Illustrators Switzerland is an online platform that aims to promote illustration in Switzerland and to increase its public visibility. The platform offers a large selection of portfolios by illustrators, ranging from experienced artists to new talents.
This platform is maintained and funded by the Illustrators Switzerland association.
Looking for an illustrator?
Use the search filters to quickly find the suitable illustrator for your needs. Or browse the names to get an overview of the portfolios. For an enquiry or booking, simply contact the respective illustrator directly.
This website contains examples of work, links to illustrators’ homepages, and direct contact information. The association is not an agency and takes no percentage on jobs commissioned.
Active membership is open to professional illustrators based in Switzerland. For detailed information on the admission process and membership, please refer to the association’s bylaws and regulations.
Terms of admission in a nutshell:
1. Applicants must submit the online application form, eight recent, representative works, and a link to their own homepage. At least six of the submitted works must be commissioned works no older than three years.
2. A five-piece jury appointed by the board of directors reviews the applications and decides on the admission of new members. The association reserves the right to reject applications.
3. The application deadline ends on October 31. The jury procedure will take place in November. Membership starts on January 1.
4. The applicant will be notified within 15 days after the application deadline. Applicants must give an email contact. (Please note that as a volunteer-driven organization, we don’t have the capacity to provide detailed feedback on your application.) Accepted applicants must agree to the association’s bylaws and regulations.
5. Individual members pay CHF 125.– per year (see the regulations for detailed prices). New members receive access to their personal online portfolio after paying the membership dues.
Click here for the application form.
Applications can be made anytime: The next application-round ends on October 31, 2023.
Portfolio maintenance / updates
In order to ensure that the website is up to date, active members are obligated to update their portfolios at least once a year.
Duty of care
The association allows no discriminatory or offensive content on its website, nor any content that may be detrimental to the association. Members shall have the sole liability for the contents of their portfolio The association shall not be held liable for portfolio contents nor for the contents of external links.
Copyright
Unless otherwise noted, members retain the copyright for the contents of their portfolio (texts, designs).
Company names, domain names, product names, brands, and other protected names remain the property of their respective owners, regardless of whether they are designated accordingly.
November 2022
Outside reviewer: Tobias Eichelberger from bergerberg
Association members: Gregor Forster, Karin Widmer
Board members: Benjamin Hermann, Sarah Furrer
November 2021
Outside reviewer: Simon Trüb from moiré
Association members: Lucia Pigliapochi, Luca Schenardi
Board members: Sarah Furrer, Andrea Peter
November 2020
Outside reviewer: Erich Brechbühl
Association members: Barbara Seiler, Uwe Stettler
Board members: Nadja Baltensweiler, Benjamin Hermann
January 2020
Outside reviewer: Marina Bräm
Association members: Silvan Borer, Annina Burkhard
Board members: Luigi Olivadoti, Jasmin Huber
July 2019
Outside reviewer: Sandro Nicotera from tbd
Association members: Stephan Schmitz, Roger Zürcher
Board members: Philip Schaufelberger, Nadja Baltensweiler
January 2019
Outside reviewer: Lea Truffer, Migros Magazin
Association members: Nicolas Bischof, Adam Vogt
Board members: Luigi Olivadoti, Philip Schaufelberger, Nadja Baltensweiler
July 2018
Outside reviewer: Martina Walthert from Völlm + Walthert
Association members: Samuel Jordi, Nicolas Kristen
Board members: Nadja Baltensweiler, Eva Rust
January 2018
Outside reviewer: David Basler from Edition Moderne
Association members: Tom Künzli, Janine Wiget
Board members: Anna Haas, Luigi Olivadoti
July 2017
Outside reviewer: Hans Ten Doornkaat from Atlantis Verlag
Association members: Anja Denz, Michael Raaflaub
Board members: Anna Haas, Eva Rust
January 2017
Outside reviewer: Peter Kruppa, Art Director from Infel Corporate Media
Association members: Diego Balli, Nadja Baltensweiler
Board members: Corina Vögele, Roger Zürcher
July 2016
Outside reviewer: Bettina Klossner, Art Director from TBWA
Association members: Luigi Olivadoti, Res Zinniker
Board members: Eva Rust, Roger Zürcher
January 2016
Outside reviewer: Christian Haas from Raffinerie für Gestaltung
Association members: Stephan Schmitz, Uwe Stettler
Board members: Anna Haas, Roger Zürcher
July 2015
Outside reviewer: Simon Kassewalder from Menu Drei
Association members: Patrick Bonato, Philip Buerli
Board members: Eva Rust, Corina Vögele
January 2015
Outside reviewer: Crafft
Association member: Alice Kolb
Board members: Anna Haas, Eva Rust, Roger Zürcher
Illustrators Switzerland would like to thank the following partners for their support:
• Grussformat: members get 20% Discount
• How the fuck do I survive: is a platform made by illustrators for illustrators, with many helpful links and information around being an independent illustrator.
• syndicom Gewerkschaft für Illustrator*innen: The first Swiss trade union for illustrators
• Illustrators Switzerland and Autillus provide members with those General Terms and Conditions (GTCs) in English, French, Italian and German :
↓ Download here (all languages)
Illustratorinnen und Illustratoren Schweiz
Board and Responsibilities
Andrea Peter, president
Jasmin Huber-Baumann, finances
Sarah Furrer, social media
Benjamin Hermann, Newsletter
General enquiries regarding the association:
welcome@illustratoren-schweiz.ch
To commission works, please contact the illustrators directly – see the respective portfolios for contact information.
