David Leutert

Hi! My name is David Leutert. I'm a freelance illustrator and lettering artist based in Berlin. My style is best described as a combination of bold lines, dynamic letters and limited color palettes—with a bit of a retro vibe. I draw a lot of inspiration from skateboard graphics, lowbrow art, DIY punk posters, Saturday morning cartoons, vintage matchbooks, and old signage.

Almost 20 years ago I started out as a design apprentice at an ad agency, where I learned that graphic design was fun, advertising was soul-crushing and marketing was where creativity went to die. So I decided that I wanted to become an illustrator and be my own boss. After graduating with a BA in Design from TH Nürnberg, I briefly worked as a t-shirt designer at Adidas before I moved to New York in 2015 to pursue an MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts. Since going freelance in 2017, I’ve gotten to work for clients like Adobe, Disney, MTV, Pepsi and the New York Times. My work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, ADC, Communication Arts, Type Directors Club, American Illustration, and 3x3, among others.

It’s been a long, bumpy road, but it ended up working out and I couldn’t be happier that it did. After five years in Brooklyn, I relocated to Berlin in 2021 where I explore the fading craft of sign painting and host an illustration podcast called Paid 2 Draw. If you'd like to learn some of my drawing techniques, you can take my Domestika course, "Visual Storytelling with Hand-Lettering and Illustration," on how to design a 60s/70s-style hippie poster in Procreate.

Looking forward to connecting with the Domestika community!

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Portfolio: davidleutert.com
Instagram: @davidleutert
Behance: be.net/davidleutert
TikTok: @daveleutert