About

SCHEN (Shelley Chen)

I am an illustrator and communication designer living in Toronto, Canada.

Growing up, I've always loved both art and science. This led me to a bachelors degree in life science and a masters degree in Biomedical Communications from the University of Toronto, and then a job as a medical illustrator for many years. Since then, I've illustrated for a variety of things: magazines, blogs, games, academic publications, patient education materials, and special occasion gifts.

In addition to illustration, my tenure as a communication designer in a service design consultancy fueled my passion for problem-solving, particularly in using illustration and graphic design to help communicate complex concepts in ways that most resonates with the needs of the audience. My experience includes prototyping educational communication materials, designing reports and worksheets, to crafting engaging and interactive workshop/training experiences and all its corresponding materials.

Occasionally you may catch me drawing short comics under various pseudonyms.

Clients

In alphabetical order

Applibot / Benchworks / Bridgeable / CareDx / Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto / DiD Agency / Digizyme / Genentech / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / LifeLearn / McMaster University / Mount Sinai Hospital, New York / Newsquest Specialist Media / Plastpro / Princess Margaret Cancer Centre / Redactive Media / Scholastic / SEIU Healthcare / Sounds True Publishing / Spongelab Interactive / Studio Voltz / The Hospital for Sick Children / Tridel / WEFRA Classic / Women's College Hospital

Testimonials

"We recently tasked Shelley to help us in rebranding our Condo 101 slide deck and speaking notes. While initially unfamiliar with the content and topics, her professionalism and analytical thinking helped guide us in creating the new image and brand that we were looking for. Her meticulous attention to detail and customer friendly designs were the perfect complement to our new Condo 101 and helped us in reaching a younger and less experienced demographic. The work was done in a very timely manner with minimal supervision needed. We would happily work with Shelley again for future projects."

Winson Chan / VP of Sales Development @ Tridel

"Beyond being an obviously skilled illustrator, Shelley possesses excellent attention to detail, an ability to work quickly, and a graceful flexibility for the vicissitudes of marketing demands."

Jason Slomack / Creative Director @ DiD Agency

"Our agency was impressed by Shelley’s portfolio when we requested to work with her on a project where we needed instructional illustrations prepared. She exceeded our expectations – she is incredibly talented, thoughtful in her approach, wonderful to work with, and very responsive. Shelley is at the top of our list when we need an illustrator for future projects!"

Brenda Vujanic / Executive Vice President @ Benchworks

"Shelley's a talented and detail-oriented professional. She puts great thought and care into all her projects and delivers nothing less than the best. Our projects benefit from her wide range of creative skills, good eye for design and user experience, and her friendly personality."

Cathyrn Schmidt / Multimedia Producer @ The Hospital for Sick Children

"I hired to Shelley to create an illustration of a teen’s body to elucidate the dangers of underage drinking. I was unsure of the exact look and feel I wanted, but Shelley had great questions and showed me a few well thought out and executed options in sketch phase which made for a beautiful finished product."

Stephen Christensen / Art Director @ Scholastic