About Ian David Marsden
Illustrator, Creative Director & Visual Storyteller
I’m an illustrator, creative director, cartoonist and designer based in the Pic Saint-Loup region near Montpellier, France. I work directly with companies, publishers, institutions and agencies on projects that need clear visual thinking as well as finished artwork.
My practice spans business illustration, editorial work, hand-drawn explainer videos, character and mascot design, comics, branding, graphic design and creative direction. Some assignments are a single image. Others develop into a larger visual system involving characters, sequences, typography, motion or production-ready assets across several formats.
I work internationally in English, French and German, and remain personally involved from the first discussion through drawing, design and final delivery.
Studio Practice
What I Work On
The disciplines overlap naturally. A character may become part of a brand identity; an illustration may develop into a sequence; a communication problem may be better solved through motion than a single image.
Illustration & Visual Communication
Business illustration, editorial imagery, campaigns, publishing, educational work and commissioned visual communication.
Characters, Mascots & Comics
Character design, brand mascots, comics, sequential storytelling, graphic narrative and storyboarding.
Creative Direction & Design
Brand identity, graphic design, packaging, UX concepts, icon systems, layout and senior creative direction.
Motion & Live Visual Work
Hand-drawn explainer videos, visual scripting, motion graphics, live illustration and graphic recording.
Career in Context
A Career Across Illustration, Design & Visual Communication
My career has moved through editorial illustration, advertising, animation, product design, publishing, branding, digital media and creative direction. The tools have changed repeatedly. The underlying work — drawing, observing, editing, explaining and making visual decisions — has remained remarkably consistent.
2000–2001
Google Doodles
Created the first official Google Doodle and continued producing the series during its early development.
2003
FIS World Championships
Designed the official mascot for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Featured Artist
Wacom
Featured internationally by Wacom, with instructional material showing my illustration workflow.
Since 2025
ESMA Montpellier
Faculty member teaching Illustration, Visual Arts and Image Analysis in the 3D Animation & VFX Master’s program.
Working Method
One Studio, from First Conversation to Final Delivery
I work directly with the people commissioning the project. There is no account layer between the brief, the creative decisions and the finished work.
That matters especially when a project moves across several disciplines. A concept can develop through sketches, characters, layouts, storyboards, final illustration, motion and production without losing continuity along the way.
- Concept development and visual research
- Sketching, illustration and character design
- Storyboards and visual scripting
- Graphic design, layout and identity
- Motion production where required
- Production-ready files for print, web, presentations and video
Teaching
ESMA Montpellier
Alongside my studio practice, I teach Illustration, Visual Arts and Image Analysis / Semiotics within ESMA Montpellier’s 3D Animation & VFX Master’s program. Teaching keeps me closely engaged with drawing, composition, visual culture, narrative, cinema and the analysis of how images communicate.
Location & Languages
France, Switzerland & International Work
My studio is in Claret, in the Pic Saint-Loup region of Hérault north of Montpellier. I work locally and internationally, with a long professional history in Switzerland and with German clients, as well as work in France, the United States and other markets.
English · French · German
More Background & Professional History
For a broader view of past clients, collaborations, projects and professional experience, see the Clients & Collaborations page and case studies. LinkedIn also contains recommendations and additional career history.
New Work
Have a Project in Mind?
If you have an illustration, design, publishing, character or motion project in development, send me a short outline of what you need. You will be speaking directly with the person who will do the work.