Laila Hills

I am an illustrator and designer who lives and works in the South West of England. My childhood included lots of foreign travel and I also went to school in different countries. This meant that I had lots of teachers from different parts of the world, which made for an interesting education.

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to work in art and design, and I was very focused on becoming a designer.

I studied graphics and illustration at college and then worked for a greetings card company. When I returned from maternity leave I began to specialise in children’s stationery, which was an excuse to immerse myself in children’s TV with my daughter – who is the first person I ask to approve my work!

There are clear influences in my work from my graphic design past; I have worked on many licensed designs, including most major children’s brands. This definitely makes me think very hard about making characters appealing and interesting.

I am half Danish and this also gives a Scandinavian feel to my more decorative work; Scandinavian design is very clean and concise and I’m always looking to emulate this in my work.