Simon Bailly

Simon Bailly is a French illustrator renowned for his crisp, narrative-driven images, often set within a distinctive retro-futurist universe. His artistic foundation was sparked by the books of Tomi Ungerer, instilling in him a desire to tell stories through images. This core principle guides his professional practice, where his most important task is to distill the essential ideas of a text into a single, compelling illustration that offers a compact understanding and his personal vision.

Bailly's career began with illustrations for French newspapers Libération and Le 1. He now creates work for prestigious international publications including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and Kiblind, alongside commercial clients such as BETC and Hermès. His visual style is firmly rooted in the ‘ligne claire’ (clear line) tradition pioneered by Hergé, characterized by strong, clean outlines, minimal hatching, and reduced contrast. This aesthetic connects him to a lineage of artists he admires, from classic figures like Maurice Sendak and Jean de Brunhoff to contemporaries such as Tom Gauld and Adrian Tomine.

He primarily works digitally on an iPad using Procreate for commissions, valuing the precision it offers. For personal projects, he enjoys the tactile quality of ink and brush. His illustrations frequently draw inspiration from pop culture, referencing TV shows like Twin Peaks and Star Trek, and are enhanced by bright colours and oddball characters. Bailly particularly cherishes the freedom in editorial commissions to research deeply and synthesize information from various sources to create unexpected imagery, approaching his composition with the curiosity of a journalist.