Dominique's Royal design

Dominique Evans, who graduated in 1995 in Graphic Design BA(Hons), has been a Royal Mint graphic designer for the past 12 years.

The coin features the silhouette of Jane Austen, one of the best loved authors in the world, set in a period frame against a backdrop of Regency wallpaper.

Dominique said: “From the first brief through to the final design, it was a delight to research Jane Austen’s life in detail. I imagined her framed silhouette as if it were in one of the houses featured in Jane Austen’s books, on the wall of a corridor, as guests passed by to attend a dance, perhaps in Pride and Prejudice or on the wall in the home of Emma.”

She spoke of her course at Brighton: “I, like so many of the creative people who went there, will wax lyrical about the course – I have such fond memories of my time there. The course really did instil in me the importance of idea generation, which has been a foundation stone for everything I have done in my career since then.

Royal Mint Designer Dominique Evans with her design for the Jane Austen coin

“Since university, I have enjoyed fostering my love for fashion and interior design whilst working across a variety of fields. Now I’m back home in Wales where I am lucky enough to be a member of The Royal Mint design team. I work on a variety of projects, ranging from marketing campaigns and interior and event design, to coin and gifting packaging design. All my projects involve tonnes of research and testing, and no two days are the same, which makes them delightfully unpredictable and extremely fulfilling.”

Limited numbers of circulation-versions were released across Hampshire, Jane Austen’s home county, from 18 July, the anniversary of her death. You can find out more at the Royal Mint.

Dominique is not the first University of Brighton graduate to design a Royal Mint coin. In 2015, Laura Clancy, who graduated in 3D Design and Crafts BA(Hons), designed the reverse side of a new £5 limited edition coin honouring 150 years of the Salvation Army.