I have drawn cartoons, caricatures and comics for a wide variety of international magazines and newspapers including The New Yorker, MAD Magazine, Nebelspalter, NZZ am Sonntag, to name a few.
I have also created and written content for children’s television and children’s books, advertising, corporate clients and major events I even drew a series of recycling comics which were printed on Coca Cola cans.
My first graphic novel, an adaptation of the official biography of musician and composer (and PEGOT winner) Marvin Hamlisch was released to critical acclaim by Schiffer Publishing, February 2020.
I was the first and exclusive Google Doodle artist from 1999 to 2000.
Traditionally trained, I have worked with computers and graphics- and illustration software practically from their inception. I pride myself in staying up-to-date with the latest trends and release versions and their new features. My main digital tools are the Adobe Creative Cloud(Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe XD, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Animate, Adobe Character Animator, Premiere and AfterEffects and proficient in others as well) as well as Celsys,Inc Clip Studio Paint EX and Procreate on my iPad Pro.
I work as a consulting illustrator, cartoonist, designer, and animator with clients in France, Switzerland, Germany, the UK and the United States from my fully equipped studio. Based in southern France since 2006.
A little more about myself:
I am a renowned illustrator, cartoonist and comic / graphic novel artist known for my unique style(s) and abilities as an artist. With over 25 years of international experience, I have created art and designs for various top-tier companies, clients and individuals.
My illustrations are noticeable for their recognisable style, vivid colours and intricate details, which bring life to any project. My artistic and inventive abilities allow me to create captivating ideas, characters and perfectly suited illustrations in various styles and for various uses.
One of my strengths is my ability to work across mediums. I create illustrations and cartoons for magazines, newspapers, children’s books, advertising campaigns, and even animation. This versatility means I adapt my style to suit a variety of artistic needs. I use various tools such as digital painting, vector graphics, and also traditional media to bring my artwork to life.
I have a keen eye for detail and accuracy, making me an excellent choice for businesses and publishers seeking precise and intricate illustrations for their projects. Punctuality and reliability are even more important in my profession than creativity or drawing skills, in my opinion.
My creativity extends beyond illustration, as I also use my skills in animation and motion graphics, time-lapse videos of evolving drawings in a very artistic and recognisable (and difficult to imitate) style. I also produce whiteboard and explainer videos for products and internal business training and presentations or external advertising, public relations or social media campaigns. I am also an experienced character- and mascot designer for corporations and events.
I am a very good communicator, which means I can take a client’s brief and turn it into the visual they had in mind, even if a few revision-phases and modifications need to be made along the way to the Eureka moment. I have a passion for telling stories through art and strive to create works that connect with the viewer, whether it be on a humorous, emotional, or intellectual level or all of the above.
If you’re looking for a skilled and reliable illustrator for your next project, please keep me in consideration.
Milestones:
Zürich, Switzerland: First published cartoons at age 16 in Nebelspalter (Switzerland) and Penthouse (Germany) followed by publications in many Swiss and European magazines and newspapers, and advertising campaigns such as for VISA Card and recycling comics printed on Coca Cola cans.
Santa Monica & Los Angeles, California:Creating web graphics and web animation from the pioneering days. Original co-founder of Sham Records Multimedia, Santa Monica, produced wide variety of cutting-edge Shockwave and Flash interactive websites and animations.
1999 First Google Doodle Artist for Google.com. Drew Google Doodles for over one year. Also worked as freelance designer and animator on web graphics, flash animation, movie posters, album covers. Web graphics for Google, infospace, birthdayalarm, Fox Television: Best Damn Sports Show Period including the design and animation of their offical website, La Toya Jackson and many others. Creative Director for Ja-Tail Enterprises, LLC Beverly Hills overseeing all products and communications.
2001 winner Klasky Csupo Global Tantrum animated joke contest. 2002 nominated for National Cartoonist Society’s Reuben Award in the New Media category. Publications include MAD Magazine, The New Yorker and many others.
2002 graduated from Academy of Entertainment Technology (AET), Santa Monica College, computer animation major. Recipient of the Mary Pickford scholarship.
Designed characters and mascots for major events such as the Official Mascot FIS Ski World Championship 2003 St.Moritz and original designer for main mascot and characters for Expo.02, Swiss national exposition.
2006 opening of my atelier in France, work has included illustrations for advertising agencies, non-profit organisations, whiteboard and explainer video production for French and international clients and even several wine label designs.
2007 Created cover design and all illustrations for Mercedes-Benz Employee handbook (« Mitarbeiter Knigge ») with over 120 instructional illustrations for employee training for customer service and client interaction, distributed world-wide in various languages.
Since 2012 featured artist on Wacom website and Wacom ambassador for Intuos drawing tablets and cintiq pen displays. Videos showing how I work in various software suites such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and AutoDesk Sketchbook Pro are featured on the Wacom Homepage.
