DEREK MATTHEWS: Featured Artist March 2011

Illustrator, commercial artist and character designer.

I’ve always enjoyed turning ideas and stories into images and have managed to carve a career out of offering this service to others.

Over the years those stories and ideas have ranged far and wide. Characters for children’s books. Snowmen for Japanese Coca-Cola animation. Animals for Cadburys. An exhibition on autism for The Wellcome Trust. Personal finance articles for The Sunday Times and numerous illustrations for packaging, promotions, magazines and greetings cards from Tokyo to Toronto.



My first commission, to create a children’s calendar for Habitat-Conran, was back in 1973 and I’ve been illustrating ever since. So I guess I must be doing something right.

I’ve been very fortunate to work with Templar Publishing for many years on my series of Snappy books. These books have sold very successfully around the world, but that’s only part of the story.



I’m as happy working on a one-off job, ‘man on a bike’ for Tuesday or ‘pastiche in the style of’ , as I am working as part of a creative team, developing concepts and getting inside a subject to really understand how best to visualize it. In some instances this has led to me creating a job specific style.

It’s great to build up a rapport with an author, editor, designer or art director and become that first point of call for that “ Can you help us? We have an idea but....“ sort of project.



I aim to deliver intelligent, humorous and witty (if needed), images that engage and inform, answer the brief and arrive on time.

Current work includes a major advertising campaign for a Canadian telecommunications company, a new children’s book for Templar Publishing and motif designs for kids clothes.

My own projects keep being put on hold but I have a strong interest in visual literacy and cognition and am very keen to explore any opportunities to pursue this.

Have a look at my website, my AOI website or my North American agent’s website.