For the reprint of the Business of Graphic Design Handbook, the section on emerging designers was being refreshed to showcase some new profiles. I worked with The Office of Gilbert Li︎︎︎ to illustrate a series of portraits that captured the designers as they are coming to light. 

The portraits are coloured with cyan, magenta, yellow and black as they are some of the ‘building blocks’ of graphic design.

Client: Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) Art Direction/Design: The Office of Gilbert Li

Photo of a tanned hand holding open a thick perfect-bound book. The left page is fully red, with white text that reads' 1. Becoming a Graphic Designer, Illustrated by josephine Guan'. On the facing page is a pencil illustration of a hand sketching a portrait in a sketchbook. The portait is not fully formed yet.


A pencil illustration of a girl's portrait. Stylistically, the pencil drawing is very loose and underdeveloped, fitting the theme of 'becoming' a graphic designer. The portrait is lightly coloured with pops of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The girl has her face propped on her right hand, looking away from the viewer.

Pencil illlustration in the same style as above. A portrait of a different girl with darker currly hair and wayfarer glasses. She is smiling at the viewer and standing. She is wearing a vintage western-inspired A-line dress.

A pencil illustration of a male portrait in the same style as previous illustrations. The subject is smiling and looking away from the camera. He is wearing thick dark-rimmed glasses and has scruffy facial hair. His hair is neatly coiffed.

A pencil illustration of a male portrait in the same style. This subject is subtly smiling and looking away from the viewer. He has thick eyebrows and a pink shirt.

A pencil illustrated portrait of a female in the same style. She has her right hand in her jeans pocket and is smiling at the viewer. She has long wavy black hair with highlights.