Lottie Hall’s playful re-design of D&AD’s Online Master Class

Despite only joining artworks a few months ago, Lottie Hall has already got stuck in working with an array of exciting and diverse clients. Offering up her playful and bright illustrative charm to every project she works on. Her most recent commission, by D&AD, asked Lottie to re-design one of their new online Masterclasses, we spoke to Lottie to learn more about this exciting project!

This particular course being on the subject of Storytelling, it consists of four parts, which can be taken separately or as a bundle. Lottie told us  “The brief was to create illustrations for each part that work on their own, as well as together; mirroring the structure of the course.I wanted to take the concept of learning and represent it as a physical place you could visit to acquire knowledge. Part 1 is The Fundamentals of Storytelling; I decided to create a camp with tents made out of books and figures warming their hands around fires; a nod to early ideas of storytelling. There are also larger figures providing the matches and lighting the fires, sparking ideas and therefore teaching things to the others. In Part 2, I explored Brand Storytelling with figures in utility style clothing, buoyant in the pool of ideas with open books as floats. When they’ve progressed they are presented to the waving sun who knows they are ready. The fires from Part 1 are now light bulbs distilling in the pool, symbolising ideas. Part 3 is called The Application of Story; it’s about applying effective storytelling and how it can be used through different channels and the digital landscape. I created a room containing figures and a pile of books being moved towards a little doorway; a symbol of a new place and a possible future. The books are being taken there with the idea of transformation and progression. My fourth, and final, illustration was for the bundle, made up of the three parts. In this piece we zoom out, and the place is revealed as a house with a pool and people camping in the garden. All three parts are present and it shows how they all fit together; in itself creating a narrative. A painting hangs above the fire, now in the grate, showing a scene from the pool of ideas.”

Given the structure of the course and imagery, Lottie began the project as she always does, “by getting ideas down in a sketchbook, planning rough compositions and layout ideas, before drawing and building everything on Adobe Illustrator. I like to create my elements first and then arrange everything as a scene while adding backgrounds and other details. Quite often more ideas accumulate as I progress.”

Lottie’s favourite thing about this huge project was the freedom she was given to explore her own ideas, without limitations. “I absolutely love using symbols and metaphors in my work to represent an abstract idea; making it into a physical thing or place that can be explored.”

We can’t wait to explore this course through Lottie’s delicious Illustrations!

The Art of Storytelling Masterclass will be available to book online soon.