Noopur Choksi shows how commercial success and artistic integrity needn't fight

Want to work for big brands yet still create game-changing and thought-provoking art? It sounds like a circle that can't be squared, but the work of Noopur Choksi suggests otherwise.

A visual designer and illustrator from India, she's currently based in Baltimore, USA. With a passion for creating immersive brand experiences and emotive multimedia narratives, her work reflects her experimentation with typography, narratives, and image-making.

Working for big-name clients including Google, Paypal, Bandcamp, Disney and Fanta, she uses visualisation to externalise the often intangible, energetic, emotional environments of her subjects. She gravitates towards stories that depict a surrealistic and intimate representation of human nature.

Generating discourse

Noopur graduated in 2016 with a BA in Graphic Design from the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, India, and this year completed an MFA in Illustration Practice from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).

Sculptural installation featuring layered cardboard cutouts of stylised faces and plant-like forms in pink, green and turquoise, displayed in a gallery with coloured walls and framed artworks

Vibrant pop-art style illustration by Noopur Choksi featuring repeated eyes and lips surrounded by green and orange flowers against a cosmic black background with flowing ribbons

Noopur Choksi's digital illustration of a figure with green and red neon-glowing botanical wings and foliage against a starlit black background

Surreal illustration of a red and orange iris flower surrounded by gnarled tree trunks and coral-coloured rocks in a green woodland setting with a golden sunset sky

Music, science, drag, fashion, and narratives of feminine power inspire her work. She strives to create visuals that challenge perception, push boundaries, and are not afraid to be strong, unapologetic, and layered in their interpretations.

"I like to think of creative expression as a complex human emotion that empowers our ability to experience, introspect, imagine, communicate and make sense of the world," she explains.

Colourful illustration by Noopur Choksi showing a figure with a large rounded body in green and coral tones, surrounded by smaller faces emerging from plant-like forms, framed by a decorative gold and green border

Illustrated figure in red wrapped around a red flower with yellow stamens, surrounded by layered green and cream petals against a gradient backdrop with floating particles

Ceramic sculptural artwork with a stylised face and organic flowing forms in muted tones, displayed on a pink plinth against a red gallery wall with colourful botanical artwork behind it

Vibrant surrealist collage featuring repeated faces with striped patterns and bold colourful backgrounds in red, orange, teal and pink tones

"The process of design contextualises artistic expression into meaningful visual solutions that can convey information and ideas or generate discourse. I believe my illustration practice lies at the intersection of art and design."

Exploring the grey areas

Illustration, to her, is "a process of dissection and discovery, exploring vulnerabilities and fragilities as transformative experiences [...] I strive to expand visual thinking, layering meanings to challenge perception. I merge artistic disciplines like music, fashion, and animation into my work, aiming for depth and engagement beyond the two-dimensional."

Central to her art is a commitment to social dialogue and cultural shaping, confronting themes of self-perception, gender, and power dynamics. She challenges regressive norms and society-imposed stereotypes, celebrating complexities and promoting inclusivity.

Collection of ceramic sculptural pieces by Noopur Choksi featuring stylised faces and organic forms painted in earthy and vibrant colours

Illustrated portrait of a young man wearing glasses and a grey beanie alongside stylised figures with braided hair and bird-like features in red and burgundy tones

Open book spread showing a bold black and white illustration of two overlapping faces on the left page and a repeating geometric pattern on the right page

Illustration of coral-pink Gloriosa lilies with curved petals and prominent stamens against a gradient yellow-green background by Noopur Choksi

"Through my work, I explore grey areas of societal expectations, adding vibrancy and warmth to digital and analogue mediums," says Noopur, whose work has been recognised by the American Illustration Awards. "I aim to foster visual literacy, encouraging reflection and connection, addressing contemporary issues with a conscientious approach."

In short, Noopur is not just making pretty pictures; she's out to change the world.

"Informed creative expression can address modern anxieties and drive positive change," she believes. "My illustrative practice seeks to develop a multimodal approach to visual communication, emphasising self-awareness and reminding us that 'looking' is not always the same as 'seeing'."