ABOUT ME | Ellie Hickling Portfolio 2026

A bit about Me

I'm an Illustrator & Graphic Designer, about to graduate from Loughborough University with my Graphic Design BA (Hons), and with 6 years of experience studying Graphic Design. On this website you'll find a wide variety of styles & types of work that I've completed throughout my studies, however my specialism is illustration.

While my courses have varied from Graphic Design, Fine Art, Photography, etc, I have adored illustration consistently throughout, and developed my skills & personal style.

About experience & studies

What I'm up to now

Experience & Studies

Graphic Design BA Hons
2023 - 2026

Loughborough University Degree Show 2026

My time on the Loughborough University Graphic Design course has been invaluable; I have produced the work I am most proud of during this time.

I have developed my skills in Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop, as well as greatly improving in InDesign & After Effects.

As well as my time in the studios and workshops, they provided us various experiences outside of uni too, such as visiting Birmingham Design Festival three years in a row, and JKR Global Branding Agency in Shoreditch, London.

View my work from my BA

Foundation Diploma in Art & Design
2022 - 2023
Grade Merit

I started my Foundation year focusing on Fine Art, after deferring my confirmed place on the Fine Art course at Loughborough University.

During this year, after developing work and skills, and dealing with some personal circumstances, I came to the conclusion, with help from my tutors, that I thrived in a Graphic Design & Illustration environment, and not a Fine Art one.

This is when I made the change from Fine Art to Graphic Design at Loughborough University.

I also applied this change in my foundation work too. My Final-Major-Project (FMP) was purely illustration, and pushing the boundaries on what illustration can be.

This completely changed the trajectory of my foundation year, where I was originally struggling to pass working as a fine artist (also due to personal circumstances mentioned prior), to achieving a Merit grade overall.

This not only was an achievement of the qualification that I wasn't sure I'd reach, but also an achieving in my personal life, and my endeavour in discovering the creative industry I fit into.

View my work from my Foundation

9 GCSEs Achieved
2017 - 2020

Graphic Design [Design & Technology]

Art & Design

Maths [Foundation]

English Language

English Literature

French [Foundation]

Combined Science

Religious Education

6-5

Useful information to know about GCSEs, and the exams in 2020: 2020 was obviously the year when the Pandemic peaked, and GCSEs were be cancelled. The achieved GCSEs were estimated by tutors based on mock exam results & overall performance through year 11. My achieved GCSEs are valid and official qualifications. Foundation grades: The highest grade achievable for a Foundation level exam is a grade 5. Graphic Design GCSE: During my studies on the Graphic Design GCSE course, the exam board changed this course to be apart of Design & Technology. Officially, I achieved a GCSE in D&T, however my coursework was purely Graphic Design.