Sean Tepper

Reimagining the byline headshot

Sean is a journalist and editor whose work has appeared in publications and outlets such as CTV News, The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail, and theScore.

Client: Sean Tepper
Studio: Freelance
Role: Illustrator
Project Date: 2014

In 2014, Sean approached me to illustrate the website's landing page, looking to make his site stand out with imagery that reflected both his personality and his work. His concept was to replace the conventional journalist’s headshot with an illustrated portrait in a graphic novel style, as a reference to his work as a pop culture reporter and critic. At his request, prominent themes in his work would be featured alongside the portrait – in particular, sports, television and cinema.

After a discussion to pinpoint the intended mood and feel, I presented a portrait style that drew inspiration from pop art and Jack Kirby-style superhero comics, as a nod to his writings on the superhero genre. The look was modernized through simplified linework and flat vectors. Several initial iterations were drafted up to find the angle that best captured his likeness.

Once the portrait was blocked in, I integrated the main themes of Sean's work into the illustration as simplified icons inspired by Olympic pictograms, which were contained to a grid for a sleeker look and to reduce the risk of the background overpowering the main focal point.

For the colour scheme, I selected grayscale over flashier palettes for a more staid look befitting a writer whose work also covered hard news topics.

The result was timeless, minimalist, and multifunctional – something that could look equally fitting as a byline headshot for an article about veteran affairs or about the Justice League. Sean was pleased with the work presented and has been using the illustrated cover on his landing page ever since.