Since graduating from The Northern School of Art’s BA (Hons) Graphic Design course in 2022, Jem Solley has built a freelance career as a graphic designer working across film, television and theatre, creating visual identities, posters, album artwork, merchandise and promotional material for major productions and creative clients.
Jem’s passion for film-inspired graphic design developed during their studies, when they began creating film posters alongside their university work. Their third-year final major project was a 500-page risographed publication featuring 365 posters, and a subsequent 365-poster challenge on Instagram helped Jem build an online audience and establish a portfolio of film-inspired work, including designs for films such as Alien, Stand by Me and 10 Things I Hate About You.
After graduating, Jem worked as a junior graphic designer at a clothing company before building a freelance career working with major names across the creative industries. Their clients and collaborators include BBC Film, MUBI, Prime Video, Netflix, Kasabian, HALSEY, Abby Roberts and Henry Patterson, alongside independent filmmakers, musicians and theatre productions. Their film work includes posters for Netflix’s documentary Undisputed, BBC Film’s short film Karavidhe and a wide selection of film posters for MUBI.
Jem’s typography and layout skills, developed during their studies, remain central to their work today. “I honed my skills in typography and layout design,” Jem has said, skills they use in every project.
A major part of Jem’s practice is their ongoing work with the Jamie Lloyd Company, where they have created visual identities and artwork for major West End and Broadway productions. Their work has included Romeo & Juliet with Tom Holland, The Tempest with Sigourney Weaver, Much Ado About Nothing with Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell, Waiting for Godot with Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, Sunset Blvd. with Nicole Scherzinger and Evita with Rachel Zegler.
For these productions, Jem has created everything from production logos, posters and large-scale advertising to merchandise, vinyl records and CDs. Their work for The Tempest and Much Ado About Nothing included advertising across tube stations, buses and digital platforms, while their vinyl design for Sunset Blvd. was featured on ITV’s This Morning and The Graham Norton Show.
Jem’s work has also taken them into the world of music and live performance, including vinyl and CD artwork for Just For One Day: The Live Aid Musical, stage visuals for Kasabian’s album Happenings, anniversary artwork for HALSEY and tour posters for Abby Roberts. They have also collaborated with fellow Northern School of Art Graphic Design alumna Mia Angioy, who created collages for the Just For One Day vinyl packaging.
Jem’s work has been recognised with a Creative Conscience Award in the Impact category for their Beauty of Activism project, and they were named one of 50 winners in the D&AD Awards for their portfolio design.