Art and design lover Emilie Chen started her career working on branding projects and retail campaigns for high street brands Speedo, Ellesse and Kickers before landing her dream job at the National Theatre, where she spent four years working on show posters and concept trailers. She took the leap into freelancing in 2018, and since then has worked with agencies on film posters and art direction projects, as well as being commissioned by publishing houses and UK theatres.

Art and design lover Emilie Chen started her career working on branding projects and retail campaigns for high street brands Speedo, Ellesse and Kickers before landing her dream job at the National Theatre, where she spent four years working on show posters and concept trailers. She took the leap into freelancing in 2018, and since then has worked with agencies on film posters and art direction projects, as well as being commissioned by publishing houses and UK theatres.

Some of her favourite projects include installing a giant finger graphic on the National Theatre building for the opening night of ‘Everyman’, filming actress Isabella Nefar under a cascade of caster sugar for ‘Salomé’, and designing the book cover for poet Anne Boyer breast cancer memoir ‘The Undying’.

In this talk Emilie will talk about her career journey, will explain her creative process and influences through case studies, and will share practical advice for students considering a career into design and art direction, including the importance of self-initiated projects and the power of networking.

Emilie Chen is a French graphic designer and art director based in London. She loves coming up with big ideas, crafting beautiful designs, and collaborating with others to produce work that captures audiences’ imagination. She has worked in-house at the National Theatre (UK), Penguin Books, and Pentland Brands, and her list of clients includes BAFTA, Somerset House, Audible and Unmind.

Emilie holds a BTS in communication design from Lycée Eugénie Cotton (Montreuil, France) and a DSAA (Master 1) in Graphic Design from ESAAB (Nevers, France).

Her portfolio spans branding, advertising, exhibition design, window displays, editorial design, posters and book cover design.
Inside and outside of work, she is passionate about making the industry a more inclusive place. She has given guest lectures at Central Saint Martins and London College of Communication, and is a co-founder and volunteer organiser of Ladies Wine & Design London, a popular community group, and events series for women and non-binary creatives.
www.emiliechen.com

Prof. Leung Mee Ping

English