Jennifer Tapias Derch

Jennifer Tapias Derch

(She/Her) • Valencia, Spain

Biography Interview

Jennifer Tapias Derch, born in Colombia, studied fine arts and graphic design in Valencia, Spain, where she currently lives and works as a freelance illustrator.
Using limited graphic elements in bold, two-or three-color compositions with black and white, Tapias Derch’s conceptual editorial illustrations are featured in newspapers and magazines internationally. Her designs can also be found in advertisements, on various product packaging, and more.

Selected clients


The Washington post, The Guardian, CNN, Financial News UK, JKR Global, Air Transat, Shopify, The Atlantic, iNewspaper, Courrier International, Literature Spiegel, Dwell, MIT, The globe & Mail, Virginia Tech, Bompiani, Harvard Business Review, AARP, Consumer Reports, Huffington Post +

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Jennifer Tapias Derch

Your pronouns
She/Her

How do you define your identity? Do you identify with (or advocate for) any marginalised communities?
I’m Woman, feminist, a empathic defender of equal human rights without distinction of race and gender wherever I am.

Where is home?
My home is an infinite fabric of roots with a Latin and Mediterranean mixture.

Describe your illustration style in one sentence
Symbolic, bold, whimsical and fun.

What lights your soul on fire?
Many things! To summarize, the sea, the sun, the music, a good wine, the sex, a good meal, a good movie, dance, travel, read…

What themes do you enjoy exploring in your illustrations?
I like to find the simplicity of complex situations that are part of my daily life, they appear to me in objects around me, landscapes, or emotions that I simply want to give shape and color to.

What techniques do you use
From pencil to digital.

How much of yourself and your own story can we see in your work?
I definitely see a reflection of myself in my work. Sometimes more than I would like 🙂
I see an influence from my existential concerns, my fascination with color, geometry and synthesis in the things that surround me, among other things.

Is there an unmistakable thread in your creative work?
It could be said that I have a thread that always marks a path where the concept first appears, that converses with color, and joins with emotion. In my work they are an inseparable stitch.

What do you want to be known for?
I’ve never been interested in recognition, I’ve always seen myself as a mere mortal who is fortunate to be able to live from her creative work. However, I love to see how my work can generate empathy, communicate, and generate emotions that can contribute to feeding other minds.

Which projects excite you most?
I love quick editorial assignments, where there is not much time, and my freshest ideas are reflected in their purest shape.

What is your dream gig?
I am probably excited to think about the mystery that surrounds this great gig.

Where, when and how do you best create?
In my studio, relaxed, with music and coffee.

How has your style evolved since you started?
My style has always been highly influenced by the conceptual and symbolic content of images. I think that over the years I have refined an evolution in the formal synthesis of my drawings, also exploring new color contrasts.

What do you find most challenging in your practice or in the illustration industry?
Without a doubt, keep my thoughts fresh so that they continue to be reflected in my practice. Simply not to lose the function of my work to communicate, move, question.

How as being an illustrator changed your life?
I really feel very lucky to give shape to my ideas and now to be able to live from it.
It is always comforting to think about how much I enjoy my practice, and feel grateful for it.

Name a tool you can’t live without!
My brain.

Tell us about a project you worked on that was meaningful to you as an artist
There’s many samples of meaningful projects, sometimes because of their creative processes or simply because of the client’s interest in my work. It will never cease to be an exciting surprise for me. With each project my feeling is always like a girl on a roller coaster.

What influences or inspires your art?
People, Travel, music, art, to live…

What would you tell your younger self?
Never stop enjoying what you do.
Stop thinking so much.

Why do you think art speaks louder than words?
Images are a universal language, they never stop moving, telling, questioning and communicating.

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