About
Zara Picken is a UK-based illustrator whose work combines bold colour, geometric forms and subtle texture to create playful, graphic compositions.
Working digitally, she draws on the visual language of paper-cut art, using layers of light and shadow to give her illustrations depth. Her approach places a strong emphasis on shape, colour and visual metaphor.
Zara works with clients internationally across editorial, publishing and advertising, creating illustrations that communicate ideas with clarity, character and impact.
Alongside her illustration practice, she is the founder of Modern Illustration, an ongoing archive exploring printed illustration from c.1950-1975 and the artists, styles and visual culture of the period.
Partial Client List: AARP - Advertising Week - BBC History - British Airways Magazine - Brunswick Review - The Boston Globe - Bulletin Magazine - Cedars-Sinai - Cincinnati Magazine - CVS - Deloitte - ForbesLife Magazine - The Getty Center - Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls - The Guardian - Harvard Magazine - Homes & Antiques - Kiplinger's Personal Finance - Lonely Planet - Macmillan Publishing - Midwives - Monocle - Papyrus - PNC Bank - Politico - Houstonia - Wired - Harvard Magazine - People Management - Radio Times - Reader's Digest - Real Simple - Runner's World - Scientific American - Smithsonian - Sunday Times Travel - Synchrony Bank - Times Higher Education - Vancouver Aquarium - Waitrose - The Wall Street Journal - Wired - You Magazine
Recognition: 3x3 Professional Show - Creative Quarterly - AOI Illustration Awards - Associazione Autori di Immagini - Society of Illustrators
Press: AIGA Eye on Design - Creative Boom - Design & Paper - Our Culture - Pushing Pixels
Contact
Represented in US and Canada by Rapp Art. For commission enquiries please contact:
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Represented in the UK and Europe by Meiklejohn. For commission enquiries please contact Claire or Louise:
louise.tummon@meiklejohn.co.uk
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All other enquiries: zara@zarapicken.com
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