During Easter 2020, I wrote a short story for the ‘Nottingham Young Creative Awards’ competition. This was titled ‘Where We Belong’ and explored my feelings of living as an ethnic minority in the UK. I wrote this during a time of heightened racial and concerns across all communities.

I have often struggled with wondering where I belonged in society. I am still searching for what it means to belong. The last 18 months has given me time to think about what it means to be me. Writing became an outlet to express how I am feeling.

Alongside this, I also created a book cover. This was an entry for the graphic design portion of the competition. Inspired by Kevin Kwans book covers for ‘Crazy, Rich Asians’, I went for a bold graphical style in signature bright colours. I wanted to highlight the internal thoughts someone might have that may go unseen.

I underwent some preliminary sketching using pen, markers and paper. I could create some quick mockups of how the final cover may look. This was then transferred into a digital vector illustration.

Book design is always something I have appreciated. As a teenager I designed covers for my stories. I hope to revisit this area of design and challenge myself to keep improving and learning.

[icon name=”tools” prefix=”fas”] Affinity Designer and Hand Sketching