Today, I’m excited to introduce you to “L’esprit du pic,” a project that holds a special place in my heart as an internationally published cartoonist and graphic novel artist. Through this collaboration, I’m delighted to present a collection of hand-drawn illustrations that beautifully capture the essence of the Pic St Loup Region in Hérault.
At the core of “L’esprit du pic” lies a series of illustrations featuring endearing animal characters engaged in the everyday activities, sports, and leisurely moments that define life in the Pic St Loup Region. From the playful boars to the sprightly hares, and the iconic wolf symbolizing the spirit of Pic St Loup, each illustration celebrates the region’s distinctive charm.
Today, I want to take you on a journey that holds a special place in my heart—the creation of the illustrated Mercedes-Benz Employee Manual, affectionately known as the “Mitarbeiterknigge”. *
Back in 2010, as an experienced illustrator, character designer and concept creator, I had the pleasure of collaborating with esteemed advertising agency Sieber & Wolf on this fascinating project. Join me as I walk you through the process of bringing this comprehensive manual to life, highlighting the importance of effective visual communication within the context of a luxury brand like Mercedes-Benz.
When Sieber & Wolf approached me with the opportunity to work on the “Mitarbeiterknigge”, I knew it was a project that demanded precision, creativity, and dedication to excellence. The manual aimed to train Mercedes-Benz staff who interacted with customers, covering topics such as maintaining contact, politeness, and proper behavior in various situations like vehicle purchase, repairs, sales, events, lunches, dinners, and business correspondence. It was crucial that the illustrations reflected Mercedes-Benz’s high standards, precision, and commitment to quality.
This is not an anti-AI post. It’s remarkable to see how far artificial intelligence (AI) has come, to the point where it can now compete with human abilities. I stare in marvel (and horror) at the current generation of AI generated images.
Maybe the above logo will become the art equivalent of the BIO labels at grocery stores
I am not someone who shies away from new tools or techniques, nor am I a technophobe. As someone who has been an avid fan and user of computers since childhood, I have experienced the evolution of technology firsthand. It always seemed inevitable that this day would arrive at some point, I think what is most surprising is how rapidly it is suddenly advancing. It is difficult for us to understand, because the human brain is not wired for exponential growth. We simply can not understand and imagine it.
In this illustrated explainer video, I was tasked by the client to follow the steps of graph database development from the architect to the database admin to the developers.
With appealing illustrations that unfold before your eyes, this explainer video showcases the step-by-step process of how each team member contributes and collaborates to create a successful graph database. The animations and illustrations by created by me (artist Ian David Marsden) effectively communicate intricate procedures by utilizing character designs that personify different professions, along with vibrant graphic symbols. This approach results in a clear and visually appealing presentation.
Custom illustrations and animations by artist Ian David Marsden.
Andy Boller (Andrew Phillip Boller), Blues and Rock singer and pianist extraordinaire (and also contestant on “The Voice of Germany” asked me if I could design and illustrate a cool logo for his band “Take the 55” featuring caricatures of all the band members. A fun design that the band could use on t-shirts, on social media and also posters, flyers and other merchandising. #logodesign#caricature
I had seen Andy live on several occasions and as a fan, I of course immediately jumped on the opportunity.
Below a gallery of the final artwork featuring caricatures from photographs and a classic VW bus.
Explainer videos have become a popular tool for businesses and startups to market their products and ideas in an engaging and informative way. But not all explainer videos are created equal. Cheap productions that use reusable clipart and avatars may seem like a cost-effective option, but investing in custom-created and hand-drawn explainer videos can have numerous benefits for your business.
Custom-created and hand-drawn explainer videos offer an elegant and tailored solution to suit any product or presentation. With the art of illustration, any scenario is possible for a reasonable budget, making it a more cost-effective option than traditional methods such as a photoshoot with models, influencers and moviestars and tons of costumes and props in a fancy studio, or on location on a yacht or a private jet. (Why not just draw all of these elements?)
For France-based client Sustain D I was tasked to develop original character designs for two cartoon characters and draw a series of comic strips featuring energy saving and ecological tips and tricks.
Let the sun shine in and you don’t need to turn the lights on 😀
A series of 4 videos and posters created for Dräger on the topic “Break the chain of infection” The comic strips have no text so they are language independent and can be used internationally. The same goes for the video series.
The four different areas covered are: Infection prevention and control, increase Patient Safety, Infection Prevention by Design and Improved Workflow
Short intro animation created specifically for the Friars Club, New York City.
Several monk friar characters were created for animated GIFs and icons for the website including Jackie Gleason playing pool and this little friar for the animation.
All artwork was created in Adobe Illustrator as vector art and then animated in Adobe Flash.
I am frequently consulted by my clients to assist with marketing and advertising projects, with concepts and ideas, layouts and graphic design suggestions as well as of course drawings and illustration elements.
The client required three different large-scale Kakémono display banners (2.10 meters x 0.85 meters) as portable rollup banners for three different areas of their activity: training, the association itself and the universities organised by AN2V.
A really fun project was this animated Holday Greeting card to be sent to the customers of my commissioning client.
The briefing required a nice, hand-drawn cozy looking winter scene. We opted for an inviting winter chalet in the woods surrounded by snow covered trees and featuring the AN2V logo.
The drawing is rendered as a timelapse video. Watch the drawing unfold, a lovely winter forest scene, a chalet with warm light spilling out onto the snow, and then the company logo is drawn, illuminated by the warm glow. A gorgeous, warm and elegant holiday card solution.
The video was also delivered as an animated GIF so that it could be used and viewed in e-mails directly on all devices.
Below a YouTube video presentation of 10 animated greeting cards for various occasions. I had the pleasure of inventing and designing this series of animated greeting cards for client 1&1 Mail & Media GmbH for GMX, Web.de, Mail.com Germany via the agency dieKLEINERT.de
The topics that were presented to me in the briefing were: Happy Birthday, I’m Sorry, Thank You, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Get Well Soon, Happy New Year and Thank You!
(with YouTube Video Radio Interview with Mascot Designer Ian Marsden)
I n 2002 I was contacted by the organization for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in the renowned pristine alpine resort town of St. Moritz, Switzerland. I was informed, that I had been chosen as the designer and illustrator to create the official mascot for the event.
