Illustrating knowledge,
engaging with wonder.
Jennifer N. R. Smith
Illustrator & Author
WonderTheory is the illustration studio of Jennifer N. R. Smith.
Jennifer is an internationally award-winning illustrator and author based in Bristol. She is the creator of the children's natural history series Wild Wonders, published by Thames and Hudson. So far, it has been translated into 10 languages, including German, Italian, French, Greek, Chinese, Spanish, Polish, Slovenian, Dutch, and Czech.
Originally fascinated by it's many interdisciplinary uses, Jennifer studied Drawing at Camberwell, UAL, and went on to become a qualified scientific illustrator with the Medical Artist's Association, using her creative and technical training in tandem. WonderTheory Studio was launched in 2021 to deliver an approach to informative illustration that resonated with her own experiences of learning and engagement. She has since worked with a wide range of prestigious clients including Sir David Attenborough, T&H, Hachette, Quarto, Scientific American, and BBC History.
Recently an award winner in the 2024 World Illustration Awards, Jennifer has received recognition in a multitude of international illustration and design awards, including the V&A Illustration Awards, 3x3, and Communication Arts.
For more information on Jennifer's work or to contact her about freelance opportunities, please feel free to get in touch.
Email: jenny@wondertheory.co.uk
Awards
World Illustration Awards, Longlist, 2025
3x3 Illustration Award, Merit Winner, 2025
ABCD Awards, Shortlisted, 2025
World Illustration Awards, Professional Winner,
Science & Technology category, 2024
V&A Illustration Awards, Shortlist, 2024
Huion Innovation Award, Shortlist, 2024
DI Award, Shortlist, 2024
ABCD Awards, Winner, 2024
Communication Arts Awards, Shortlist, 2024
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration, Nominated, 2024
Junior Design Awards, Silver Award Winner, 2023
3x3 Illustration Award, Distinguished Merit Winner, 2023
World Illustration Awards, Shortlist, 2023
AOI Members Award, Shortlist, 2023
Huion Innovation Award, Shortlist, 2023
Communication Arts Awards, Shortlist, 2023
World Illustration Awards, Shortlist, 2022
V&A Illustration Awards, Shortlist 2022
ABCD Awards, Shortlist 2022
Education
Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Art - Distinction
Medical Artists' Education Trust, 2016 - 2020
BA Drawing - First Class with honours
Camberwell College of Arts
University of the Arts London, 2012 - 2015
Previous clients
The Wonder Theory
A different approach to informative illustration.
From Aristotle and Plato, to Rachel Carson and Carl Sagan, many philosophers and scientists throughout history have spoken of the importance of wonder.
Wonder motivates learning, creativity, and a deep engagement with the realities and mysteries of the world. Wonder goes beyond curiosity, as it is not just a longing to know the unknown, but is able to revisit prior knowledge with fresh eyes, as if it were the first time.
Jennifer’s aim is to not only communicate scientific and social truth through her illustrations, but to evoke a sense of wonder - to open the doors to deeper engagement with ideas and concepts.
Using a combination of the tactility of traditional media and the flexibility of digital illustration software, Jennifer’s stippled drawings and textured collages attempt to evoke the wonder of the macro and microscopic: a starry night sky, but also the atoms we are made of. A geological landscape, but also the layering of tissues and cells. Jennifer sees her own wonder and engagement, with both subject, and the creative process, as an essential part of making work that inspires such in others.
