Colin Elgie — Retro Poster Illustrator, UK

For the look and feel of the iconic poster artwork of the 1930s and 40s, Colin Elgie is the illustrator to call. Vastly experienced, he began his career in the 1970s working with Prog Rock giants like Pink Floyd, Genesis and Peter Gabriel, and today his style is as clear and graphic as ever as he delivers impactful retro imagery for clients in publishing, travel and entertainment.

Based in the Kent countryside, Colin works from his home studio and is inspired by Harry Beck, Charles and Ray Eames and Jonathan Ive. He trained at East Ham Technical College where he took a Licentiateship of the Society of Industrial Art and Design. It included graphic design, copywriting, photography, graphics and illustration.

Approach

Colin’s approach to image making is to keep it simple. If elements in the illustration aren’t needed to get the idea across, he leaves them out. First and foremost, illustration is very much a communication tool. Beginning with a traditionally sketched rough, he works on his Mac to create his final illustrations using Photoshop or Illustrator.

Key Software

Photoshop or Illustrator

Style

Strongly composed and graphic looking, Colin’s work takes on board many of the aesthetics of the great poster designs of the 30s and 40s. Many of his pieces have an appealing and colourful vintage-made-modern look to them.

Client list

Some of Colin’s clients include Samsung, Comcast, Range Rover, Peugeot, World Health Organisation, The Times, Penguin Random House, Japanese Airlines and Honda.

Illustration of an airplane on steamed train