© Justin Metz, Oliver Burston, Sam Chivers, Doug John Miller, Patrick George, Melvin Galapon, Max Loeffler
The Directory of Illustration is proud to highlight the work of seven artists from Début Art who have been commissioned to create editorial illustrations looking at what the post-pandemic world may look like and how it should be different: Justin Metz, Oliver Burston, Sam Chivers, Melvin Galapon, Max Loeffler, Doug John Miller, Patrick George.
Début Art is an international agency with offices in London, New York, and Tokyo, representing established and up-and-coming illustrators, motion and animation artists, and digital designers. With their global roster of 168 highly selected artists, Début Art holds a cutting-edge industry position that sets the standard in illustration trends and an unparalleled ability to continuously find and foster original talent.
A cover story about the impact of gentrification on the countryside as trendy metropolitan types aspiring to an idealized rural lifestyle relocate, alienating the long–standing locals and altering the towns and villages they infiltrate.
About the artist: Although trained as an illustrator, Justin began as a creative in advertising agencies developing concepts and overseeing campaigns for a wide range of clients. He was able to use his skills in cgi and photo manipulation to produce many of the artworks featured in those campaigns. Since becoming a freelance artist the client list has grown and the demand for the art director/artist has grown too.
© Justin Metz
© Oliver Burston
An illustration depicting how post-pandemic life will be an opportunity for a fresh start, particularly for the world’s industrialized nations. A chance to reset global priorities for the environment and the economy, and take steps towards a more equitable future.
About the artist: With over 20 years experience as an illustrator, Oliver’s outstanding brand of high resolution visual imagery, coupled with his reputation for making experienced and finely judged inputs to briefs, attracts leading clients seeking distinctive solutions from all over the world. Oliver enjoys working at the cutting edge of digital technology, employing the latest advances in 3D visualization. Oliver has also worked extensively in the film and animation industry, directing videos for MTV, contemporary dance and television.
An illustration to align with and accompany a message from the CEO of Deloitte, which was essentially that with constant change, trying to figure out value proposition as a company is like shooting at a moving goal post. The original idea was to show a business person standing and looking at a futuristic city landscape with diverse architecture.
About the artist: A veteran of the industry, Sam Chivers is a UK based illustrator who has worked with a variety of international clients. Over the years he has progressively developed a highly versatile style that fuses a back end of hand drawn elements with 3D generated elements wrapped together in a style that is both warm and engaging. With an acute sensitivity for color, his work has attracted many clients throughout both editorial and advertising sectors.
© Sam Chivers
An opening illustration for Fortune Magazines ‘Change the World’ feature about L’Oreal reducing their C02 emissions in factories by 81% between 2005 and 2020. By 2025 they will produce only reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging.
About the artist: Melvin is a Graphic Artist hailing from a small town in the Northwest of England. A graduate from Central St. Martin’s, he has been featured in various magazines & books worldwide and has exhibited in London, Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, LA & Sweden. Melvin is currently based in London where along with his love of Music, Science Fiction & Geometry he spends his time working on a prolific mix of Portraits, Type, Installations, Pattern & Video work with a strong curiosity in experimentation and an openness for interesting personal/brand/client collaborations.
Max Loeffler was commissioned by Territory and BMW to create 3 illustrations showcasing their plug-in hybrid cars. The focus of the commission was to keep the cars themselves recognizable but feature surreal backgrounds to highlight the myths and common misconceptions surrounding hybrid cars.
About the artist: Max was born in rural Germany in 1989 and started out illustrating extensive album artworks for punk and metal bands after doing his homework. After graduating from the Graphic Design department at Hochschule Darmstadt in 2017, he began working as a freelancer with renowned clients like The New Yorker, The New York Times and Google. Creating artwork for bands is still one of the things he enjoys the most.
© Doug John Miller
Doug John Miller illustrated the feature story on how cities are adapting to the modern world for The Atlantic, particularly with regard to flexible modes of working, including hot-desking and working remotely. At the time of publication this article focused on the practices of mobile office space WeWork, little knowing these alternative attitudes to the workplace would soon be overcome by wider disruption, eliciting much deeper reconsiderations of our working environments and work-life balance.
About the artist: Doug’s drawings explore many small narratives and experiment with colorful and highly detailed compositions of surreal and fantastical architecture. His architectural drawing has been published and exhibited internationally including at The Royal Academy, The Slade and Roca Gallery’s. His illustration work has been commissioned by publications such as The New York Times, Wired and Empire Magazine.
An illustration to accompany an article about planning for net zero carbon emissions in our systems of energy production, and analyzing how we can make use of the possibilities renewable energy production offers us. In spite of being a space-hungry enterprise it provides the opportunity to pursue other sustainable systems in tandem with it, including biodiversity programs and access to nature.
About the artist: Patrick George is a graduate of Falmouth School of Art. His illustrations are concept-driven, with the simplicity of an idea and its execution being at the core of his work, incorporating visual twists and wit to engage the viewer. Patrick aims to bring a new perspective to familiar topics, whether appearing as a suite of informative icons, an infographic to bring data to life, an editorial piece to lift an article or a billboard in Times Square.
