Ian David Marsden
Illustrator, Creative Director & Visual Storyteller
I create original illustration and visual communication for companies, publishers, institutions and agencies — from commissioned illustration and editorial work to characters, comics, books, graphic design and hand-drawn animation.
Based near Montpellier in southern France, I work directly with clients internationally in English, French and German. More than 35 years of professional practice includes work for Google, Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz, Dräger, Wacom, Samsung and many others. In 2000, I became the first official Google Doodle artist.
Work
Illustration, Storytelling & Visual Communication
Six areas cover the main body of my portfolio. Each section contains selected projects first, followed by a broader visual archive.
Commissioned Illustration
Illustration for brands, organisations, campaigns, products and visual communication.
Logos, Mascots & Characters
Visual identities, emblems, mascots, brand characters and character families.
Comics & Sequential Illustration
Comics, comic strips, corporate stories and longer-form sequential work.
Editorial & Educational Illustration
Editorial commentary, cartoons, educational publishing, science, young readers and Lehrmittel.
Book Illustration & Graphic Novels
Children’s books, graphic novels, illustrated nonfiction, covers and interior illustration.
Graphic Design & Creative Direction
Identity, packaging, print, digital design and senior creative direction.
Services
Ways to Work With Me
Alongside the portfolio categories above, these pages explain commissioning, motion work and live visual documentation in more practical detail.
Commissioning & Process
How projects begin, pricing, licensing, revisions, deliverables and what to expect when commissioning original visual work.
Hand-Drawn Explainer Videos
Original illustrated films developed from concept and storyboard through drawing, animation, sound and final delivery.
Live Graphic Recording
Conferences, workshops and meetings translated into live visual summaries — remote worldwide or on site by arrangement.
Professional Experience
Selected Clients
Google · Coca-Cola · Dräger · Mercedes-Benz · Wacom · Samsung · PwC · Volkswagen · Lindt · Fraunhofer · VISA · and others
Selected Collaborations
Four Projects with a Longer Story
These dedicated client pages document collaborations that sit across different periods and disciplines of my career.
Google · 2000–2001
First Official Google Doodle Artist
The story behind MentalPlex, the early Google Doodles and the period in which I worked as Google’s first official freelance Doodle artist.
Professional Artist Feature
Wacom Featured Artist
Wacom presented my professional illustration practice internationally together with a structured series of drawing and workflow videos.
RITZENHOFF · 2013–2018
Designer Collection
Original designs created for the German company’s Designer Collection, applied to manufactured glassware, ceramics and collectible objects.
Beverly Hills · 2003–2006
La Toya Jackson / Ja-Tail
Creative direction spanning identity, logos and crests, album artwork, CD packaging, promotional print, merchandise and the LaToyaOnline website.
How I Work
Direct Collaboration from Concept to Delivery
I run a one-person studio and work directly with the people commissioning the work. There are no account layers between the initial conversation, the creative decisions and final production.
A project may begin with a detailed brief, a manuscript, a script, an existing identity, a communication problem or simply an idea that still needs to be worked out. I remain involved throughout rather than handing the work from one department to another.
Commissioned imagery is developed specifically for the brief and is not generated with AI.
Depending on the project, that can include:
- Concept development
- Visual research and sketching
- Illustration and character design
- Storyboards and visual scripting
- Graphic design and layout
- Animation and motion production
- Print, digital and presentation-ready delivery
Portfolio PDF
A Portable Overview of My Illustration Work
For art directors, communications teams, publishers and clients who prefer a concise document, the current portfolio is available in English, German and French.
35+
Years of professional practice
Direct
One-person studio, no account layers
EN · FR · DE
Working fluently in three languages
ESMA
Faculty, 3D Animation & VFX Master’s
Client Recommendations
What Clients Say
Selected recommendations from clients and collaborators. Additional recommendations are available on LinkedIn.
“Ian’s work stands out because he never lost touch with the fundamentals of drawing. His entire workflow, from the original concept sketch to the final complex vector illustration, is 100% hand-drawn.”
Pamela Park
E-mail Marketing and Influencer Outreach Programs Manager
Wacom Technology Corp.
“You want it done? You want it done right? You want it done on time? Here is somebody that knows his craft inside and out and doesn’t cut corners. He’ll think things through together with you and understand what you are aiming for.”
Tom Geudens
Graph Database Expert
Neo4j
“The work Ian did for iShepherd can be best described as that he understood our concept and vision from the first drawings he made. What I admire most is the conceptual variety he comes up with, but with a constant consistency.”
Harro Wiersma
CEO
iShepherd
Based near Montpellier. Working Internationally.
My studio is in Claret, in the Pic Saint-Loup region of Hérault north of Montpellier. I work with clients locally and internationally in English, French and German. For projects in Montpellier, Hérault and Occitanie, see my regional illustration and creative-direction page.
Email
[email protected]
Phone / WhatsApp
+33 (0)6 42 49 82 11
New Work
Have a Project in Mind?
If you have an illustration, publishing, character, comic, design, explainer-video or live-visual project in development, send me a brief outline of what you need. You will be speaking directly with the person who will create the work.