Ian David Marsden
Illustrator, Creative Director & Visual Storyteller
Here’s my card.
Shall we have a coffee?
Have a project in mind, or an idea that’s still taking shape? Let’s have a virtual coffee: a relaxed conversation about your ideas, with no obligation.
Illustration, visual identities, comics, publishing, graphic design and hand-drawn explainer videos, drawn by me, with no AI-generated images in the final art. Studio near Montpellier, France; working internationally in English, French and German.
Selected Clients
Google · Coca-Cola · Dräger · Mercedes-Benz · Wacom · Samsung · PwC · Volkswagen · Lindt · Fraunhofer · VISA · and others
Illustrated Film Production
Hand-Drawn Explainer Videos & Whiteboard Animation
I create illustrated films for companies, institutions and educators, using drawing, narrative and motion graphics to explain products, services, technical processes and complex ideas.
Each film is drawn and animated by hand, without templates, from script development and storyboarding to illustration, character design, animation, editing and final delivery. I have been producing illustrated films for more than a decade.
The Science of Kindness, an illustrated learning film for 52 Lives.
Educational Animation · United Kingdom
52 Lives — The Science of Kindness
An illustrated learning film for 52 Lives and The School of Kindness, explaining neuroscience, empathy and emotional wellbeing to younger audiences through characters, diagrams and visual storytelling.
Technical Processes · Three Languages
Mycotrition — Six Mushroom Explainer Films
Six watercolor-style motion-graphics films covering mushroom cultivation, powder and extract production, quality management and finished products. Supplied texts became storyboards, illustrations and animated films in German, English and French.
Product Communication · Germany
Hawlik — Ten Illustrated Explainer Films
Ten films explaining cultivation, laboratory analysis, residue monitoring, product formats and sustainability through a consistent line-based illustration system. My work included storyboarding, production and animation, plus translation and narration of the English editions.
Watch more explainer videos and whiteboard films →
How much does a hand-drawn explainer video cost? →
Work
Illustration, Storytelling & Visual Communication
Browse the portfolio by type of work.
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 teaching materials.
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
Commissioning & Process
How projects begin, pricing, licensing, revisions, deliverables and what to expect when you commission illustration or design.
Live Illustration
Live drawing for conferences, events and online sessions, remote worldwide or on site by arrangement.
Selected Projects
From a Single Drawing to a Complete Visual System
Four projects in which illustration, design and visual explanation work together across different subjects and formats.
Character design · Information design
IN TALENT WE TRUST / PPHO
The 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
Clients
Selected Career Collaborations
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
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.
Client Recommendations
What Clients Say
More recommendations from clients and collaborators are 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
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, a manuscript, a script, an existing identity or an idea that needs developing. Depending on the project, the work can include concept development, storyboards, illustration and character design, graphic design and layout, animation, and print-ready or digital delivery. I draw every commissioned illustration myself.
Alongside my studio practice, I teach at ESMA Montpellier within the 3D Animation & VFX Master’s program.
Portfolio PDF
Download the Illustration Portfolio
A concise document for art directors, communications teams and publishers, available in English, German and French.
Contact
Have a Project in Mind?
Send me a brief outline of what you need, or simply call. We can discuss the subject, the intended audience and the right approach.
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.
Get in touch
You’re welcome to contact me directly by email or phone.
Paris time (CET/CEST)
English · French · German
If I’m unavailable, please leave a message with your number and a convenient time to call you back.