Illustration
Florian Bayer has been working as a freelance illustrator since 2007. He began his career in Brighton, England, before spending eleven years in Berlin, where he became known primarily for his editorial and book illustrations, which have received numerous awards, including the World Illustration Award, the Lead Award, the European Design Award and the German Design Award. Florian Bayer is now based in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany, where he runs his studio.
His work has been exhibited in numerous cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, London, Brighton, Milan, Montpellier, Paris, Zagreb, Los Angeles and Seoul.
In 2008, his book Selbständig: Traumberuf Illustrator (Self-Employed: The Dream Job of an Illustrator), an introductory guide for aspiring illustrators, was published by Stiebner Verlag, Munich (ISBN 978-3-8307-1359-3).
In 2025, his book Des Dodos neue Territorien – Potenziale der Illustration in Zeiten der KI (The Dodo’s New Territories – The Potential of Illustration in the Age of AI) was published as volume 2 of edition orange, edited by Barbara M. Eggert.
Teaching / Talks / Workshops
Florian Bayer has been teaching since 2009. He began as a freelance lecturer in illustration and later held a teaching position with special responsibilities at Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences (formerly Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences, formerly known as Fachhochschule Würzburg-Schweinfurt). Since 2023, Florian Bayer has been Professor of Illustration at Merz Akademie.
In addition to his teaching, Florian Bayer gives talks and conducts workshops at higher education institutions, including Mainz University of Applied Sciences and the University of Europe for Applied Sciences (formerly BTK Berlin), as well as at organisations and events such as Austria Wirtschaftsservice in Vienna, Designforum Vorarlberg and the Joy of Graphic Design Festival in Hamburg.
Publishing
As the founder of the art collective and network Shake Your Tree, Florian Bayer has been responsible for a wide range of publications, exhibitions and events.
Together with his fellow Shake Your Tree members, Florian Bayer co-founded the independent publishing house Naives And Visionaries. As co-publisher, he oversaw numerous publications that brought together poetry, prose, painting, photography and other art forms in an interdisciplinary approach. The project involved international artists and writers, including David Ostrowski, Leif Randt, Rabea Edel, Will Sweeney, Thomas Marecki, Nico Krijno, Anne Vagt and Frank Höhne.
The limited-edition artists’ books were produced using a variety of printing techniques, including screen printing, risography and offset printing. Shake Your Tree / Naives And Visionaries has become an established name in the art zine and independent micropress scene, presenting exhibitions and talks in cities including Berlin, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Rome, London and Madrid.
