Dave Murray illustrates Toronto for Airbnb

The folks at trevor//peter were coordinating a series of events for Airbnb this summer and they needed a wow factor. Taking place in the heart of Toronto, Canada the team decided a map of the city - 10 feet x 15 feet - would be the perfect way to draw the crowd to their booth. 

Illustrator Dave Murray, a proud Torontonian, was chosen to work on the project. Dave quickly assembled a brilliant collage of Toronto's coolest neighborhoods and points of interest. Graphic, bold, colorful, the piece beckons you to point out where you live or where you need to visit. 

Check out more of Dave Murray's illustration. Represented by i2i Art Inc. 

Dave Murray illustrates for Canadian Business

Inspired by the upcoming summer weather illustrator Dave Murray has created some pretty clever 'sand and surf' metaphors for investing now featured in the Canadian Business Investor 500 Guide. Art directed by John Montgomery. 

Stock picks from the pros. How to land the next big fish.

Screening out ordinary equities.

Five-star stocks that have nearly doubled the market's average annual return.

See more of Dave Murray's conceptual illustration. Represented by i2i Art Inc.

Dave Murray for William & Mary

We are in "a new universe of information overload" and our education needs to reflect that. The College of William & Mary was excited to share their strategy for addressing this new age of information and enlisted the help of illustrator Dave Murray to do so.

Featured in the W&M Alumni Magazine, Dave captures the rich potential of a liberal arts degree from this prestigious school. "The liberal arts is, in fact, going to be necessary to navigate the coming world." Dave's colorful palette and mosaic of elements brings out the wonder and complexity William and Mary is preparing it's students for.

Lift Off! An education to prepare you for a new universe of information overload.

A liberal arts degree will be a necessity in navigating the coming world.

It's a matter of training your mind in a new way.

Check out more of Dave Murray's dynamic illustration.

Dave Murray for National Magazine

When tech collides with the standard way of doing things. Illustrator Dave Murray is often asked to visually interpret this concept. Most recently, art director Tony Delitala of Delitala Design, assigned Dave to illustrate two high tech articles for the Canadian Bar Association's National Magazine.  

Dave's strong use of symbolism, conceptual intelligence and graphical style invites the reader to dive into these stories.

Technology can help make justice more accessible

Heavy workload? There’s an app for that.

Check out more of Dave's work. Represented by i2i Art Inc.

Dave Murray for Reader's Digest, "Birders Unite!"

Hipsters: known for ransacking vintage stores, perfecting their beards and gentrifying neighborhoods with their artisanal food stores. It seemed likely they should revitalize some old school hobbies while they are at it. Like bird watching.  

This month's Reader's Digest article, "Birders Unite!" written by Julia Zarankin, dives into the phenomena of the bird watching millennials.  Needing to combine the tattooed with the wilderness, art director Annelise Dekker picked the perfect artist in Dave Murray.

Caution: These are not your grandfather's illustrations:

Uniquely stylized, award-winning illustration.  We invite your to check out more of Dave Murray's illustration.

Dave Murray for Canadian Grocer

The always enthusiastic Dave Murray jumped at the chance to work with art director Lindsay Maclachlan again on a feature article for Canadian Grocer. Dave often illustrates technological innovations so the brave new world of in-store technology at our local grocer was a perfect match for Dave's style.

The Future of the Grocery Store

Dave Murray Illustration for Canadian Grocer

smartphones and tablets could dominate our grocery shopping experience

Dave Murray spot illustrations Canadian Grocer

View more of Dave Murray's illustration and check out Dave's interview on his recent award from the Society of Illustrators.

Dave Murray: Illlustration 57 Reception, SOI, NYC

Big congratulations to Dave Murray on his Indie Alehouse poster illustration--Glory & Consequences, selected for the Society of Illustrators' Illustration 57 annual.  Last week Dave Murray attended an opening reception of the exhibition at the SOI in NYC.  Of this great honor the SOI website says, "the exhibit features works by leading contemporary illustrators worldwide, selected by a prestigious jury of professionals".  If you're in New York this month, drop by and check out the show.  You won't be disappointed.  Details on the show, which runs until January 31, 2015, are on the SOI website.  

