My name is Siyu Guo. I am an Illustrator who is originally from China, and now a London-based Illustrator. Before I undertook the Graduate Diploma Illustration course, I worked as an Illustrator in Guangzhou for about 5 years, specialising in Graphic Illustration and children’s books. After several years of office life, I wanted to broaden my understanding of the creative industries. Therefore, I decided to go to Kingston University to learn new ways of thinking as well as to broaden my horizon.

The reason why Illustration appeals to me is that it is a very flexible discipline, like water, it can change its form according to different projects and needs. Illustrators can be active in various fields like fashion, publishing, advertising, etc.

Personally, I prefer illustrations that employ simplified images, colours, lighting, and atmosphere, etc. I aspire to be a versatile Illustrator like Tadahiro Uesugi, who not only works for magazines and publishing houses but also takes on the challenges of being a visual designer for advertisements and movies. Meanwhile, he also finds a perfect balance between personal style and Commercial Illustration.

Looking back on my developing practices, I think my biggest gain is that I learned that the development process is crucially important to the outcome. Before I came on this course, I tended to decide on a specific format for the outcome before I started a project. Now I understand the best way to develop a project is to identify the problem I want to solve, and then figure out how my disciplinary skills can help me to produce a solution through conducting in-depth research, evaluating feedback, and experimenting.

In conclusion, I would like to acknowledge that this has been such a productive year, during which I have developed my style and skills and have stepped up my awareness to a new level.