Flora Lu: Herbal illustration product to make D&AD New Blood ‘Best in Show’
D&AD New Blood Festival
“The most hand-made project I’ve seen in the whole show”D&AD Judge
From illustrator to designer, and Change Maker
Flora Lu, recent graduate student this year from BA (Hons) Illustration and Visual Media, she has completed a five-year journey from Foundation to Undergraduate Course in London College of Communication since 2019. Flora Lu has done a placement year by working with several projects and client briefing. By going through this journey with Diploma in Professional Studies, she also practiced the steps from illustrator to designer.
In the early June this year, Flora was participate in the D&AD New Blood Festival 2024 with other DPS students and design graduates, her final major project publication and illustration product has been award “Best in Show” and included with “One to Watch Selection”. She is willing to share her experience as an “Change Maker” and illustrator from the briefing projects to the design festival in UK.
“It is important to be able to focusing on the way of creation that you are specializing with, and combined the process of spreading our own culture, there will be impressive designs.”
Flora’s final major project is the product designs briefing for the Chelsea Physic Garden in London. This endeavor aims to engage new audiences by elucidating the enchanting effects of traditional Chinese medicine. The objective is to foster understanding of herbal remedies, their applications in treating various ailments .This comprehensive series doubles as an educational tool, providing a gateway for individuals to grasp fundamental concepts associated with traditional Chinese medicines.
The publication presented through hand-drawing illustrations and hand-writing contents in storytelling narrative style to describe the development and practices in traditional Chinese herbal medicine and treatment. This publication investigates the effect of hand-drawing illustrations on different texture papers and the interactive experience of the audience by physically touching the paper during reading. Alongside with two sets of herbal illustration cards presenting through herbal patterns and detailed introduction, describing the use of “body warm up” and “treatment of digestive issues”. These illustrations sets were also done by hand-drawing on the handmade textured paper.
“I deeply love traditional art, which was definitely the main body of my creation as an illustrator. And I think it was really cool to stick to working with the traditional illustration. Because they can highlight my personal creative style, and in this era of digital art, I hope I can prove myself with my persistence.” This is also the reason that Flora’s project was really impressed the D&AD Judgers during the New Blood Festival and received the “Best in Show”, and became the first recognition and milestone obtained by Flora in the British Art Industry after her graduation.
D&AD