Since 2013 Designer for RITZENHOFF creating various design objects such as cups, glasses, cat bowls and more, available world wide.
2020 My first full length graphic novel based on the biography of the renowned American composer and musician Marvin Hamlisch published by Schiffer Publishing. Talks are underway for a possible animated film version (available on Amazon and many other reliable sources of fine books). Marvin was the 1st place winner in the category “Graphic Novel” of the 2020 Purple Dragonfly Awards.
Literargymnasium Rämibühl Zürich (Lycée), Modern Languages
F+F Schule für Kunst und Design Zürich (Vorkurs)
Graphic Design Apprenticeship in Advertising Agency M,H, Leo Burnett Zürich
Pratt Institute Manhattan (Various illustration related courses)
AET Academy of Entertainment & Technology , Santa Monica College. Traditional and Computer Animation 2D and 3D (Graduated 2002)
Affiliations (active and previous)∴
Full Member / National Cartoonist Society
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
Member of Mensa since 1989
(Mensa New York, Mensa Greater Los Angeles Area, Mensa Switzerland, Mensa France)
Languages:
Bilingual: English / German / Swiss German
French: Very proficient
Italian: Some Basics
Partial Client List:
AN2V, All Stars Project, Auto Bild, Autour du Pic, Blick Online, Blocklearning.ch, BOLD Werbung GmbH, Breaksru GmbH, Bref, Carlos Dias, Chemmedia, Club de la Presse Occitanie, Coca Cola, Coley & Associates, Comité des Fêtes Vacquières, Curtius Lütten Werbeagentur GmBH, Deutsche Telecom, Dfreeeze App, die Kleinert Bildarchiv, Diesel Jeans UK, Digades, Domaine Les Tuileries, Dräger Global, Drägerwerk AG, Droemer Knaur Verlag, Ecoforest, Evonik Industries, Executive Learning Systems, Federal Acquisitions Institute, Fernsehen DRS, Fox Television, Fraunhofer, Friars Club New York, GMX Glückwunschkarten, Google, Hairloss.com, HauntedHollywood, Hawlik Naturpilze, Henkel, Hermes Pakete, Infospace.com, Inspired Arts & Media, Jay Abraham Strategy Institute, John Morrison / Johnny Mundo, Johner Institut, Justhappiness Montpellier, KHW, La Gravette de Corconne, La Toya Jackson, LandLiebe Schweiz, LAP Vorbereitung, Le Mas du Sire, Les Héritieres de Bacchus, Lindt Chocolate, Mas de Figuier, Mail.com, Mac Directory, MAD Magazine, MADant LtD, MAN, Mairie de Vacquières, Max Curious, New York, Marktrezept.de, Mercedes Benz, METRO, Mövenpick, Mycotrition GmbH, Nebelspalter, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Novartis, Restaurant O Mas Troquet, Parc Le Duc, PartyPOW!, Plushland, Publicis, PwC, Ransom Publishing, Richmond, Ringier Verlag, RITZENHOFF, Rock Brasiliano, Roland Berger, Samsung, Sanafort AG, Santillana, Schiffer Publishing, Seele, Sens Digital, Showtime Television, Sieber & Wolf, Ski WM 2003, Stadtwerke Wedel, Strobe Solutions, Sustain D, Take the 55, Telekom, Top Source Wines, The New Yorker, TIR, Universal Music Group, Universität Bern, Universität Zürich, Volkswagen Sedric, VISA, Wacom, Web.de, Yantramatte, YJOO, Zum Goldenen Hirschen, Zürich Gym …(incomplete)
Client recommendations:
“In 2019 I redesigned my internet presence. Together with Ian, I developed a new logo, which puts more emphasis on my consulting personality. We have done this well and I am very grateful for Ian’s support. The icons we developed and the illustrations on the website www.breaksru.ch are very appealing and please me and my customers again and again. What I really appreciated about working with Ian was that he responded to my wishes and was very quick to implement them. Thank you very much, anytime again.” March 11 2020 – Suzanne Ruf, owner of breaksru gmbh “Ian is not only a very talented illustrator but also an accomplished designer and corporate identity developer. He has his own distinct style but his designs are very much customer focused and oriented. The work Ian did for iShepherd can be best described as that he understood our concept and vision from the first drawings he made. The thing that I personally admire the most about his work from an artistic perspective is the conceptual variety he comes up with, but with a constant consistency. Business with a small flair of fun or unexpected “Easter eggs”. I hope we are able to call upon Ian’s support for a long time coming.” March 6 2020 – Harro is the CEO of iShepherd, Inc.“I worked with Ian on several projects, such as our illustratedvideos for Mycotrition GmbH: https://www.mycotrition.com/en/about-us/our-videos We were always very pleased with his work. Ian is a great guy. Thank you, Ian” March 16 2020 – Sebastian Schmode, COO at Hawlik Group, Dronania Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Mycotrition GmbH
