses out. (Formerly Lecture in Progress)
creativelivesinprogress.com & @_creativelives
Chapter Partnership: Birmingham Design & Fuse Birmingham
Birmingham Design is an organisation dedicated to supporting the city’s budding creative community. From organising events to connecting designers with people that matter, their mission is to help the West Midlands become the creative powerhouse it deserves to be. They are also the people behind the annual Birmingham Design Festival, inviting over 10,000 to witness local creativity and events.
birminghamdesign.co.uk & @bhamdsgn
Chapter Partnership: Pechakucha Manchester & Fuse Manchester
Pechakucha is a series of inspiring talks from inspiring people in the 20x20 format. 20 images, 20 seconds per image. Our Manchester chapter of Fuse is partnered up with Pechakucha Manchester to support and provide events for the creative community.