A series of beautiful illustrations of University of Edinburgh buildings have been commissioned by the University Gift Shop, from illustrator and ECA alumna Ally McKay. The images, which include ECA Main Building, are available on a range of items including magnets, tote bags, keychains and postcards.
Ally, who graduated with BA (Hons) Illustration in 2024, secured the commission after noticing that the shop had liked some of her posts on Instagram. She said: “At the time, I was stocking my maps in some shops around town and decided to email them to ask if they might want to stock my maps as well. It was a happy surprise when they said they wanted to commission some new work instead, and we started identifying which university buildings they might want as part of the collection.”
Ally completed the 18 illustrations between February and April of this year. She’s currently working full time as a graphic designer in London, and squeezed the work into her evenings and weekends. She said: “It was so enjoyable, and a bit bittersweet as well! I had moved out of Edinburgh in September so I really enjoyed putting myself back in the mindset of just having arrived to Edinburgh and just being mindblown at the beautiful buildings and campus of the University of Edinburgh. I wanted to capture that enthusiasm and character in the work and really enjoyed casting my mind back to those days.”
Operations Manager for the University Visitor Centre and Gift Shop, Olivia Noakes, said: “I first saw Ally’s work at the ECA Graduate Show and was immediately drawn to her distinctive illustration style. Her map of Edinburgh really caught my eye, and I could instantly see the potential for a range of University building illustrations to work beautifully across different merchandise for the Gift Shop. I loved the way she captured the character and warmth of the city through her use of colour and detail.
“We also really love working with artists who have a connection to the University, it makes these collaborations feel that bit more special. Working with Ally was also such a smooth process, she instantly understood what we wanted and delivered work that exceeded our expectations.”
Ally is delighted with the finished products, which can now be bought online, or in person from the Gift Shop in Charles Street: “I am super pleased with the results! It was great working with Olivia, she has a real eye for what products work with the illustrations and it's so fun seeing the variety of products the shop has come up with. I have a tote bag myself and enjoy taking it out on the town very much!”
Ally has also completed some map commissions for the University of Edinburgh 'Thrive Guide' for new students, as well as for various literary works and novels.
