Sam Gilbey

The former Keele student has always had a passion for drawing and lists Adidas, Marvel Studios, Gymshark, Channel 4 and the BBC among an impressive list of clients during his career, alongside many other household names. 

His distinctive illustrations have been featured everywhere from billboards to comics, books and magazines, exhibitions and DVD covers. He has also produced officially licensed pop culture artwork for properties, titles and artists including Stranger Things, Sonic the Hedgehog, David Bowie, The Godfather and Jurassic Park. 

Sam, who graduated from Keele in 1999 with a degree in visual arts and music, said: “Every day as a child I used to draw things like Batman and Spider-Man and that carried on into school, and then over time you develop your own style. I’ve been illustrating professionally for 20 years and I’m always grateful that I get to do something I love for work.” 

Through his work, Sam has contributed to more than 60 pop culture group exhibitions in the UK and United States. He has been invited to talk about his work at various events and venues, including the MCM London Comic Con, both the Regent Street and Covent Garden Apple Stores in London, and Adobe Live on Behance. Last year was a particular highlight for Sam’s career when he was commissioned to produce a set of three nationwide billboards to promote the BBC’s Glastonbury 2023 coverage, featuring Elton John, Arctic Monkeys and Guns N’ Roses. 

And Sam, who was captain of Keele’s karate club during three of his four years at the university, believes his degree and time spent at Keele has had a big impact on his career. 

He said: “I knew I loved to draw when I was younger, but I didn’t know how to make a career out of it. In my head, I remember thinking the only option was to be an art teacher or make art and sell it to galleries and collectors. The idea of being an illustrator and doing what I do now hadn’t really dawned on me. 

“In my final year at Keele, I started looking more at music and video-game related artwork, and taking famous paintings from history by artists like Vincent van Gogh and recreating them as if they were a video game. I can see the initial work I started experimenting with at Keele, particularly the crossover between high art and pop culture, when I look at where I am now and the work I’m producing. The discipline I gained during my degree was also incredibly helpful. 

“My career hasn’t been an overnight success story and I’ve had to work hard to get to where I am now. Social media has been a valuable tool in terms of being able to get my work out there and share it with mass audiences. Sometimes you can have quite a few different projects on the go at the same time and you feel like a bit of a plate spinner, but it’s a privilege to have that sort of pressure, and it’s always an amazing feeling when a project you’ve been working on for weeks or sometime months is finally out there.”