Sunny B. Yazdani's illustrations burst with life and reveal a determined path to creativity

"As a young kid, I knew I wanted to become an artist, but I had to fight for that path," Sunny tells us. "My Persian parents wanted me to study a major in which I could earn a lot of money. To prove myself, I collected my illustrations in a portfolio when I was 18 and checked in on all the magazines I knew in the city. After a few months of searching, one of the magazines responded and assigned me to design 10 illustrations for its next issue. It didn't pay very well but I didn't care about the money; I was just so happy to find a small gig at long last."

But her success in Iran was only temporary. Sunny moved to the United States in 2013 to pursue a creative career, saying she was unable to progress in her home country, blaming economic crises, sexism and gender inequality. She graduated with a masters in Illustration in 2016 from SCAD: Savannah College of Art & Design and later from a masters in Motion Media Design in 2018. She has been working for creative studios and clients in Savannah, Portland, and NYC ever since, from W+K and Aardman Nathan Love, and Imaginary Forces to Framestore, Meister, and Dress Code.

Sunny currently works for the advertising firm, FCB New York. Discover more of her work at sunnyyazdani.com or follow her on Instagram.