Ian David Marsden
Illustrator, Creative Director & Visual Storyteller
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Shall we have a coffee?
Have a project in mind, an idea that’s still taking shape, or simply something you’d like to discuss? Let’s have a virtual coffee — a relaxed conversation about your ideas, with no obligation.
Original illustration, visual identities, comics, publishing, graphic design and hand-drawn explainer videos. Based near Montpellier, France; working internationally in English, French and German.
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, campaigns, products, packaging 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, wine labels, 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.
Selected Projects
From a Single Drawing to a Complete Visual System
Three projects showing how illustration, design and visual explanation can work together across different subjects and formats.
Character design · Information design
IN TALENT WE TRUST / PPHO
An original Léonard character system, conceptual illustrations and diagrams for Anne Weber’s methodology, with artwork for learning materials, digital communication and campaign motion.
Illustration · Learning systems · Packaging
Software Engineering Essentials
A 60-card professional training deck: four character and color families, instructional illustrations, card layouts, iconography, packaging and print-ready production files.
Creative direction · Brand identity · Packaging
Sanafort AG
Four years of creative direction connecting identity, supplement packaging, production artwork, catalogs, product information, campaigns, a responsive website and illustrated film.
Top Source · Washington State · 2025–2026
Wine Label Redesign & Brand System
A contemporary redesign for a three-wine range, combining a new master brand with metallic detailing, hand-drawn regional lettering and expressive painted elements. The system gives each wine its own character while keeping the family immediately recognizable.
Creative direction · Brand identity · Wine label design · Hand lettering · Packaging
Professional Experience
Selected Clients
Google · Coca-Cola · Dräger · Mercedes-Benz · Wacom · Samsung · PwC · Volkswagen · Lindt · Fraunhofer · VISA · and others
Selected Collaborations
Selected Career Collaborations
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
From First Conversation to Final 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 commission can begin with a brief, manuscript, script, existing identity or an idea that needs developing. I create commissioned illustrations personally; they are not AI-generated.
Depending on the project, that can include:
- Concept development
- Visual research and sketching
- Illustration and character design
- Storyboards and visual scripting
- Identity, graphic design, packaging 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.
Alongside my studio practice, I teach at ESMA Montpellier within the 3D Animation & VFX Master’s program. More than 35 years of professional practice includes commissions for Google, Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz, Dräger, Wacom, Samsung and many others.
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 north of Montpellier. 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. We can discuss the subject, the intended audience and the right approach.