This work forms part of an ongoing collaboration between Spotify and Jellyfish, where I’ve contributed illustration across multiple projects supporting Premium retention and Audiobooks in Premium. Each brief called for a different visual tone and level of expression, while remaining firmly within Spotify’s brand framework. For Audiobooks in Premium, Spotify brought together a group of leading illustrators, each contributing a single genre artwork. I illustrated one of the six pieces, working closely with an Art Director to ensure it aligned both creatively and systemically with the wider campaign.

Brief

Audiobooks in Premium required a visual approach that could capture the emotional range of Spotify’s audiobook genres while reinforcing the product’s premium positioning. Six core genres were identified, each needing its own visual identity and mood. Across this and other Spotify illustration briefs, the expectation was always the same: respond to the brief with a tailored illustration style, while ensuring the work remained recognisably Spotify across platforms and touchpoints.

Challenge

With multiple illustrators and multiple genres involved, consistency without uniformity became the central challenge. Each artwork needed to feel authored and expressive, but also sit comfortably within Spotify’s brand system and alongside other genre pieces. From an illustration perspective, this meant carefully balancing composition, colour, and texture so the work felt distinct, but never disconnected from the wider campaign or product experience.

Solution

Working in close collaboration with an Art Director, I led the illustration side of the project direction and execution across the campaign. We developed a modular illustration system where each genre was expressed through its own artistic style, colour palette, and visual motifs, while shared brand elements tied everything together. This approach allowed us to create bespoke, emotionally led artwork for each genre, while maintaining consistency across Premium retention and Audiobooks in Premium placements, including in-app surfaces and owned channels.

Result

Global illustration system developed for Audiobooks in Premium, bringing together six distinct illustration styles into a single, cohesive visual world that could scale across Spotify’s owned channels.

High-profile creative collaboration, with Spotify commissioning a curated group of leading illustrators to define the visual language of its audiobook genres - positioning illustration as a hero element within the product experience.

Ongoing trust and repeat collaboration, with Spotify continuing to commission illustration work across Premium retention and Audiobooks initiatives, reflecting confidence in both the creative output and the ability to adapt style within a global brand system.

My thinking

I genuinely loved illustrating on this account. The Spotify team were great to work with, the energy was always positive, and there was a real sense of trust in the creative process. Every brief felt considered, but still gave enough space to explore and push ideas, which made the work genuinely fun rather than formulaic.

What made Audiobooks in Premium especially rewarding was working alongside so many illustrators who are all exceptional in their own fields. Seeing how different people approached the same overarching system - and how those styles could sit together so naturally - was inspiring. It felt less like competing for attention and more like contributing to something collective, where each piece added its own voice. That kind of collaboration is rare, and it’s something I really value in creative work.