Mensa France Interview – Creative Director Ian David Marsden
I was featured in Contacts Magazine (Mensa France, Issue 253, Autumn 2016) — a profile celebrating my career as a Creative Director, Designer and Illustrator. In this exclusive interview, I discuss my lifelong passion for drawing, my international design journey, and the logo I created for Mensa International’s 2017 Board meeting.
Download the full interview (PDF)
“J’ai toujours dessiné” – My Creative Origins
From childhood sketchbooks to my first published cartoons in the Swiss satire magazine Nebelspalter, I’ve always been driven by drawing. By age 18 I worked professionally in Zurich; at 21 I moved to New York to pursue publication in The New Yorker and Mad Magazine. Later, I studied animation and digital art at the Academy of Entertainment Technology in Santa Monica.
Designing the IBD 2017 Logo
I won the competition to design the logo for the International Board of Directors (IBD) meeting in Nice, October 2017. The final emblem combines a playful tone with professional clarity and reflects Mensa’s global image. See more crest, emblem and mascot work on my Logo & Character Design page.
Interview Highlights
- Early Passion: “My parents gave me pencils and comic books instead of toys.”
- First Break: Published in Nebelspalter at 16, established a studio in Zurich by 18.
- Google Doodles & Mascots: April Fool’s graphics and the Kangaroodle Olympics mascot.
- Life Choices: I chose freelance life from southern France over relocating to Silicon Valley.
- Freelance Reality: Based in Claret, Occitanie—working from home with a family and loyal clients.
- Advice to Creatives: “Persevere. Rejection stings, but stay true to your voice.”
“Being a Mensan doesn’t mean you can’t be foolish!” I reflect on joining Mensa in New York, Switzerland, Los Angeles, and France—and how that curiosity fuels my creative work.
Explore More & Get in Touch
Discover my visual identity and mascot projects:
• Logo & Character Design
• Case Studies
• About Ian Marsden
Contact Ian David Marsden:
[email protected]
© 2025 Ian David Marsden — Featured by permission of Mensa France.