Concept and Design:
Anna Haas
Programming:
Thibault Brevet
English Translations:
Susie Trenka
Former board members:
Anna Haas (website), 2020
Nadja Baltensweiler (president, internal/external matters), 2018–2020
Luigi Olivadoti (social medias), 2018–2020
Philip Schaufelberger (president, webseite), 2018–2019
Nicolas Bischof (finances), 2018
Anna Haas (president, website), 2014–2018
Eva Rust (internal matters), 2015–2018
Corina Vögele (finances), 2014–2017
Roger Zürcher (external matters), 2015 –2017
Founding members:
Anna Haas
Regina Vetter
Corina Vögele
«With the app, I’m exploring the possibilities of digitalization in the field of children’s books»
Hi Alice, can you briefly introduce yourself?
From 2008 to 2013, I studied visual communication, illustration, and art teaching in Lucerne and Strasbourg. Since graduating, I’ve been working as a freelance illustrator and designer. I do illustrations for magazines, I design posters, and work with publishers; in addition, I regularly pursue my own projects.
What does your normal work day look like?
I usually start around 9am. I answer emails and afterwards, I plan the rest of what needs to be done. Then I get to work!
For some time now, you’ve been working in a very nice new studio in Berne, your hometown. How does it feel to be «back home»?
It’s great!
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently working on two projects: one is an app for my children’s story «grau blau miau,» which I will present at the «Bestform» exhibition by the Berne Design Foundation. The other is a publication for the Swiss Youth Literature Foundation (Schweizerisches Jugendschriftenwerk SJW).
Can we talk about your design process? When a new assignment reaches your mailbox, what happens next?
Each new job or project begins with research. Before drawing anything, I read a lot about the topic and I look for the areas that I’m interested in. I put down my ideas in my notebook, very pragmatically – unfortunately, I don’t have a pretty, illustrated sketchbook, at least not for my daily work.
By approaching the thematic content in this way, I get ideas for the formal realization. In a first step, I narrow these ideas down, then I choose a specific image or design idea. So, I look for a kind of solution for the project, and if people understand the solution, I’m very satisfied.
Do you have a favorite technique?
As far as production goes, there are many. Silk-screen printing offers options for production that are hard to compare with any other printing technique, and the range of materials you can print on is huge. I also like the haptical aspect and the handy application. Although I have been printing since I was teenager, I don’t see myself getting bored with it anytime soon.
What inspires and drives you?
During my studies, I mainly wanted to publish illustrations in magazines or design print products such as flyers and posters. But after the first few jobs, I realized how quickly flyers and newspapers land in the trash. That’s why I started working on projects with a longer lifespan.
With my story «grau blau miau» I discovered the book. Designing a book posed a lot of new questions with regard to content, materials, options in production.
In 2016, you were nominated for the Swiss Design Award, which gave you the first opportunity to exhibit the book «grau blau miau» at the Messe Basel. The rhymes were written by renowned Swiss author Raphael Urweider. How did this collaboration come about?
For the Swiss Design Awards, I wanted to present an overview of my commissioned works, such as the brochures and posters for Schauspielhaus Zurich, as well as some independent works – the story was part of the independent works. There was still a lot to do before June, but the exhibition gave me a deadline for a project that I’d been carrying around with me for some time.
I initially contacted Raphael Urweider for a traditional copy-editing job, but when he showed me his first lines, it was clear that I wanted him to do the writing. I’m very happy that he collaborated with me on this story. The rhythm of the rhymes works really well with the visual language, and they leave a lot of room for imagination.
Now you’re working on a digital sequel. How did the app for this book come about?
Two years ago, I designed a digital guided tour for an exhibition, with virtual reality. The guide app and all the other digital tools I got to know through the project gave me a lot of ideas for my own works. Thanks to the funding I’ve received, I can realize one of them now.
Can you describe and explain this project to us?
The children’s book is about leaving home, arriving in a new and unknown place, and about the search for a sense of belonging.
With the app, I’m exploring the possibilities of digitalization in the field of children’s books. It makes the story of «grau blau miau» interactive, with a game that allows you to create your own version. The children can assemble their own world with elements from the story, bringing their own ideas to it. The images created in this way are uploaded to the platform www.graublaumiau.ch.
And you’re going to introduce this app at the «Bestform» exhibition?
Yes, exactly, as part of the exhibition showing the works funded by the Berne Design Foundation, from 24 March to 30 April 2017 at the Kornhausforum in Berne.
Digitalization offers interesting new possibilities. It’s great that you initiated your own app for exploring them, even though you’re very much rooted in the print and analog world. How important is it in your case that the children know the printed book before using the app?
To me, a book has a value that simply cannot be replaced by an app. Touching a publication, turning the pages, and maybe smelling the printing ink is a much more immediate experience than using an app. And you can’t compare the color depth of a 4-color Pantone print with a flat digital display. When it comes to reading a story in a family, I still think the book comes first – an iPad creates too much distance.
On the other hand, the sounds, animations, and fine motor activity of an app stimulate other senses, and kids can explore stories and learning content more independently. I imagine that the independent work with an iPad initiates a learning process with kids, and I find it interesting to work with this interface.
The question is how to create this basis when developing an app. In my app, for instance, there are interactive elements and a building game, where kids can use their own ideas. Maybe that’s a possibility.
What would your dream assignment be?
I get excited about lots of things. I especially enjoy jobs that go beyond realizing a visual idea. At the moment, I’m interested in multimedia, but if a project offered the opportunity to create a large sculpture or design a space – why not!
What’s next for you?
Who knows, maybe a large sculpture?
Links
www.alicekolb.ch
www.graublaumiau.ch
Alice Kolb on Instagram
© Anna Haas
© Anna Haas
© Anna Haas
© Alice Kolb
© Anna Haas
© Alice Kolb
© Anna Haas
© Alice Kolb