Meet the Artist Whose Brand Features Those Quirky Illustrations of Kanye West, Riccardo Tisci and More

Chances are you’ve seen the cartoonish illustrations of Kanye West, Riccardo Tisci and Yves Saint Laurent floating around the internet, but have no idea who was actually behind the designs. Thanks to a recent New York Times profile you now can learn more about the artist behind those unusual designs, Dana Veraldi. Her quirky brand, Deer Dana, sells t-shirts with cartoonish illustrations of your favorite icons, ranging from Lil Wayne to Larry David.

Over the past few years, Veraldi and her designs have popped up everywhere. Celebrities like Jay Z, Beyoncé, Dakota Fanning, Katy Perry and Jonah Hill have all been spotted rocking Deer Dana originals.

A former student of Maryland Institute College of Art, Veraldi started making the shirts while in college and continued to do so after moving to New York, where the t-shirt line really began to gain traction. “Because I’m not trained in fine art, there is a sense of childlikeness, a sense of humor and imperfection to it,” she said.

Veraldi proudly sends each celebrity she illustrates a shirt. Curious what they think of the artwork? “Kanye sent me flowers, which was unusual,” she said.

Some of Veraldi’s more recent projects include working with Madewell and Tory Burch on a variety of collages and illustrations. She even contributed an illustration of Ol’ Dirty Bastard for a recent Diamond Supply Company collection. It’s safe to say that Veraldi’s quirky brand of illustration isn’t disappearing from the world of fashion anytime soon.