Making stuff.

David Wilson is an illustrator, writer, designer, and filmmaker with an MFA from Kent State University in Visual Communication Design. David entered the freelance world over ten years ago, working on illustration, design, and video projects for clients such as The Atlantic, The WWE, Boom! Comics, The Boston Globe, Harvard, Forbes and many more. He is Creative Director at Belt Publishing where he was a recipient of AIGA’s “50 Books 50 Covers” award for his Belt Revivals book covers. He is the co-author/illustrator of Rust Belt Arcana, author of The Everyday, and the writer/director of The Disposal of Dead Ned (Best Comedy Film at Poor Life Choices Film Fest). His latest work, Play Like A Girl, a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection, written by Misty Wilson, was a 2023 Buckeye Book Award winner. Currently, he is working on three unannounced graphic novels and a few things on the hush-hush…

CONTACT
For work or speaking inquiries please contact: David@workdavidwork.com

SOCIAL
Instagram: @downpourdw
Spam Newsletter: workdavidwork.substack.com

PROJECTS
TBA Graphic Novel - MacMillan, 2027
TBA Graphic Novel - MacMillan, 2026
TBA Graphic Novel - HarperCollins, 2024
Great Lakes Tarot Deck - Belt Publishing, 2022
Play Like A Girl Graphic Novel - HarperCollins Sept. 2022
The Everyday Web Comic Collection - Belt Publishing 2020
The Disposal of Dead Ned Feature Film
Rust Belt Arcana - Belt Publishing 2018

SELECT CLIENTS
The Atlantic, The WWE, Forbes Magazine, The Boston Globe, Men’s Journal, Harvard, Runner’s World, New York Magazine, Seattle Met, AFAR, INC. Magazine, Belt Publishing, Boom! Comics, Cleveland Playhouse, HuffPost, The Uptime Institute, Cincinnati CityBeat, The Stranger, Longreads, Zappos, Montana State University, Art In America, Seattle Met, Philly Magazine

RECOGNITION
MASL Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Nominee, Play Like A Girl
2024 Rise Honoree, Play Like A Girl
Nerdy Book Club Award Winner, Play Like A Girl
Buckeye Book Award Winner, Play Like A Girl
CCBC Choices: Best-of-the-year, Play Like A Girl
Booklist, Starred Review: Play Like A Girl
Junior Library Guild Gold Selection: Play Like A Girl
Design Observer 50 for 50 recipient: Belt Revival Series
48 Hour Film Fest: Son of a Witch - Audience Choice Award
Poor Life Choices Film Fest, winner: The Disposal of Dead Ned
Gorst Underground Film Fest: The Disposal of Dead Ned

EXHIBITIONS
Beautiful Mess, Cleveland, Ohio, 2020
Rust Belt Tarot Exhibition, Madison, Wisconsin, 2019
Summer Nights Art Show, Cleveland, Ohio, 2019
NEOH Nature Show, Cleveland, Ohio, 2018
Cuyahoga County Mural, John S. Knight Center, Akron Ohio, 2016
Culture Of Cult, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2016

EDUCATION
MFA Visual Communication Design, Kent State University, 2022
BFA Visual Communication Design, Kent State University, 2009
Comic Writing, School of Visual Arts

TEACHING
Assistant Professor, Visual Communication Design, Kent State University

DOWNPOUR
Downpour is a visual production studio led by David Wilson. Projects include: Exodus short film, Son of a Witch short film, and The Disposal of Dead Ned feature film.