Meet Eleanor Bannister | Illustrator & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eleanor Bannister and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eleanor, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve wanted to pursue a creative lifestyle since as early as I could remember. Whenever someone would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up the answer was always that I wanted to be an artist, and now that I’m older, when people ask me what I do for work, being able to say I’m an Illustrator & Designer is just crazy. I guess this question is quite hard to answer though as I’ve never really thought about doing anything but a job that’s in the creative industry. Honestly, I think I pursued it because I enjoy being creative and solving visual problems, and I’ve never understood why you wouldn’t want to do a job that you enjoy.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The Illustration cohort at Falmouth University were the ones who really provided me with all the information I needed to know in order to get work after I graduated. Partnered with a lot of hard work and perseverance, I was lucky enough to kick start my creative career shortly after graduating and was even named as one of D&AD’s New Blood ‘Ones to Watch’ 2021.

Since then I have really tried to work on expanding my skill set: exploring new techniques in personal work, taking on an internship at an animation company and improving my graphic design skills by creating content for a ladies football club near me. It’s definitely not been easy but I’ve learnt from the knock backs and want to continue growing as a creative.

I have worked on some really amazing projects with names such as, The Financial Times, Politico, The Big Issue, Courier Magazine and most recently with the Past Curfew team and even The Guardian: I’m excited to see what’s to come next.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d definitely say a typical tourist day; going up Blackpool Tower, visiting the arcades and the Pleasure Beach etc, before ending the day in the pub. Doing all the cliche things that make Blackpool the seaside town that it is. Other than that, going on road trips to the Lakes, Manchester, Liverpool, or even London, perks of where I live is that you can do a lot of the UK in quick trips that still give you enough time to explore wherever you end up!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Growing up my nana was my hero. Her, and the rest of my family, were the ones who really encouraged me to be creative and without their support I probably wouldn’t of gone on to pursue a career in the creative industry. I also have to thank the illustration cohort at Falmouth University. The course there is second to none and really helps you prepare for entering life in the creative industry after you graduate.

Website: https://elbannister.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elbannister/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elbannister/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/elbannister

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065087079220