Coventry alumnus shortlisted for prestigious artist award

A Coventry University graduate’s work featured this week at The Book Illustration Competition in London - a contest organised jointly between the House of Illustration and the Folio Society - having been nominated as one of the twenty-five finalists competing to design the cover for an award-winning novel.

Alexandru Savescu, who graduated from Coventry with a first class honours degree in illustration and graphic design with international experience, was nominated for the industry-recognised award following his brilliant submission earlier this year.  

The nomination is a huge honour for Alexandru, with the Folio Society’s collection having received celebrity acclaim in the past. TV personality and writer Stephen Fry regards the collection very highly, calling it "As excellent an accolade as any author can achieve these days”

Alexandru was presented with the challenge of producing a cover for the acclaimed novel War Horse for which Savescu produced a very detailed piece featuring fantastic line work that he hoped would impress attending judge and acclaimed children’s author, Michael Morpugo.

Alexandru’s illustration was amongst hundreds of applications to be submitted, gaining a spot on the competitions shortlist. However his work narrowly missed out on first place, being pipped to the finish line by another UK based artist.

Although Alexandru’s submission didn’t receive the top award he was overjoyed to have been nominated, saying:

I was overwhelmed to earn a spot on the list of nominees, and to receive a commission following my initial work. It’s amazing. It’s so wonderful to be able to earn money for doing something I love."

Some more examples of Alexandru's work can be found here on his Behance page. 

 For further information, please contact James Stride, PR Assistant, Coventry University, on +44 (0)24 7765 4562 or email James.Stride@coventry.ac.uk.