We caught up with Dave to get his reflections on the experience and share some of his pics from the opening reception:

i2i Art:  What comes to mind from the SOI reception in speaking with fellow illustrators and art directors?

Dave Murray:   I got a real feeling of community from everyone there. It was my first time at the SOI (and in the annual), so it was a completely new experience. It was pretty amazing just to soak in the atmosphere. I had a bit of a chuckle talking to one illustrator who's work is currently being displayed in the NYC Subway system, but never manages to catch a train that has the work in it. I saw it on nearly every train I took over the few days I was there.

i2i Art:  Did any trends or themes emerge for you in looking at the advertising and institutional art on display at the show?

Dave Murray:  Themes were harder to nail down - I feel like the SOI does a great job of varying the style of the selections - no one style was represented more than another.

i2i Art:  What did you think of the overall quality of the art in the show?

Dave Murray:  The quality of the art on display was amazing. Conceptually and technically, pretty much everything blew me away. Going back to the variety of work - there was such a mix of styles and media...Coming home, I feel incredibly re-energized and inspired.

i2i Art:  What piece of art by a fellow illustrator was the highlight of the show for you?

Dave Murray:  My personal favorite from the show - Andie Dinkins' absolutely unreal "New Years Eve at the Beverley Hills Hotel" piece.

Dave with the poster he designed and illustrated for Indie Alehouse's Glory & Consequences, hanging on those historic SOI walls.

Dave's personal fave, Andie Dinkin's, New Years Eve at the Beverley Hills Hotel.

To see more of Dave Murray's award winning illustration, visit his portfolio here.

Introducing new i2i Art illustrator, Dave Murray

Meet Dave Murray.

We wanted to share with you a recent conversation with Dave Murray to give you a little insight into the person behind the art.

i2i Art: Why illustration?

Dave Murray:  Well, I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, and it's something I've always enjoyed. I started with drawing my favorite characters from comic books, and went from there. My illustration career formally began at Sheridan College, I guess - I always thought it was kind of a funny thing, to go to school for art, but it's what I loved to do - so giving myself the chance to make my living from it was really the only decision.

i2i Art:  What makes you tick?

Dave Murray:  Maybe it's a boring answer, but it's keeping my life pretty simple and finding pleasure in the small things. Making interesting work, walking my dog, spending time with my wife, and friends...that's pretty much it.

i2i Art: How do you come up with new ideas when presented with a brief? Tell us a bit about your process?

Dave Murray:  I find a lot of success when I break down ideas and concepts into words and definitions - I'm a bit of a crossword fanatic. At that level, I feel like there's a lot of freedom to play with meanings and definitions - and then translate that wordplay into visual metaphors. From there, small thumbnails and sketches in my sketchbook, larger sketches on the computer, and then a mishmash of stuff to create the final piece.

i2i Art: What other creative projects keep you going aside from illustration?

Dave Murray:  I like to keep myself busy. Aside from illustration, I have an ongoing text-based mapping project. It's mostly focused on Toronto, but I've been brought out to cities such as Stratford and Halifax to apply my work there. I'm also a co-founder of the Garrison Creek Bat Co., which is an artisanal baseball bat company based in Toronto. At GCBC, we focus on making each bat a piece of work in itself, and occasionally curate events where we invite other illustrators, artists, and craftspeople to customize our bats however they like.

i2i Art: How do these projects influence your illustration?

Dave Murray: My other creative projects allow me to take a step back from illustration, and put other creative aspects of my brain to work. It's like a breath of fresh air, which allows me to come back invigorated and often with new perspectives in regards to my illustration work.

i2i Art: What are the best parts of being a freelance illustrator?

Dave Murray:  Probably the whole thing. The fact that I'm doing something I love to make my living is incredible in itself, but it's the opportunities and experiences that I've had solely because of illustration that make it truly special.

Citizen Draper:  Crowd-Sourcing in Advertising

Green Hotels

Commission Dave Murray to contribute to your next campaign or feature!  Check out Dave Murray's entire portfolio here.