Nadia Jin: Storytelling Across Disciplines, Identity, and Meaning

Lisbon-based artist and designer Nadia Jin occupies a distinctive place in contemporary creative practice. Working across writing, illustration, graphic design, carving, knitting, and visual storytelling, her work resists easy categorisation while remaining anchored in a consistent ethical and narrative core. Selected for inclusion in 100 Artists of Europe, a curated publishing project by Culturale Lab, Jin’s participation reflects a trajectory shaped by cultural movement, professional discipline, and a clear commitment to meaning over perfection.

Introduction – Setting the Scene

Born in Lisbon and living in the same city today, Nadia Jin’s creative journey unfolds across countries, industries, and mediums. Identifying as a British-Portuguese multidisciplinary artist and designer, her practice reflects both formal design training and lived experience. Rather than pursuing a single artistic lane, Jin has developed a fluid approach that allows skills to transfer organically between disciplines, from children’s book illustration to corporate communication design.

Her inclusion in 100 Artists of Europe comes at a moment when her work as an author and illustrator is gaining visibility through the publication of Arthur the Scout and His Epic Adventures, completed in 2025. Yet the book represents only one expression of a broader creative identity shaped by decades of professional practice and personal reflection.

A Professional Identity That Stands Apart

What distinguishes Jin’s professional identity is not the number of disciplines she works within, but the coherence with which they are held together. Her one-line definition of her work describes it as “human-centred, purpose-driven and led by storytelling,” a framing that applies equally to her visual art, writing, and design practice.

From early on, Jin’s approach was influenced by her father, a government building draughtsman whose discipline and methodical way of thinking left a lasting imprint. This foundation led her into professional design work in the early 2000s in Portugal, where she began as a full-time eyewear designer at Killine, formerly known as CreativOptic. There, she worked with international clients including Elizabeth Arden, gaining early exposure to high-level commercial design environments.

Formal education followed, including a Fashion Design short course at the University of Westminster and postgraduate study in London, culminating in an MA in Graphic Design at London College of Communication. These experiences reinforced a professional mindset that values structure, clarity, and conceptual rigour alongside creative expression.

Vision, Method, and Approach

Jin’s working method adapts to each medium while remaining grounded in narrative intention. In visual design, she works with industry-standard tools such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. In writing, she values rhythm and pacing, likening the movement of her stories to musical forms ranging from a waltz to flamenco. In illustration and drawing, she relies on pencil, drafting tables, and digital illustration tools, while her carving and knitting practices introduce slower, tactile processes involving wood, yarn, and hand tools.

This versatility is not driven by novelty, but by responsiveness. Jin describes her inspiration as coming primarily from people’s needs, including her own, and from experiences of wanting or lacking. Music plays a key role in shaping the emotional cadence of her work, influencing both visual colour choices and narrative flow.

Her style is described as bold and unapologetic, characterised by confident layouts, clear cuts, and expressive illustration. Colour is used deliberately to create impact without excess, reinforcing storytelling rather than distracting from it.

Participation in a Culturale Lab Project

Jin discovered Culturale Lab through online cultural content and was drawn to the editorial nature of its projects. Her decision to apply to 100 Artists of Europe was motivated by the initiative’s international scope and its positioning as a curated cultural publication rather than a promotional platform.

Within the project, Jin’s work is represented through Arthur the Scout and His Epic Adventures, a children’s book written and illustrated by the artist. The book addresses themes of migration, resilience, and belonging, aiming to support children who have experienced displacement or cultural transition. For Jin, participation in the project is not simply about visibility, but about contributing to a shared cultural record.

She describes being part of a global publishing project as a form of responsibility - an opportunity for artistic work to connect across borders and become part of a wider human narrative.

An International Context

Jin’s international outlook is rooted in both professional experience and personal history. Her career includes work at the Alexander McQueen studio in 2008, where she contributed to textile designs including the Optical Dress for the Resort Collection 2009 runway, later worn by Victoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian. In 2009, she also collaborated on the textile designs for the beachwear capsule collection created to launch the Tatjana Anika brand, which was promoted by supermodel Eugenia Silva.

Alongside creative practice, Jin has worked extensively in corporate and institutional design contexts. From 2013 to 2021, she was employed at Mott MacDonald, delivering design projects for clients including the British Embassy and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and contributing to work that received a CESA Award in 2020. More recently, she worked at DataOps.live, supporting the company’s achievement of Snowflake Elite Partner status through senior-level design and presentation work.

This blend of cultural, commercial, and personal experience informs Jin’s understanding of art as a tool for communication and connection rather than self-display.

Looking Ahead

Looking forward, Jin plans to develop a dedicated website to showcase her published books, complete the second volume of her biography, and potentially begin a follow-up to Arthur the Scout and His Epic Adventures. She also intends to return to carving projects previously set aside, continue designing swimwear and womenswear, and promote her children’s book in schools and educational settings.

Her outlook remains open and process-driven. Jin acknowledges that new projects often emerge unexpectedly, guided by curiosity and need rather than fixed agendas. Across all future work, her guiding principle remains consistent: art is not about perfection, but about meaning.

If her work leaves even one person feeling seen, understood, or encouraged to continue, she considers that purpose fulfilled.

Contact & Links

Website: http://www.nadiajin.co.uk

Check out Nadia’s book available on Amazon US

Check out Nadia’s book available on Amazon UK

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadia-jin-11b8b93/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nadia.jin.books.fan.club/