How Brighton helped me find my artistic voice and win an international award
We caught up with recent graduate Scarlett Yang, an award-winning Chinese illustrator and book cover designer to hear how her time here helped her launch a global creative career.
Scarlett Yang is already making waves in the international illustration scene. Having completed her MA in Sequential Design/Illustration in 2024, she was one of just 15 artists worldwide to receive a Platinum Award in the 2025 Graphis New Talent Awards, selected from over 2,000 entries.
Her winning piece, The New Goddess, combines vivid colour, sacred iconography and symmetry to explore feminist themes and cultural pressure. Scarlett describes her style as surreal digital work that uses visual beauty to explore symbolic dualities, feminism, and cross-cultural narratives.
The New Goddess has also received an honourable mention in the 3×3 International Illustration Awards in the US. Additionally, one of Scarlett’s new pieces won a merit in the IlloBoom illustration competition.
Finding my artistic voice at Brighton
“My time at the University of Brighton helped me define both the direction and intention of my creative practice. I began to understand image-making as visual thinking, where beauty isn’t just decorative, it’s reflective and critical.”
“The course’s interdisciplinary approach encouraged me to blend surrealism, symbolism and cultural storytelling. I started to reimagine animals, plants and everyday objects as carriers of quiet metaphors, building a visual language that is seductive yet emotionally unsettling. That tension between stillness and subversion has become central to my identity as an artist.”
How Brighton’s support led to my first international award
Scarlett’s award-winning The New Goddess began as a final project at Brighton.
“One of my most vivid and favourite memories is working on that piece during my MA. It was the first time I fully embraced duality, visually and conceptually, and explored pressure placed on women across cultures using symmetry, vivid colour and sacred iconography”
“Brighton gave me a space to explore discomfort and contradiction in a supportive environment. My tutors encouraged me to trust that tension, and it made all the difference.”
The outcome? International recognition, and a powerful start to her career.
“It’s my first year participating in international competitions after graduating, and I’m so grateful for all the support from Brighton. Without a doubt, the university has been the starting point of my creative career.”
“Winning the Graphis Platinum Award affirmed for me that deeply personal, culturally specific work can resonate beyond borders. I truly don’t believe I could have created that piece without the honest, nurturing space that Brighton offered.”
“The feminist discourse, the critical feedback, and the freedom I was given to develop work on my own terms at Brighton gave me the courage to create work that’s both beautiful and bold, and that courage led to international recognition.”
My experience as an international student at Brighton
Scarlett’s journey also reflects the welcoming, inspiring environment Brighton offers international students.
“Brighton is a wonderfully calm and creatively inspiring place especially compared to London, where I live now. It’s strong artistic spirit and peaceful pace make it one of the most liveable cities I’ve experienced.”
“And despite the stereotypes about British weather, Brighton gave me many sunny, beautiful memories!”
“My advice to other international students: absolutely choose Brighton. It’s a fantastic place to live, learn and grow as an artist.”
Advice for aspiring artists at Brighton
“Trust the tension in your work. Some of the most compelling ideas emerge from contradiction between clarity and confusion, control and chaos, or beauty and discomfort. Don’t rush toward certainty.”
“Use your time at Brighton to explore unresolved ideas and build a visual voice that’s truly your own. Follow your instincts, even if they lead into the unfamiliar, that’s where growth and originality lives.”
Scarlett hopes to return to the university as a mentor or guest speaker, encouraging the next generation of artists to embrace uncertainty and follow their creative instincts.
How Brighton’s Careers support prepared me for the future
Brighton’s career support helped Scarlett build a sustainable freelance career, equipping her with practical tools that continue to shape her journey.
“Brighton’s Careers and Employability service helped me think practically about my career early on. I attended events during Careers Week and learned valuable skills like CV writing and presenting myself as a creative professional.”
“The Beepurple (The Student Enterprise team) talks were incredibly helpful too. I remember one freelance finance session that covered everything from taxes to budgeting I still refer to those notes today.”
Inspired by Scarlett’s story?
Explore more alumni journeys in our Brighton Effect blog, or get involved with the University of Brighton Alumni Association.
Alex Petrovic • August 11, 2025