SPD celebrates Earth Month!

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Illustrator: Lyne Lucien

lynelucien.com / @lalucien


SPD organization and board: Celebrating and honoring Earth Month through creativity, nature, and community, embracing the impact of small actions.

 

Erykah Badu (Sister’s Newsletter, AD: Dian Holton) / Cuba Culture (Print Nobles Magazine, AD: Kelly McMurray) / Sunday in Haiti (personal) / Sigmas (NPR, AD: Moury Khan) / Ayo Balogun (New York Magazine, AD: Stevie Remsberg).

SPD celebrates Women History Month!

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SPD organization and board: Celebrating and honoring women’s history, culture, and creatives, including non-binary voices.

Illustrator: Sam Singh / samsinghillustration.com / @samsingh_art

 

01. ANNI ALBERS
1899-1994, Germany. Visual systems, design theory, material-based design.
Known for: Bauhaus teaching; On Weaving.
She redefined visual structure, pattern, and abstraction in design education.

02 CARRIE MAE WEEMS
Born 1953, United States. Photography, conceptual visual art.
Best-known work: The Kitchen Table Series (1990).
Notable awards: MacArthur Fellowship (2013), National Medal of Arts (2022).
First Black woman with a solo retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum (2014).

03. TOVE JANSSON
1914-2001, Finland. Illustration, graphic storytelling.
Known for: The Moomins.
Global influence on illustration, publishing, and visual culture.

04. MURIEL COOPER
1925-1994, United States. Graphic design, typography, digital design.
Known for: Modernizing MIT Press design; pioneering interactive information systems.
Foundational figure in digital visual communication and design research.

05. RIEKO KODAMA
1963-2022, Japan. Digital visual communication, game design.
Known for: Phantasy Star, Skies of Arcadia.
Pioneer of visual storytelling in interactive media.

06. CHIHIRO IWASAKI
1918-1974, Japan. Illustration, visual education.
Known for: Children’s book illustration in watercolor.
Foundational figure in modern Japanese illustration.

07. FOLAYEMI FO WILSON
United States. Editorial design, art direction.
Known for: Visual leadership at Essence.
Structural change in Black editorial representation.

08. ZANELE MUHOLI
Born 1972, South Africa. Documentary photography, visual activism.
Known for: Ongoing portrait series and community archives.
Focus: Identity, representation, visibility, social justice.

09. CORITA KENT
1918-1986, United States. Graphic art, visual communication, education.
Known for: Bold typographic screen prints with social and political messages.
Focus: Social justice, peace, spirituality, mass communication

10. GERDA TARO
1910-1937, Germany. Editorial and documentary photography.
Known for: War photography
One of the first women photojournalists killed while covering war.

 

SPD celebrates Black History Month!

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Illustrator: Alyah Holmes

alyahholmes.com / @artbyalyah


SPD organization and board: Celebrating and honoring Black history, culture and creatives!

 

Black History Month 1 & 2 / Martin Luther King Jr. / Kamala Harris. Art by Alyah Holmes.

Datev, Ari Liloan, January 2026

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Illustrator: Ari Liloan

www.madebyari.com / @madeby_ari


Amid digitalization, artificial intelligence, and information overload, organizations require structured strategies to translate technology and data into effective decision-making.

Client: Datev. Art Direction: Anna Bianchi, Thomas Schrimpf.

Client: Personal Magazin. Art Direction: David Dörrast.

Client: Handelsblatt. Art Direction: Alex Grünig.

Happy New Year from SPD!

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Illustration: Inma Hortas - inloho.com / @inlohographics

Illustration by Inma Hortas (inloho.com) to celebrate the New Year 2026 for the SPD. The SPD logo is in the center, surrounded by creative characters that make up the SPD community.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!
The global creative community of SPD wishes you a wonderful year ahead.

We are Creative Directors, Photo Directors, Visual Directors, Art Directors, Photo Editors, Graphic Editors, Designers, Illustrators, Animators, Photographers, Typographers, Social Media Designers, Video Directors, Videographers, Concept Artists, Motion Designers, UX Designers, Web Developers, Producers, Design Managers, Visual Strategists, Consultants…

Art Direction: Dian Holton

Happy Halloween from SPD!

