Last year around this time, I stumbled across the beautiful work of New York artist/illustrator/designer (and Pratt Alum!) Leanna Shapton after a trip to John Derian here in NYC. I found her book, The Native Trees of Canada, and was immediately hooked. Much like Maira Kalman, I love her illustration style and use of painted typography. Once I spent more time looking into Shapton, I discovered she’s designed many beautiful book covers, and written + illustrated many books of her own. I seriously can’t get enough of her work and style. As my friend Theresa pointed out, “she’s like the Sofia Coppola of graphic design.” So true and well put. According to the bio on her site, “Shapton grew up in Mississauga, Ontario, and attended McGill Univesity and Pratt Institute. After interning at SNL, Harper’s Magazine and for illustrator James McMullan, she began her career at the National Post where she edited and art-directed the daily Avenue page, an award-winning double-page feature covering news and cultural trends. She went on to art direct Saturday Night, the National Post’s weekly news magazine.” Years later, she started a non-profit imprint, J&L Books, specializing in art and photography books, in addition to writing/illustrating her own.
dcwdesign // blog 
