Brighton-based illustrator Sophy Hollington makes lino-cut artworks that are steeped in folklore, myth and alchemy. She’s made work for titles including Bloomberg Businessweek, The New Yorker and The Wall Street Journal, as well as brands such as Penguin and Nike.
Sophy has been working as a full-time artist for the last five years, and says she designed the UT emblem during a particularly significant part of her life. “It felt like one of those jobs where I had just discovered who I was - and that sounds corny, but I had just started working in the way I’ve continued to work, so it feels weirdly poignant.”
Her logo references alchemical symbolism, as well as the visual tradition of heraldry, which often depicts a pair of prancing animals - in this case, it’s UT’s emblematic polar bear and lion. “The bear, the lion, the astrology - everyone can relate to the symbolism in those somehow,” says Hollington.