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This year we’re celebrating with the work of Illustrator and Designer, Chris Koehler!

Chris Koehler, Halloween, Art Direction by Chris Koehler

Chris Koehler, Halloween, Hero Complex Gallery, Art Direction by Adam Smasher and Tim Caballero

Chris Koehler, Halloween, Art Direction by Chris Koehler

Chris Koehler, Halloween, Hero Complex Gallery, Art Direction by Adam Smasher and Tim Caballero

Happy 4th of July from SPD 😎❤️

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Illustrator: Zack Rock

zackrock.com

Illustrator: Lexi Baboukis

lexibaboukis.com

Illustrator: Emiliano Ponzi

emilianoponzi.com

Client: The New Yorker

Art Direction: Nicholas Blechman

Illustrator: Michael Jacobsen

iverillo.com

Client: Artful Living Magazine

Art Direction: Margaret Cooper

Illustrator: Violeta Encarnación

violetaencarnacion.com

Client: New York Communities for Change

Art Direction: Kevin Rabinovich

Illustrator: Helen Kennedy

zazzcorp.com

Client: Dead & Company

Art Direction: Gordon Thomas

Illustrator: MacKenzie Shaughnessy

instagram.com/kenxie.art

Illustrator: Cannaday Chapman

cannadaychapman.com

Client: Warby Parker

Art Direction: Matt Singer

Illustrator: Kate Bingaman-Burt

katebingamanburt.com

Illustrator: Viktor Lighton

viktormelistas.myportfolio.com

Illustrator: Scott Anderson

scottandersonstudio.com

Client: Miami New Times

Art Direction: Kristin Bjornsen

Illustrator: Ali Mac

alimacdoodle.com

Illustrator: Iván Bravo

ivanbravo.com

Client: The New Yorker

Art Direction: Rina Kushnir

Illustrator: Danny Schwartz

Art Director: Wes Bausmith

dannyschwartz.com

Illustrator: Jess Suttner

jsuttner.com

Client: Morning Brew

Art Direction: Will Varner

Grand Journal, Lia Strasser, June 2025

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Illustrator: Lia Strasser

liastrasser.com

Lia Strasser is a figurative illustrator and painter whose work often explores the sensual, surreal, and emotionally rich landscapes of human connection. Her recent illustration for Grand Journal accompanies Myles Zavelo’s Michael’s Marriages captures this spirit with evocative detail and narrative depth. Lia’s work has appeared in The New Yorker and other literary publications, and she continues to explore the intersections of eroticism, identity, and storytelling through both commissioned and personal work.

Design Director: David Gray

Aaron Hicklin is the editor and chief of Grand Journal, a biannual literary magazine showcasing fiction, essays, poetry, and visual art. He is also the founder and director of the Deep Water Literary Festival, a three-day celebration of literature, art, music, and ideas held annually in Narrowsburg, NY—on the Delaware River.

Grand Journal is available at Casa Magazines in New York City, One Grand in Narrowsburg, New York, and select independent bookstores world-wide. Visit grandjournal.net for more information.

4 Illustrations, Lars Leetaru, May 2025

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Illustrator: Lars Leetaru

leetaru.com

“I try to find the seed of the story and grow an illustration out of it. I like that each time it’s a journey, and hopefully surprising and illuminating to me and the person who sees it.” -Lars Leetaru

"Let It Grow" Publication: Plansponsor

Art director: SooJin Buzelli

"Inside the $621 Million Legal Battle for the 'Soul of the Internet’" Publication: Rolling Stone

Art director: Toby Fox

"Take-Down in Terre Haute – How a Crusading Suffragist Helped Expose a Citywide Conspiracy in 1914 – and Set a New Precedent for Fair Elections" Publication: Smithsonian Magazine

