Illustrator Tiffany Chin Takes the Pulse
A multi-Year Young Blood winner
January 28, 2025
Multiple Applied Arts Awards winner Tiffany Chin adds two more—back-to-back Young Blood Illustration wins to her credentials—Pretty impressive since the Toronto-based freelance Illustrator graduated from OCAD University's Illustration program in 2022. Her recent illustrations are inspired by psychedelic posters and vintage advertisements. She strives to step beyond the boundaries of convention to create visually jarring imagery.
What is your creative process (from idea to finished product?)
My creative process is always quite loose and intuitive. If the artwork is a commission, the initial stage would typically involve examining the requirements set out by the client and highlighting keywords. Meanwhile, personal works follow a similar process where I usually see something, such as a fruit basket, and my brain pinpoints the striking features and concocts some sort of image.
The space between the sketching and finalizing stages are filled with stream-of-consciousness drawing that is inspired by the music I happen to be listening to. Most of the work I do is for musicians, so I will play their music in order to keep my work inline with the direction of the songs.
Tiffany Chin, 2024 Applied Arts Illustration Awards winning work Phish MSG poster
What has the response been like for this piece?
The response to this piece has been tremendous all thanks to Julia Mordaunt, the art director for Phish, who does incredible job directing the band’s visual identity. Since these posters were distributed at the show and through Phish’s media pages, it helped get my name out there. The fans are incredibly encouraging, and I occasionally receive questions pertaining to this poster almost a year after the fact. This poster has made its way into a few awards (thank you Applied Arts), and also a show featuring historical rock posters!
Tiffany Chin, 2023 Applied Arts Illustration Awards winning work Phish Alpine Valley
Who is your creative hero?
My all-time creative hero is Milton Glaser, a designer and illustrator who most notably created the “I Love NY” logo and the Bob Dylan poster. Although not directly involved with the counterculture, his work is the perfect synthesis of psychedelia, surrealism, and structured design. His work is visually engaging with the inclusion of small nuances and unconventional imagery, yet is always simple enough for viewers to immediately read what the poster is attempting to advertise.
w: twkchin.com | Instagram: @twkchin
Fantastic work Tiffany, we look forward to catching up with you in future!