Yutong
Liu
Illustrator | Animator | Graphic Designer
Yutong Liu is an award-winning illustrator from China, now based in London as a freelance creative. She earned her MA (Distinction) in Illustration from Kingston School of Art in 2024, and her work has appeared in numerous publications and advertising campaigns for clients including The Orion Publishing Group Ltd, Ascend Design, The Alan Turing Institute × University of Edinburgh, Better Images of AI, HiShark Edu, and more. Her illustrations have been recognised by prestigious awards and exhibitions such as the World Illustration Awards (WIA), Society of Illustrators 68th, 3×3 International Illustration Awards, Applied Arts Illustration Awards, ING Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary, Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), China Illustration Annual Conference (CIAC), the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, and Hiii Illustration Award. Guided by her creative philosophy—“With eyes wide open and heart unveiled—feel life, record its pulse, and embrace its wild beauty”—Yutong’s work captures moments that are both poetic and profoundly human.
2026
- Ijungle Illustration Awards — Editorial Category, Merit
2025
- World Illustration Awards — Animation Category, Longlisted
- Society of Illustrator 68th — Animation Category, Silver
- 3x3 International Illustration Annual No.22 — Animation, Merit
- ING Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary — Runner-up Prize
- BIBF International Illustration Awards — Book Cover, Finalist
- CIAC National Illustration Support Program — Dynamic Illustration Award (China)
- Applied Arts Illustration Awards 2025 — Young Blood, Motion - Animation
- Open Competition to Create More Realistic Stock Images of “Digital Transformation at Work” — Grand Prize
- May Fourth Youth Art Exhibition — Third Prize for Me & Tree No.1 and Me & Tree No.2, organised by the Hong Kong People's Association of Fine Arts
2024
- Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize — Shortlisted
- Beta Festival — Selected
- CIB9 (China International Illustration Biennale) — Finalist
2023
- Hiii Illustration International Awards 10th Edition — Finalist
- CHEAD Student Poster Competition — The Best Winner
- Creative Conscience Awards — Shortlisted
2022
- H.C. Andersen Art Awards (International) — Silver Award
- CGDA Visual Communication Design Awards — Finalist
2025
- ING Discerning Eye Exhibition 2025 — Mall Galleries, London, United Kingdom
- Characters on the Road — PICTOPLASMA × Balkans, Varna, Bulgaria
- BIBF Illustration Exhibition — Beijing International Book Fair, Beijing, China
- May Fourth Youth Art Exhibition — Hosted by Hong Kong People's Artists Association (Online)
- Art Collide: Emerging Artists 2025 Exhibition — International Online Showcase
- Bay Area New Direction: Guangdong International Art Week — Guangzhou Nan Fung International Convention Centre, Guangzhou, China
- Glorious Chang’an: National Security Education Day Exhibition — Excellent Works from Greater Bay Area Illustration & Animation, City Hall Exhibition Hall, Hong Kong
- Endless Growth: GAS Illustration Art Season Exhibition — Guangzhou People's Art Centre, China
2024–2025
- Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize Touring Exhibition — Multiple venues, United Kingdom
2024
- The Bigger Picture — Beta Festival, Dublin & Cork, Ireland
PRESS / MEDIA / INTERVIEWS
2025
2025 All Rights Reserved ©️ Yutong Liu
Chase the stars, ride the winds.
Animation
This is an independent animated project created to celebrate the 2026 Chinese New Year — the Year of the Horse. I developed the main visual identity for the film, wrote its promotional tagline, and was responsible for editing and music composition.
“Chase the stars, ride the winds — as spring begins anew.”
Through this animation, I hope that everyone who watches it will have their wishes fulfilled and enjoy success and prosperity in the coming year.
Book Cover Design
Client: Athena Elizabeth
"Twenty Something" is a collaboration with poet Athena Elizabeth, whose collection delves into the emotional complexities of her twenties. I had the privilege of designing the cover for this powerful work.
The title reflects the transformative journey of the decade, capturing themes of loneliness, heartbreak, ambition, and self-growth. As Athena writes, "Twenty will crush you — and reshape you."
The cover features Athena at the center, in a red dress, symbolizing her resilience and independence. Surrounding her are fleeting figures, representing the transient people in her life, while she remains unwavering, moving toward self-discovery and strength.
This design visually embodies her journey of growth and transcendence.
Book Cover Design
Client: Penguin Random House UK
This year, I participated in the annual cover design competition by @PenguinRandomHouse @PenguinRandomHouseKids. I chose A Wrinkle in Time as my theme after finding more inspiration in its sci-fi and philosophical elements compared to Night Watch.
The story follows Meg Murry and her companions as they travel through space to find her father, encountering strange creatures and dark forces. Inspired by themes of time and space, I used the tesseract (a four-dimensional cube) and cosmic imagery to reflect the story’s concept of time travel. Meg is depicted jumping into the tesseract, symbolising her journey through time.
For the typography, I played with spatial perspective to integrate it with the illustration, making the cover feel cohesive and dynamic.
Animated Illustration
This is a Christmas animated greeting card I created for Christmas 2025. I wanted to respond to the warmth of the Christmas season and its beautiful wishes through cozy visuals, with a dancing Christmas tree moving in harmony with the music.
Animated Illustration
This piece is part of my exploration of my own emotional landscape.
As a female artist, I seek to express the inner world of women — a space where tenderness and strength coexist.
Through these reflections and expressions, I aim to portray moments of striving for self-reconciliation, gentle yet powerful in their quiet resilience.
My eyes have already closed, yet my thoughts refuse to grow still.
The fire within me continues to burn, and my mind slips free of my body, wandering through time and the vastness of the cosmos.
Back and forth it drifts, ceaseless, unending.
Animated Illustration
This piece is part of my exploration of my own emotional landscape.
As a female artist, I seek to express the inner world of women — a space where tenderness and strength coexist.
Through these reflections and expressions, I aim to portray moments of striving for self-reconciliation, gentle yet powerful in their quiet resilience.
Let it be, what more can I do?
If only I could swing into space,
And leave this earthly place.
- Bewildered
Animated Illustration
This piece is part of my exploration of my own emotional landscape.
As a female artist, I seek to express the inner world of women — a space where tenderness and strength coexist.
Through these reflections and expressions, I aim to portray moments of striving for self-reconciliation, gentle yet powerful in their quiet resilience.
I have paced back and forth countless times, yet nothing could ease the restlessness and unease that gnawed at my heart.
The fire blazed within me, and the wind could not quench its fury — it only fed the flame.
It was as though my spinning thoughts were consuming the last reserves of my being.
I longed to escape, yet I could never break free from this snare.
I returned again, turned back again — an endless cycle, restless and adrift.
- ME & Me
- Animation
I created this short
animation to explore my relationship with myself. By capturing five repetitive moments from my daily life, I illustrate how I find joy in small variations within routines. Through this process, I engage in self-reflection and discover new ways to connect with myself.
📣 WIA Award Coverage
3x3 Award Coverage