Today we’d like to introduce you to YI QU.
Hi YI, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Before becoming an illustrator, I worked in the field of visual design for twelve years. In 2020, at the age of thirty, I made the pivotal decision to leave my full-time position in commercial graphic design and embark on a new path as a freelance illustrator. This was by no means an easy choice. By then, I had already reached a senior level in my profession, enjoying a stable income, a high quality of life, and all the security that came with it.
However, precisely because I had become so deeply entrenched in that work, my creative thinking had gradually become rigid. From receiving a brief to designing and producing deliverables, each step of the process had become highly procedural. In the period leading up to my thirtieth birthday, I experienced an acute sense of anxiety and disorientation toward my career. I found myself unable to generate the creative energy needed for tasks that were, by definition, supposed to be creative. It became clear that a change was necessary.
Drawing has been a central theme throughout my life, ever since childhood. I never imagined that I would one day turn this personal passion into a professional endeavor. And yet, that is precisely what I am doing now—and to this day, I find myself deeply engaged in it. While I do not presume to compare myself to true fine artists, illustration has nonetheless become the primary medium through which I explore and express my creativity.
Although I still undertake commercial illustration commissions, compared to traditional graphic design, illustration affords me far greater freedom—not only in terms of visual expression but also in allowing me to convey my own artistic language and emotions, and to tell the stories behind each work. If traditional graphic design can be likened to constructing a building—where creativity is permitted, but always within the bounds of rules and technical constraints—then illustration is more akin to the art of cooking: one can combine available ingredients at will, follow existing recipes, or apply a unique, time-honored formula to transform raw materials into something flavorful and personal. This, to me, is the essential difference between the two. At present, I find myself better suited to the role of an “illustration chef.”
I am grateful that in the five years since I made this transition, I have completed numerous noteworthy illustration projects and established long-term relationships with clients I admire. These include the British Museum, the Chinese National Swimming Team, La Mer, Yue-Sai, and Alibaba Group. My work has also been featured in publications such as ELLE MEN and SO FIGARO.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This was by no means an easy path. Before making such a career transition, I endured considerable pressure from multiple fronts. Since 2020, the broader economic climate and employment landscape have been far from optimistic. Large-scale layoffs were occurring with increasing frequency around me. Many people were reluctant to take risks—even changing jobs felt like a gamble—let alone transitioning from a full-time role to freelance work, which inherently comes with greater uncertainty.
Before I ultimately resolved to leave my full-time position, I spent a long time hesitating and weighing the feasibility of such a move. I spoke with close friends, seeking clarity and reassurance, but no conversation ever truly yielded the answer I was looking for.
What concerned me the most were questions I had no way of answering at the time: Would I be a commercially viable illustrator? What kind of scenarios would my artistic style be suited for? Would anyone be willing to pay for my work? What if the demands of this new career proved far more challenging than I had imagined—what if it even eroded my love for illustration? If that happened, would I still be able to remain in the creative industry at all?
These questions circled in my mind endlessly. At the same time, well-meaning family members offered their own reminders—often thinking further ahead than I had—posing questions such as, “What about your pension if you leave a salaried job?” These concerns, though offered out of care, inevitably added to the pressure I was feeling.
Complicating matters further was the fact that I had received a highly attractive offer from another graphic design firm—offering a higher salary—on the condition that I continue in the same line of traditional design work I had already mastered.
So, the dilemma before me was this: Should I choose the comfort and predictability of a conventional, stable life, or should I take a leap of faith, embrace uncertainty, and reimagine myself entirely in a new creative role?
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In reflection, my twelve years as a full-time graphic designer and four years as a freelance illustrator have led me to identify most authentically as an “art worker”.
I am deeply passionate about creating visually compelling imagery that communicates beauty with immediacy. My work is particularly influenced by the Art Nouveau movement—a style that flourished across Europe and America from the late 19th to mid-20th century, blending graphic aesthetics with illustrative elegance. This resonates profoundly with my professional identity, and I channel its essence through my own interpretive lens. My illustrations are characterized by fluid, dynamic lines that conceal an undercurrent of tension, paired with bold yet deliberate color choices—employing both high and low saturation, as well as striking contrasts, to construct vivid compositions. I strive to synthesize sensory experiences—what I see, hear, smell, and feel—into cohesive visual narratives. Viewers often remark that my static illustrations seem to capture motion, as if the subjects might spring to life at any moment. This hybrid artistic approach is inextricably linked to my multifaceted life experiences.
I was raised in Shanghai, a metropolis where modernity thrived. My mother is Shanghainese, while my father hails from a tranquil coastal town in northern China—a place where life unfolds in harmony with nature. My childhood, therefore, wove together two distinct worlds: the cosmopolitan rhythm of Shanghai, with its colorful cartoons, weekend McDonald’s Happy Meals, and school trips to museums; and the slow, sensory-rich summers spent chasing crabs along the shore, picking apples straight from orchards, and feasting on freshly caught seafood in stone-built homes.
As an adult, I pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Edinburgh, where I immersed myself in the contrasts between Eastern and Western cultures. My most memorable academic achievement was my graduate project—a series of illustrations depicting my childhood memories. This collection was met with acclaim, serving as the keynote visual for my graduating class and later exhibited across Edinburgh, including during the renowned Edinburgh Art Festival. It remains one of my proudest and most cherished milestones. Following my studies, I settled in London, where I have lived and worked for nearly a decade.
These layered experiences—urban and rural, Eastern and Western—have shaped not only who I am but also the distinct stylistic voice of my illustrations. My work is, in essence, a visual tapestry of the worlds I’ve inhabited.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I have found immense value in engaging with professionals beyond the artistic sphere, as their perspectives often bring unexpected depth to my illustration projects. At times, I deliberately venture outside the confines of the fashion domain to consult acquaintances in scientific, engineering, and even artificial intelligence fields. Their rigorously analytical approach to art—what might be termed a “purely rational” perspective—frequently yields astonishing insights that challenge conventional creative paradigms. Compared to the feedback I receive from colleagues in fast-moving consumer goods, market research, or copywriting, these methodical thinkers often provide revelatory breakthroughs that propel my work in novel directions.
Equally instrumental to my creative process is maintaining an omnivorous appetite for knowledge across all written forms. I consciously refrain from dismissing any text as irrelevant—be it literature, technical manuals, or even refrigerator repair instructions. Such ostensibly mundane materials have repeatedly served as unlikely but potent catalysts for artistic innovation, proving that inspiration may emerge from the most unanticipated sources.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yiqueach
- Other: https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/58ee23c96a6a695050dcf276
