Ian David Marsden
Illustrator, Creative Director & Visual Storyteller
I create original illustration and visual communication for business, publishing and motion — from commissioned artwork, editorial illustration and graphic design to characters, mascots, comics and hand-drawn explainer videos.
Based in the Pic Saint-Loup region near Montpellier, France, I work directly with clients internationally in English, French and German. More than 35 years of professional practice includes work for Google, Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz, Dräger, Wacom, Samsung and many others. In 2000, I became the first official Google Doodle artist.
Selected Services
Areas of Work
Different assignments call for different combinations of drawing, design, narrative and production. These are the principal areas of my studio practice.
Hand-Drawn Explainer Videos
Illustrated film production from concept and storyboard through drawing, animation and delivery.
Business Illustration
Commissioned illustration for campaigns, business communication, advertising, packaging and corporate use.
Mascot, Character & Logo Design
Mascots, brand characters, character-based identities and logo development for companies, events and products.
Creative Direction & Graphic Design
Graphic design, identity, packaging, UX concepts and senior creative direction across print and digital work.
Editorial & Publishing Illustration
Illustration for newspapers, magazines, books, education, institutions and long-form publishing.
Cartoons, Comics & Visual Storytelling
Cartoons, comic strips, corporate comics, sequential illustration and longer-form visual storytelling.
Professional Experience
Selected Clients
Google · Coca-Cola · Dräger · Mercedes-Benz · Wacom · Samsung · PwC · Volkswagen · Lindt · Fraunhofer · VISA · and others
Selected Work & Career
A Few Points Along the Way
A long professional practice inevitably crosses different industries and formats. These are a few projects and collaborations that provide some context for the work shown elsewhere on the site.
Google Doodles
I created the first official Google Doodle in 2000 and continued producing Google Doodles for more than a year, including the Sydney Summer Olympics series.
Wacom Featured Artist
Wacom featured my illustration practice internationally, including instructional material showing how I combine traditional drawing with digital production.
RITZENHOFF Design
Custom glassware and product designs created for the German manufacturer’s Designer Collection, including limited-edition collectible pieces.
Books & Publications
Published work includes graphic novels, children’s books, cartoon collections, editorial illustration and long-form visual storytelling.
How I Work
Direct Collaboration from Concept to 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 project may begin with a detailed brief, a script, an existing identity, a communication problem or simply an idea that still needs to be worked out. I remain involved throughout rather than handing the work from one department to another.
Depending on the project, that can include:
- Concept development
- Visual research and sketching
- Illustration and character design
- Storyboards and visual scripting
- Graphic design and layout
- Animation and motion production
- Print, digital and presentation-ready delivery
Portfolio PDF
A Portable Overview of My Work
For art directors, communications teams, publishers and clients who prefer a concise document, the current portfolio is available in English, German and French.
35+
Years of professional practice
International
Clients across Europe, the US and beyond
EN · FR · DE
Working fluently in three languages
ESMA
Faculty, 3D Animation & VFX Master’s program
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 of Hérault north of Montpellier. I work with clients locally and internationally in English, French and German. 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, design, character, publishing or motion project in development, send me a brief outline of what you need. You will be speaking directly with the person who will do the work.