QIAN-HUI YU
Qian is a Chinese animation director and illustrator based in Stoke-on-Trent, currently represented by the London-based creative agency POCKO. She specialises in 2D frame-by-frame animation, crafting vibrant, imaginative worlds through expressive character design, rich colour palettes, and hand-painted textures.
As an animation graduate of the Royal College of Art, Qian has spent the past five years working across a wide range of animation and illustration projects. Her work often draws inspiration from nature, dreams, and surreal moments of daily life, resulting in whimsical visual narratives.
In 2023, Qian was commissioned by GIPHY, and made a short clip which was selected to screened at PICTOPLASMA, Kaboom Animation Festival, Brighton International Animation Festival, British Shorts Berlin, Cardiff Animation Festival. She has also made animated music videos for global artists such as Coldplay and Steve Aoki, commercial animations for brands like Hyundai, and editorial pieces for publications including Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times Book Review, WIRED, and the Los Angeles Times. She has also created book covers for major publishers such as Penguin Random House and Faber Children’s.
Most recently, Qian completed her personal animated short film ‘Statue in the Garden’. The film was produced by Animate Projects and supported by BFI Network with funding from the National Lottery.