Liberty Through the Ages

Recently I created a piece for Liberty's open call to design the 2027 Beauty Advent Calendar. 

The brief was to create a Christmas-themed interpretation of Liberty’s Tudor revival building, celebrating its heritage, eccentricity and magic while placing the store within the wider cultural landscape of London.

The brief invited artists to imagine the building from all sides, front, back, sides and roof and to surround it with scenes of London that captured Liberty’s role at the heart of the city’s culture. The design was to be judged on its creative narrative, distinctive style and its interpretation of the Liberty building.

I wanted to combine my love of drawing history, storytelling, fashion, and culture.

The Idea - Liberty Through the Ages

My concept, Liberty Through the Ages, grew from Liberty’s history and its enduring place within British culture. Rather than focusing on one particular moment in time, I wanted to celebrate the generations of people who have passed through its doors and show how the character of Liberty has continued to evolve.

The illustration takes the form of one continuous, looping scene centred around the Liberty building. Each side of the advent calendar represents a different era, creating a visual journey through time.

The story begins in the 1920s, following the opening of Liberty’s famous Tudor Revival building, before moving through the distinctive visual language of the 1960s, the 1980s, and into the present day.

I wanted each period to feel immediately recognisable without becoming too literal, so I used the details of everyday life, fashion, transport and technology to mark the passing of time.

A penny-farthing rider carries a Christmas tree through the earliest scene, while a mod rides through the 1960s on a motorbike piled high with presents. A 1980s sidecar carries the festivities forward before eventually giving way to a modern electric scooter.

Throughout the scenes, Londoners are busy celebrating Christmas, creating little moments and characters to discover amongst the larger narrative.

I also wanted the design to retain a sense of playfulness and magic.

Gingerbread men and curious reindeer weave their way through the different eras, appearing throughout the illustration and connecting each scene into one continuous story. 

I chose a warm, festive colour palette to evoke the glow of Liberty at Christmas, combining nostalgia with a sense of celebration. The intention was for the illustration to feel detailed and rewarding to explore, with something new to discover each time you look at it.

Process

Lightbox Sketch

Watercolour Painting

Colour Palette

Looping Architecture

Concept Sketch

Concept Sketch

Tonal Test

The brief felt particularly connected to my own practice because of Liberty's Arts and Crafts heritage and its long-standing celebration of craft and handmade skill.

I wanted the making of the artwork to reflect that history, so I used analogue media to create the design. First I sketched out the looping building, then using a light box added characters and decorations. These were then bought together in a final layer with ink and watercolour. 

The result was an illustration that combines my love of narrative illustration, historical research and traditional techniques with the festive spirit of Liberty.

Although my design wasn't selected for the final round, I enjoyed developing the concept and spending time researching Liberty's history and visual identity.