Art directors: Robert Priest & Grace Lee, and Maria Keehan

"Wrestling With a Dragon” Publication: Dartmouth Alumni Magazine

Art Director: Wendy McMillan

Happy Valentine’s Day from SPD ❤️💐

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Illustrator: Wenjing Yang

Instructor: Whitney Sherman

wenjingart.com

Illustrator: Jon Krause

Art Director: Siung Tjia

jonkrause.com

Illustrator: Cindy Lau

cindylau.work

Illustrator: Chris Gural

instagram.com/chrisgural.art

Illustrator: Owen Gent

Art Director: Marianne Issa El-Khoury

owengent.com

Illustrator: Brian Lutz

lutzillo.com

Illustrator: Lia Strasser

liastrasser.com

Illustrator: John Tomac

Art Director: Jess Downey

johnwtomac.com

Illustrator: Miriam Martincic

miriamdraws.com

Illustrator: Adolfo Valle

adolfovallestudios.com

Illustrator: Anthony Russo

russoillustration.com

Illustrator: Dallin Orr

dallinorr.com

Illustrator: Dawn XT Yang

dawnyangart.com

Los Angeles Times, Laura Salafia, February 2025

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Publication: Los Angeles Times

Illustrator: Laura Salafia

laurasalafia.com

Art Director: Lesley Busby

Laura Salafia created this illustration for the LA Times awards magazine, The Envelope, for an article by Chris Vognar titled, “Two giant films poke at our current society. Is it on purpose?” The article centers around two current movies: Gladiator II and Wicked. Chris Vognar writes: A strongman ruler practices the fine political art of divide and conquer, insisting on loyalty at all costs. Except he says the quiet part out loud: ‘The best way to bring folks together is to give them a good enemy.” Vogner finds intriguing  parallels between our current political landscape in the US with the movies Gladiator II and Wicked.

Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. Through Portraits

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Illustrator: Robert Carter

crackedhat.com

“An inspiration to myself and countless others. I felt moved to paint his portrait. ‘I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.’ - Martin Luther King Jr. Words by which I try (but am not always successful) to adhere.” -Robert Carter

Illustrator: Sam Singh

samsinghillustration.com

Illustrator: Laura Salafia

laurasalafia.com

“My portrait celebrating the life of the inspirational Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We need to keep his words alive and fight the good fight. It’s more important than ever to remember what he fought for and the wise words he inspired us with. Even in the darkest of days, there is hope.” - Laura Salafia

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

Illustrator: David Elmo Cooper

davidcooperart.com

Illustrator: Taylor Callery

taylorcalleryillustration.com

Cover illustration for Naperville / Chicago Magazine || Living Legacy - Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech to the North Central College community, a pivotal event in the ongoing work of Naperville residents at the forefront of the city's civil rights crusade. 

Publish Date: November 2020

Art Direction: Haleigh Brown

Illustrator: Taylor Callery

"It was an absolute honor to be given the opportunity to illustrate one of the greatest humans of all time, who also happens to be a hero of mine. His actions and words have resinated with me for a very long time and have inspired me to pursue social, civil, and human rights as a subject matter close to my heart within my work as a professional illustrator." -Taylor Callery

Illustrator: Brian Lutz

lutzillo.com

Illustrator: Keith Henry Brown

keithhbrown.com

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

Art used in picture book  Because of You, John Lewis

by Andrea Pinkney

Illustrated by Keith H. Brown, Scholastic Books. 2023

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

Three Posters, Akiko Stehrenberger, January 2025

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Dune: Part Two

Illustrator: Akiko Stehrenberger

www.akikomatic.com

“I wanted my ‘Dune: Part Two’ poster to be a part two to my first poster (second slide on Akiko’s IG), creating a seamless continuation the way the two films are. While the first film felt more quiet and suspenseful leading up to the second, Part Two had more destruction and action while introducing us to Feyd-Rautha, arch nemesis to Paul Atreides.” -Akiko Stehrenberger

Art Director: Akiko Stehrenberger

Poster originally released through CODA curated by Ken Hashimoto Harman, Rob Jones and Jenni Jones for Legendary Films

The Last Showgirl

Illustrator: Akiko Stehrenberger

www.akikomatic.com

“Super excited about ‘The Last Showgirl’ releasing in theaters Friday (1/8/25), staring Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista and more, directed by Gia Coppola.” -Akiko Stehrenberger

Art Director: Akiko Stehrenberger

A Complete Unknown

Illustrator: Akiko Stehrenberger

www.akikomatic.com

“Couldn’t resist updating Milton Glaser’s iconic 1966 Dylan poster.” -Akiko Stehrenberger

Art Director: Akiko Stehrenberger