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At a glance...
I’m a full time art director and soon to be debut illustrator.
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Over the years I’ve worked as an art director for leading design, communications and advertising agencies producing creative for everything from television commercials to digital and print media.
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For the last 10+ years I’ve owned my own design agency working with clients in New Zealand, Australia and the U.S.
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Art career began at the age of 7 when a drawing I entered into a national children’s art competition was published in the national newspaper.
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Winner of the 2024 Hachette Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize.
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I live with my partner and our two daughters, two Tonkinese cats and our rescue pup Nala.
Where I live...
Auckland city sits between two beautiful harbours, one on the east coast and one on the west coast.
I live in a leafy little suburb called Titirangi which is amongst a rain forest on the edge of Auckland and is known for it’s cafe’s, art scene, bird life and good vibes.
My why...
I believe children’s books are the most important form of visual communications we humans produce. The first few years of life are the most influential to our development and possibility, and the stories we tell our children are just like foods, they’re either nourishing and energising or not. And children need an interesting and varied diet that feeds their hungry minds and encourages them to continue reading and learning.
Story is such a rich and diverse medium with a unique power to help make sense of the world we find ourselves in, lighten the darkness, share insights and different perspectives, inspire, invoke imagination, creativity, humour, joy, awe, wonder and hope, spark curiosity and convey the magic that life is.
The proposition of this is what motivates me.
My mission is to create children's books that:
Are current yet timeless.
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Resonate with anyone, anywhere.
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Have a lot of heart.
How to get in touch
Please send me a meeting request via email or text / WhatsApp message if you’d like to discuss a potential project.
I’m very happy to meet on Zoom or Teams.
All Artwork is the sole property of Herb MacDonald and is held under copyright. © 2024. The images, artwork, and contents of this website may not be copied, collected, scraped or used for personal or professional gain without the written permission of the artist.