Lauren Schooley

Available to hire

I am a freelance illustrator and designer based in the eastern US dedicated to visual storytelling in a range of contexts.

About

I am a freelance illustrator and designer based in the eastern US dedicated to visual storytelling in a range of contexts. Those contexts can be the story of an organization told through a brand, a fiction or nonfiction story told through book illustrations, a hook to a news story in the form of an editorial banner, and more. I collaborate with my clients on editorial illustration, book illustration, publication layouts, hand lettering, and brand identities. Working across digital and water-based mediums, I combine the unique character of traditional tools and the versatile polish of digital ones.

I strive to communicate clearly both through my visuals and in my written communication. My central goal is always to work together to ensure that the visuals I create fit the narratives and needs of my clients.

  • Joined February 2026

Industry experience

  • Media & Entertainment
  • Non-Profit Organization
  • Education
  • Professional Services

Projects · 11

Narrative illustration from 2024. bookillustrator

  • Book Illustrator

Narrative Illustration from 2024. bookillustrator

  • Book Illustrator

Narrative illustration from 2025. childrensbookillustrator bookillustrator

  • Children’s Book Illustrator

Narrative illustration from 2025. bookillustrator childrensbookillustrator

  • Children’s Book Illustrator

Spread illustrating the Hidebehind for the anthology "Unearth." This was a collaborative, nonlinear anthology "field guide" filled with illustrations and creative writing based on a fictional, folklore-based world. illustrator creaturedesign

  • Book Illustrator

Adapted to script and illustrated twelve graphic novel pages for poet Gabriel Carter's extended poem and graphic novel pitch concept "Druid." Full project ongoing. illustrator comicillustrator sequentialartist

  • Comic Illustrator

I designed and illustrated the above citywide parks map and annotated campus map for Baltimore nonprofit Parks & People. The citywide map process included developing icon designs for different public parks projects, creating an accurate and to-scale roads, waterways and green spaces map of the city, and developing a detailed Adobe Illustrator file with labelled layers and multiple colorways. The campus map process involved accurately mapping the campus both from existing partial site plans and from onsite plotting before moving to a sketch-to-final illustration process. I then illustrated and added annotated diagrams illuminating different aspects of the sustainable green campus. graphicdesigner designer illustrator mapdesign mapillustration

  • Graphic Designer

With input from three creative directors, designed and illustrated seven educational trail signs in a three-person creative team. Delivered two preliminary layout drafts to Bureau of Land Management archeologist Vincent MacMillan and executed over 100 on-site preparatory drawings before delivering the final files by the end of the two-week timeline. graphicdesigner illustrator educationaldesign exhibitdesign

  • Illustrator

Illustrating and designing new full jackets for Frances Schoonmaker's middle grade historical fiction and fantasy series "The Last Crystal Trilogy." illustrator bookillustration bookcovers

  • Book Illustrator

Work experience· 6 roles

Contract Graphic Designer · Parks & People FoundationAug 2025 – Jan 2026 · 6 mos

Designed and illustrated visual information projects such as city-wide public park maps, a hand-illustrated map of the Baltimore-based nonprofit’s campus, and general communications collateral. Worked directly with the nonprofit’s Communications Director on a weekly basis.

Illustrator / Designer · Canyons of the Ancients National MonumentMay 2024 – May 2024 · 1 mo

With input from three creative directors, designed and illustrated seven educational trail signs in a three- person creative team. Delivered two preliminary layout drafts to Bureau of Land Management archaeologist Vincent MacMillan and executed over 100 on-site preparatory drawings before delivering the final files by the end of the two-week timeline.

Climate Media Intern · The Years ProjectJul 2023 – Apr 2024 · 10 mos

Created static and animated visuals for the company’s blog, for social media and for video backgrounds; carried out research and footage transcription for filmmakers and editors; engaged in writers’ rooms and gave feedback on documentary film stringouts. Collaborated with team to compile and copy write content for weekly, CMS-based climate action newsletters, and created a Figma-based mockup for said newsletter with improvements to the layout, overall user experience, icon designs, and marketing copy.

Illustrator / Designer · Freelance / Self-EmployedJun 2023 – Present · 3 yrs 6 mos
Design Intern · Blue Water BaltimoreMay 2022 – Jul 2022 · 3 mos
Communications Intern · Mary L. Washington Campaign and State Senate OfficeFeb 2020 – Aug 2020 · 7 mos

Education

BFA in Illustration + Humanistic Studies · Maryland Institute College of Art2019 – 2023
IB Diploma · Bishop Mackenzie International School2015 – 2019

Certifications and awards

IB Diploma2015 – 2019

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