Artist keeps links with Teesside to design Animex logo

A freelance art director who graduated from Teesside University has designed the character mascot for this year’s Animex Festival.

Animex, which will mark its 25th year, celebrates the best of animation, VFX and computer games, with screenings, workshops, guest speakers and exhibitions.

Freelance character designer Lucy Kyriakidou’s art has already helped to bring several games to life, from small indie games to more recently Disney's Illusion Island, where she got to reimagine her fashion idol, Minnie Mouse.

Lucy, who graduated from Teesside University’s BA (Hons) Computer Animation in 2010, has now designed the mascot for this year’s Animex Festival, which takes place from 11 to 15 November.

She said: “When I was creating my design, I really wanted to show the flow and fluidity, which is a big part of animation and games.

“I wanted something playful, which has always been a big part of Animex mascot history. I also wanted to have that local link through the animal used.”

Lucy’s involvement in Animex began as a student at Teesside University, when she would attend to listen to speakers. She progressed into becoming a volunteer helper during the annual event and is thrilled to now return as a guest speaker.

“When I first spoke to the University about being involved in Animex as a professional, it was very surreal. I was very excited,” said Lucy.

“As I student, I looked up to the speakers – and these speakers are now my peers. Now I try to tell students who are volunteers like, hey, maybe sometime in the future you'll be where I am. Because that's what happened to me.”

She added: “I really love being able to give back as I always think of how much it helped me when I saw other graduates who have succeeded. Seeing them do well in the industry made me feel like the sky was the limit, knowing they started exactly where I started. It is important going back and help to inspire the next generation of creatives.”

Lucy, who is originally from Greece, said her time studying at Teesside University helped her to begin her career journey, adding: “I found Teesside when I was looking at my options to study animation in the UK.

“The website showed of some student work which really grabbed my attention and when I looked at the details of the course, it looked perfect!

“Moving to Teesside from Greece kind of really shaped me into the person that I am. There is so much diversity. I found out more about the world of game development through Teesside University, which is what I do now. I was able to progress straight into games development. It completely influenced my career path.”

Lucy added: “I met my best friend at Teesside and we even worked on Disney's Illusion Island together, after so many years of being friends. Teesside will always have a special place in my heart. It's when I started my journey.”

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