Joost Swarte
Joost Swarte (1947) graduated as industrial designer, is a Dutch cartoonist, designer and architect with an impressive career. For the last few years, Joost was mostly known for the illustrations and covers for The New Yorker.
Joost Swarte (1947) graduated as industrial designer, is a Dutch cartoonist, designer and architect with an impressive career. What didn’t he do? He started his own comic, made illustrations for CD covers, magazine covers, founded a publishing company, designed stained glass windows, fabrics, furniture, buildings……But most of all, he coined the term ‘the clear line’:
“The ligne claire, or “clear line,” is a drawing language, in which forms are represented by drawing the outlines in an evenly thick line. The reader understands this language and transforms the outlines into three-dimensional forms. It started with Hergé, in the fifties, but has since been inherited by quite a few Dutch, French, and Belgian artists. “ (Joost Swarte in The New Yorker, may 7, 2018)
For the last few years, Joost was mostly known for the illustrations and covers for The New Yorker and recently a book was published with all the work he made for the magazine. His latest work contains fashion show designs for a major French fashion brand.