“I draw people sitting next to me on the London underground” – D&AD’s Illustration Jury President Noma Bar on where he finds inspiration

The red cloaks worn by ‘handmaids’ in Margaret Atwood’s Booker Prize-winning novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, have been etched into the memories of a generation. They’ve been meticulously costumed in the HBO show adaptation of the novel, worn symbolically by protesters advocating for women's rights in a world where the themes explored continue to be eerily relevant, and perhaps most ubiquitously seen on the book’s cover, which was illustrated by this year’s D&AD Illustration Jury President Noma Bar.

The cover exemplifies the style that Bar has become known for, using negative space and bold imagery to convey more than what meets the eye. At first glance, it depicts an image of the novel's iconic protagonist 'Offred' dressed in swathes of red, her face covered by a winged bonnet. "She has been represented in many ways over the years, but the 'Offred' in my illustration tells an additional story," says Bar. "She is pregnant, her body hidden by the long red dress and the bonnet, and in the negative space of the illustration the “Commander" appears. The small moon to her right also functions as the Commander’s eye, a hint at his constant stare and the hidden violence of her world."

For Bar, this is a cover that encapsulates what he tries to achieve when designing book covers because it reveals itself metaphorically, and in layers. “Illustration goes beyond what people typically perceive,” explains Bar. “They might think it can be done in five minutes, viewing it as iconic and flat. However, there's a whole world lurking beneath the surface. I’m exploring negative space and different perspectives, showing that illustration is a much broader and more philosophical endeavor than it often appears to be.”

Below, we ask Bar about how he developed his recognisable visual style, where he finds inspiration and what he’s looking forward to seeing in this year’s Illustration entries at D&AD Awards 2026.

D&AD: What has been your artistic evolution as an illustrator?

NB: I was already drawing my neighbours and the people around me from the age of eight. I remember making a portrait of my businessman neighbour and turning his teeth into financial graphs. In a way, I’m still doing the same thing today.

My current portraits draw from those childhood sketches, now filtered through experience. I studied graphic design and illustration, where I learned about black and white, conceptual thinking, advertising, and branding, but there are also elements in my work that were never taught, things I absorbed simply by living, observing, and paying attention.

Over the years, working with brands, publishers, and editorial clients, I’ve learned how to collaborate, how to respond to challenging briefs, and how to solve problems through conceptual illustration. For me, technique has never been the point; the idea and the story always come first.

Moving to London and living in Camden pushed me to work more with black and white. At the time, I was surrounded by goth culture, people with stark black and white makeup, strong eyes and lips that seemed suspended against pale, painted faces. That contrast had a powerful impact on me.