Meera Syal's praise for LJMU illustrator

Actress and writer Meera Syal has praised the talent of her illustrator - a Liverpool School of Art and Design student.

Ella Garrett, a second year illustration student on the BA (Hons) Graphic Design and Illustration programme, designed the cover for Syal's Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee.

Meera Syal, CBE, star of a string of TV dramas and comedies, said Ella's illustration balanced 'humour and melancholy'.

Ella was also awarded first prize in the adult fiction category Penguin Student Design award. The prize – from more than 2,000 entries across three categories - includes a paid work placement at Penguin Random House Design Studios to be arranged for later in the year.

Ella said: "I took inspiration from Indian matchbox art, which elevates a mundane household object into something beautiful, mirroring the book's message that there's beauty and value to be found in the ordinary and domestic."

The entries were judged by Penguin's art directors and a panel of guest judges including the author Meera Syal. Meera said of Ella's submission: "I totally got the Indian Matchbox /Truck Art vibe here! The handmade feel and the colour palette are so beautiful – humour plus melancholy so well balanced."