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InspirationIllustration

Powerful women and work that makes you smile, courtesy of illustrator Hanna Melin

Hanna Melin has a superb knack for bringing a very potent, cheeky femininity to the fore in her work.

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Stylised illustration of a woman with short light blue hair, dark sunglasses and gold hoop earrings, wearing a tiger-stripe jacket and drinking from a Coca-Cola bottle against a teal background

London-based, Sweden-born Melin creates work that’s imbued with a sort of punkish, bold presentation of women as powerful, funny and dynamic. Her work, in short, is a hell of a lot of fun.

Melin says she fell in love with drawing at an early age; a passion that took her to England to study at London’s Royal Academy of Art for her MA in visual communication.

Now based in East London, she works across illustration and design, and so far has built up an impressive client across editorial newspapers and magazines, advertisements and commercial brands list including The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Hollywood Reporter, Subaru and more.

She finds inspiration “in daily living and in comics, patterns, and exhibitions,” she says; and her favourite kinds of art are those that “make her smile.” She adds that if she hadn’t pursued illustration, we’d probably find her working as a primary school teacher.

Illustration of a woman with pink hair, hands behind her head, sticking out her tongue with a playful expression against a dark background
Adult and child in winter clothing holding hands, the adult wearing a blue beanie, black jacket and colourful striped sweater, the child in a navy jacket and red hat
Queue of colleagues waiting outside Jillian's office door, each asking about decisions, projects and meetings in an illustration by Hanna Melin
Woman in pink shirt at office desk holds up papers while colleague leans over cubicle wall saying they need three more leaders to decide
Two people in an office admiring a teal wall covered with framed cat portraits and illustrations, including a "MEOW" sign and "Home is where your cat is" note
Illustration of office workers with their heads replaced by wire baskets, sat around a conference table with a whiteboard reading "ARE WE SILOED?
Orange octopus at desk with multiple arms holding documents labelled Project Budget, Notes, Plan and Important Plan, surrounded by potted plant and office supplies
Illustration of a woman with orange hair and red glasses eating a chocolate from a box, set within a pink heart shape
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