Joe McLaren is a British book and magazine illustrator. He graduated from (my alma mater) the University of Brighton in 2003 and currently lives & works in Rochester, Kent.
He taught the Foundation Illustration course at Central Saint Martins, and his client list includes Penguin, Faber, Random House, Orion, Folio, Portobello, Monocle, John Murray, Oxford, Vintage, The Times, The Irish Times, The Guardian and The Financial Times.
In an interview with The Gentle Author of Spitalfields Life (for whom he created their logo), McLaren explains:
I have been influenced by Edward Bawden and he was influenced by heraldry. Everything I do is in a flat space, so it doesn’t matter where the light’s coming from, you are portraying the thing itself.
As well as the book and magazine illustrations, I’ve found prints and cotton bags decorated with his beautiful illustrations available for sale at Cornwall-based Nancarrow Farm shop.
All image credits: Joe McLaren ©