Yaniv Shimony

For Portfolio

Date of Birth: July 17, 1961
Education
B.Des, Department of Visual Communication
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem
1982–1986

Professional Profile

Independent illustrator and designer with extensive professional experience. Works across children’s book illustration in Israel and internationally, comics, character design for animation, concept art, and visual development for projects in advertising, cinema, television, and journalism. His practice operates at the intersection of illustration, animation, visual culture, and narrative content.
Awards and Honors
•    2010 – Israel Museum Prize for Children’s Book Illustration, for The Adventures of David Arieh in the Plains of Romania by Yanetz Levy.
•    2020 – Award for Best Visual Design for Documentary Series, presented by the Israeli Documentary Forum, for the opening titles and animated segments of the documentary series Kingdoms Below (in collaboration with Dotan Goldwasser).
•    2025 – The theatrical production Tin Brother received the Israeli Children’s and Youth Theatre Award 2025, including Children’s Production of the Year, as well as awards for set design, lighting design, video design, puppet design, and music. The production was also nominated for directing, playwriting, and supporting actress.
Teaching
•    Lecturer, Department of Animation, Minshar School of Art – character and environment design.
•    Lecturer, The Israeli Animation College – character design.
Selected Projects
•    2024 – Tin Brother – theatrical adaptation of the graphic novel written and illustrated by Yaniv Shimoni; adapted and produced by the Holon Mediatheque Theatre.
•    2023 – The Myth Machine – documentary series exploring Israeli myths; set design.
•    2021 – Tin Brother – graphic novel for young readers; writing and illustration.
•    2019 – Kingdoms Below – documentary series on Hasidic communities; design and illustration of opening titles and animated segments.
•    2018 – Goshen – animated feature film; co-writer and designer; recipient of a development grant from the Rabinovich Foundation.
•    2017 – The Great Eagle – documentary series about Maimonides; design and illustration of opening titles and animated segments.
•    2016 – Landscape of Childhood – short musical animated film; background design and illustration.
•    2015 – The Nobelists – documentary series on Israeli Nobel Prize laureates; opening titles and animated segments.
•    2012, 2014 – Journey to the Planet of the Minimikim 1–2 – animated feature films, Shortcut Playground Studio; lead designer and head of the art department.
•    2007 – NanoComics – scientific comics project for the Weizmann Institute of Science.
Previous Professional Experience
•    1998–2000 – YES Television, Promo Department – founding team member; art director and designer.
•    1990–1992 – London – illustrator for Judge Dredd comics.
•    1987–1998 – Art director at leading Israeli advertising agencies, including Publicis Ariely, Reuveni-Friedan, and Gitam.
Illustrated Books (Selected)
The Adventures of David Arieh series by Yanetz Levy (6 books; translated into multiple languages); Tin Brother – graphic novel (writing and illustration); Children of the Tree House series by Ran Cohen Aharonov; The Perfect Story series by Eldad Ilani; Ben-Gurion: Israel’s First Prime Minister by Devorah Omer; books by Rinat Primo; How Mathematics Was Abolished by Aviad Kleinberg; Beware of the Belly Button by Sharon Kantor; Teacher Drora Is Not a Monster by Yanetz Levy; Flight Book by Eyal Kitzis and Tal Friedman; What’s Our Story by Uri Kerman; The Happiness Cake by Yossi Lev; The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum