About

Sharon King-Chai is an award-winning designer and illustrator.

Born in Australia to Chinese-Malaysian parents, she moved to London in 2003, after studying Visual Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. She fell in love with storytelling through music and books- and found her niche working as a designer in music and publishing industries. This eventually led to her creating her own books and establishing her own card and print range. She illustrates books for the phenomenal Julia Donaldson - including Animalphabet, Counting Creatures and Colours, Colours Everywhere. Their titles have won a range of international awards, including the Chen Bochui award for Best Picture book, and shortlisted for the D&AD awards. Sharon’s recent penned book Starbird, won the Greenaway Shadower’s Choice Award in 2021.

Sharon has a great passion for experimenting and innovation, and loves exploring format, narrative and new characters. She also loves using unusual materials, and references nature a lot in her artwork. Ingredients often include potatoes, blackberries, onions, feathers and sticks.

Awards

Kate Greenaway Shadowers’ Choice award
Academy of British Cover Design, Best Children's Book Cover
Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award - Best Picture Book Award
Junior Design Award - Best Classic Children's Book
Family Choice Award (US)
D&AD Book Design, Children & Young Adult Books, Shortlisted
Futurebook Innovation Award, Shortlisted
Indie Book Awards, Shortlisted
British Book Production & Design Awards, Shortlisted
ARIA Awards, Best cover art (Australian Record Industry Award), Shortlisted
World Illustration Awards, longlisted

Clients

Two Hoots
Macmillan Children's Books
Templar Hachette Egmont
Eleven Mgmt
Universal Music Group
Decca Records
EMI Records
Virgin Records
Sony
BMG
Parlophone
Columbia Records
Infectious Records
Capitol Records
Warner Bros Music
Sanctuary Records
Dramatico
Dew Process
Provocateur Records
Ted Baker
Cancer Research
Oxfam
Sydney Morning Herald
Bravado Merchandising
Live Nation