Illustration & Branding

Some of the most enjoyable briefs I get are the ones that start with almost nothing - a napkin sketch, a rough idea of a personality, sometimes just "we want a character." This strand of my work is that: custom mascots, brand characters and standalone illustration, taken from rough concept through to a finished, fully scalable vector asset that a client can use anywhere from a business card to a shopfront sign.

I don't like to pigeon-hole what I take on here - when a brand wants something a bit more expressive than a standard logo, whether that's a crudely-sketched idea on a napkin or a request to riff on an established style, I'm generally up for the challenge. Anything that earns a smile or a second look is a project worth doing.

How it works

Every project starts with concept sketches - usually several directions, so the client is choosing a personality, not just a drawing. Once a direction is picked, I take it into vector to make sure it holds up at any size, print or screen, without degrading.

Packaging & product artwork

Some of this work is built to sit on a shelf rather than a screen - poster and packaging-style artwork made to accompany a physical piece. This tribute poster was produced for a limited-edition "Life Like Museum Pose Study" maquette sculpted by Bobby Causey, pairing a hand-drawn portrait with poster-style type treatment.

Mascot & character design

Mascot work is where a brand's personality gets to run loose - a small cast of characters that can carry packaging, a kids' range, or a sports club through decades of use. A few examples from that side of the work:

WineOwners.com is a repeat client - this mascot and logo lockup carries the brand across their site and marketing, a friendly hand-drawn character standing in for a fairly serious wine-portfolio-management product.

A set of vegetable characters designed as a mascot concept for a food brand - one of those briefs where the challenge is giving a dozen different vegetables a dozen distinct personalities without the set feeling repetitive.

"Nanna's Little Darlings" - a trio of collectible owl characters, each with their own distinct expression and colouring, designed to work equally well as a set or individually.

A more painterly, fantasy-leaning character piece - a trident-wielding swimmer facing down a tangle of tentacles, done for the sheer enjoyment of working in a moodier, more atmospheric style than most branding briefs call for.

Cheshunt RFC has been a repeat client over the years - this badge marked the club's 60th season, built around their stag crest and a nod to a supporters' tour.

Painted Pugs Furniture is my own side-project rather than a client - a small furniture brand and low-poly pet-portrait concept, inspired by the pack of rescue pugs I share my home with.