Lin worked with LA based designer and author Kim Baer to include #graphicrecording and #graphicfacilitation in her revised edition of the Information Design Workbook. Order at amzn.to/3EqBYVY for all the case studies, theories & best practices that Kim has put together.

Lin created icons like this photographer for many Turner Classic Movies on air promotions.
Art Director: Shannon Davis
Media: Ink, Adobe Illustrator

Lin with the team at Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) during a mapping project.

Lin Wilson’s work published in:

  • Information Design Workbook (2022)

  • Infographic Designers’ Sketchbooks (by Steve Heller)

  • Make It Visible (Japan, 2016)

  • Information Graphics (Taschen 2014)

  • Marketing Illustration (by Steve Heller)

  • Data Flow (2009)

  • Hoopla by Crispin, Porter + Bogusky (2006)

  • Print’s Regional Design Annual

  • Logo A Lot

  • Technical Communications

  • International Logos & Trademarks

  • Communication Arts Advertising Annual

  • American Illustration 4 & 6

PROCESS: Three step process of 1. Rough Sketch, 2. Revised Sketch, and 3. Final Art.
Project: Campus Map for the Milwaukee Art Museum

Video recap of information design work at Funnel Inc.
Senior Information Designer: Lin Wilson
Co-Founder, Marketing: Lori Buscaglia
Information Designers: Curtis Whaley, John Nichols
Account Execs: Becky Behling, Becca Keaty, Anne Jensen

Wordless book using signage to tell a story of the day in the life of a really unlucky figure.
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Illustrator: Lin Wilson
Assistant Illustrator: Todd Brei

Lin illustrated the history of baseball gloves for a promotion for the Ken Burns documentary Baseball. Sponsor: The Gap

EXPERIENCE: Whether it’s through an ad agency or direct, I have worked on these brands for icons, illustrations, instructions and information design. What is in common with all of them is a need to clarify something to an essence of understanding.

I’ve found The International Forum of Visual Practitioners (I’m in the back row, black t shirt) to be a wonderfully supportive organization, promoting the use of visual facilitation in business for 25 years.

What the clients say:
MAP CLIENT: MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
“Your approach to research, your problem solving skills resulted in accuracy and detail that was very much lacking in our past map.”– Barbara / Director of Operations / Milwaukee Art Museum

INSTRUCTION DESIGN CLIENT: TREK BIKES
“A huge note in Trek’s favor is the absolutely fantastic documentation... the illustrations are clear and to the point. There was never a moment that we didn't know what to do next or have a very clear idea of how to do it.” – Peloton

PROPOSAL TO BOARD CLIENT: MATTEL
“Lin’s work on our web development project was the difference that secured project funding from corporate management... his diagram allowed non-technical executives to understand the idea, and give their wholehearted endorsement.”– Shawn / Vice President of Brand Management / Mattel 

JOB AID CLIENT: SC JOHNSON & SON, INC.
”Lin made a very complex intranet site easy to understand and navigate. His diagrams clearly communicated the site’s breadth, depth and organization so even our least intranet-savvy employees could log on and find what they need fast. – Beth / Corporate Communications / SC Johnson & Son, Inc.

EDITORIAL CLIENT: HARVARD MAGAZINE
“It looks amazing and it accomplishes just what we hoped it would. I am very excited to bring this work to our readers.” – Jennifer / Art Director / Harvard Magazine

AD AGENCY CLIENT: TBWA CHIAT DAY
“You totally rocked this job. Everybody loves these things! (icons)” - Jen / Art Buyer / TBWA Chiat Day for Nissan 

Icon library for Dunkin’ Donuts, part of a rebrand that resulted in seven straight years of sales growth for the brand.
Agency: Hill Holiday
Illustrators: Lin Wilson, Curtis Whaley, John Nichols

About Lin

Lin uses live drawing, sketchnoting, infographics and graphic design to distill large amounts of information into clarified visual design for such clients as The Gates Foundation, The Milwaukee Art Museum, Ford, Trek Bikes as well as publications like Fortune, Harvard Magazine and the Utne Reader.

Lin: “As an information designer and illustrator, I take pleasure in helping clients determine what is causing confusion and collaborating on a solution that will solve all the pain points associated with their information. As a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin, I like to bring recent project experience to students eager to learn about information graphics and related storytelling. Go Badgers!

I started my career in New York working with magazines to illustrate short fiction stories for publications such as Business Week, Scholastic and The New York Times. Before she wrote Brokeback Mountain, I created the art for the Annie Proulx story, Heartsongs, for Esquire. I have 20+ years experience in working with ad agencies and Fortune 500 companies in a wide variety of industries. Education includes study with illustrators Ann Willoughby, Tom Allen & John Collier at the University of Kansas as well as Milton Glaser (designed “ I ❤️ NY “) and Robert Weaver at the School of Visual Arts in New York.