Commercial illustration fit for a children’s book
I can’t remember how I found Ben Sanders or his designs. It must have been Twitter.But, let’s start with the beginning.
Ben Sanders was born in Australia and took up drawing at 11. His first project was at 12, drawing animals and other random stuff for sticker sets. It became his usual summer gig, thus he never had to worry about ending up in a boring job. He actually enrolled in college at 25, when he was already an active designer in the industry. Graduation propelled his career further and he chose to focus on advertising.
Now, reading about him, I realize how I discovered him: Children’s books. He writes and creates illustration for children’s books. I’m in search for such a book and the illustration of the story is very important to me. And there he was: the style reminiscent of the work of 40s, 50s and 60s commercials. Simple and clean. It’s an art that doesn’t take things or itself too seriously, as he points out. When you look at all his work you will immediately notice something. The color combinations are exquisite, jumping right out with a fresh taste. Moreover, he declares himself a fan of Jim Flora record cover illustration or Herve Morvan. Those influences are obvious in his designs.
His first book was “I’ve an Uncle Ivan”, published in 2013 and the second was I Could Wear That Hat! whose characters are heavily featured in his RedBubble shop. The book was shortlisted ” for Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year by The Australian Book Industry.
Beyond his talent, he also has a good heart, taking part into educational projects. He volunteers his services and time for illustration projects in far corners of the world.
He seems like he found the right balance in his life by traveling, helping out the communities and doing what he loves. Having clients like Saatchi & Saatchi or the Wall Street Journal doesn’t hurt either.
Having said that, enjoy some of his work below and don’t forget to visit his shop. I’m off to buying my kid some jazzy illustrated books!
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