About

I am a Senior Lecturer on the BA (Hons) Graphic Design and Illustration pathways.

I plan, deliver and assess undergraduate modules within the area of design, preparing students for successful careers in the widening creative industries. I ensure that students are challenged and intellectually stimulated by their studies and that they interact with peers and staff in a mutually enriching way. I have helped to create a successful design community within local and national circles and support our current students on their individual creative and academic journey.

Teaching responsibilities

I teach communication strategy, design thinking and idea generation across specialist graphic design modules in Years 1, 2 and 3. I deliver the fundamentals of working creatively with type and image as well as the identification and resolution of complex graphic design problems. I teach elements of Professional Practice linked to industry insight and monitor Personal Development Planning.

Professional interests

I have produced numerous published works as an illustrator, for children’s books worldwide. I have also worked for marketing companies, UK and International advertising, regional TV and produced merchandising for The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. I am also published in the UK and USA as a children’s author.

I am represented by an illustration agency in Kings Cross, London and maintain a profile as an independent freelance artist. I am commissioned regularly and this has helped me to stay alive and responsive to the changing conditions and demands of the creative industries. I have, as a result of these experiences, been asked to deliver Professional Practice modules to students on Illustration, Graphic Design, and Animation courses, where issues such as employability and visibility have been essential to graduate success.

Research interests

I am interested in all forms of visual narrative and storytelling, whether this be branding, visual identity, sequential illustration, editorial design, or creative wordplay. I have a special interest in children’s illustration.

Membership of professional bodies

I am a Fellow of The Higher Education Academy

I am represented by The Organisation Illustration Agency, London

Qualifications

Fellow of The Higher Education Academy

Masters Degree in Visual Communication - Birmingham City University

Academic Bursary awarded from The Midland Independent Newspaper Group

Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) - Birmingham City University

Certificate Professional Practice-Teaching in Higher Education (CPP) - Universoty of Derby

BA (Hons) Illustration - Liverpool Johns Moores University

Experience in industry

• Freelance Illustration for publishing, editorial, merchandising and advertising
• National and international advertising campaigns
• Promotional materials for Ernest and Julio Gallo Wineries, in Europe
• Merchandising for The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-Upon-Avon
• Broadcast cartoonist for Granada Television, Liverpool and Granada Studios, Manchester
• Eighteen international titles/books as illustrator
• One international title as author

Most recent work includes The Goat Cafe, by Francesca Simon, Faber and Faber, 2019

International experience

Currently responsible for International Partnership assessment/moderation and monitoring for The Raffles Academy, Malaysia and Hong Kong, in the delivery of BA (Hons) Graphic Design modules (ongoing).

A visit to the PXL Academy in Hasselt, Belgium in 2015 launched a shared project called ‘Lost Languages’ with Graphic Design undergraduates (running simultaneously with undergraduates in Vakalo, Greece).

Eko International Magazine featured the work of these students. This was published to colleagues in partner institutions as well as students at the University of Derby. This now represents a shared resource for discussion, research and further collaborative practice.

Travel with cultural interest include: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Santiago, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, New York, Krakow, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Hasselt, Amsterdam, Ephesus, Rome, Venice and Pompeii.

Course trips include Paris, Amsterdam and New York, as well as 4 Designers Events in Leicester Square, London. Most recently Paris, 2019.

Additional interests and activities

• Writing for children
• Employability within the Creative Industries

Recent publications

The Goat Café written by Francesca Simon / Illustrated by Leo Broadley / Faber & Faber / May 2019