Alexander Slater

Alexander is an author and illustrator of children’s books, best known for his new fantasy series, Celeste Express. The series follows a young postmaster named Celeste who has adventures running the Intergalactic Post Office in the cosmic world of Galaxandria. The series was sold to Puffin/Penguin Random House in 2023 and the first in the series, Celeste Express: The War of the Wurms, was released in February 2025 with its sequels releasing annually thereafter.

His time at Herts set the foundation for his career in both design and illustration. He says, ‘Herts taught me everything I know about design and that knowledge has been invaluable in my career as an author-illustrator’. My fingerprints are all over the Celeste Express series. Besides writing and illustrating it, I designed the logo, created the supportive social material, animated promotional cartoons and heavily art directed the layout of the spreads. My 3rd year tutors Martin and Jess from Herts even get named dropped in the acknowledgements for being such a huge impact on me creatively’.

‘Herts also taught me the importance of having as many skills in your wheelhouse as possible. Outside of writing, illustrating and design direction, I'm a strong motion designer, video editor, animator and 3D designer. I wear a lot of hats. After studying Graphic Design and Illustration, Alexander built a successful career, working at design studios and agencies in London. He now brings his design skills to every part of his books, from logo creation to book layout and promotional materials. His experience also extends to motion design, video editing, and 3D design, allowing him to handle multiple creative roles.

Alexander also has a side project of making internet cartoons under the username ‘Alexrabbit’ on TikTok, where he has amassed over three million followers and put his video and animation skills to use.

Alexander decided to choose Herts because he was ‘really impressed with the art facilities and calibre of the teaching staff. I also loved the campus; it felt like the ideal environment to thrive in as a young aspiring creative and I'm glad I could make it my home for three years’.

Some of his favourite memories whilst at Herts were the late-night study sessions with classmates before deadlines, where everyone pulled together to finish their projects. ‘It was stressful, but we had a great sense of camaraderie, and we were in it together’.  

Another memorable moment was receiving a call from his tutor Jess, telling him he had won the You Can Now (YCN) student award from Google, which felt like a huge recognition after all his hard work.