Conceptual and editorial Illustrator John Holcroft

Conceptual and editorial Illustrator John Holcroft grew up in Lancashire and moved to Yorkshire when he was nine. In Yorkshire spent most of his childhood drawing and painting. During his college years, he became a fan of artists like David Cutter, Ian Pollock and Edward Hopper. He left with an HND in Graphic design and after working in design for the next few years he felt he needed a change and so, he pursued illustration, a passion he had always have. In 1996 he took the plunge and started freelance. For the first 5 years, he painted all his work on canvass paper and as you can imagine, this was rather time-consuming. It was in 2001 that John started to familiarise himself with technology and executed his artwork using a Wacom tablet and Corel Painter. Since then John Holcroft has reinvented his style about 5 or 6 times. In2009 decided to create a sustainable style with a little more longevity. My past clients include BBC, TUC, Reader’s Digest, Financial Times, Walker Books, The Guardian, The Economist, Haymarket, conde nast, TES and Experian, Informa Plc, New York Times, Honda, Wall Street Journal. You can see more of his work at www.johnholcroft.com

Maria Papaefstathiou

Maria Papaefstathiou is a Greek visual designer, poster artist and editor based in Athens, with over 30 years of experience in graphic design. She is the founder and editor of Graphic Art News, an international platform showcasing inspiring work in graphic design, typography, illustration and visual arts since 2010. Her creative work explores socially engaged poster design and portraiture, celebrating cultural figures from Greece, Jamaica and beyond. In 2011, she co-founded the International Reggae Poster Contest with Jamaican creative activist Michael “Freestylee” Thompson, connecting designers worldwide through art, music and social awareness.