Gemma O'Brien

Illustrator

Gemma O’Brien is an internationally renowned designer and artist known for her bold graphics, illustrative lettering and murals. Her work has been commissioned by Apple, Nike, Google, and is held in the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City. Outside her commercial design work, she explores language, nature and the human experience through her art practice.

See Gemma O'Brien's poster design for Rare with Google Leadership Academy 2020 here.

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Still frame of Dr Sanah Ahsan on a stage wearing a red suit.

dr sanah ahsan: the practice of care and freedom against systems of domination

Still frame of Erika Soto-Lamb talking speaking at ADCOLOR

erika soto-lamb: challenging domination through presence

Still frame of Jimmy Smith: talking to a group of people at ADCOLOR

jimmy smith: on being a nathan

Still frame of Dr Tsedale Melaku from the waist up wearing a floral dress.

dr tsedale melaku: examining allyship

Still frame of Aries Moross on stage at Semi Permanent Sydney.

aries moross: creating inclusive work

Still frame of Royce Akers on stage at Semi Permanent Sydney.

royce akers: creating inclusive teams

Still frame of from the Rare with Google panel discussion with Shantell Wetherall, Royce Akers, Felicia Foxx, Nooky and Aries Moross in front of a LED screen on stage at Semi Permanent 2022.

shantel wetherall, aries moross, royce akers, nooky and felicia foxx: how to design leadership for change?

Still frame of Ben Miles and Nooky on stage at Semi Permnanet Sydney 2022.

we are warriors: nooky & ben miles, ecd r/ga

Still frame of John C Jay seated on a brown leather sofa with a black shirt and grey trousers.

john c jay: creating connections

Still frame of Mama Alto from the waist up wearing cat-eye tortoise shell glasses against a red studio backdrop.

mama alto: ways to approach boundary setting

Still frame of Africa Brooke from the waist up against a teal studio backdrop

africa brooke: three steps to setting boundaries

Still frame of Aries Moross from the waist up against a yellow studio backdrop.

aries moross: know your worth and maximise your value

Still frame of Caroline Casey from the chest up wearing thick round frame glasses against a yellow studio backdrop.

caroline casey: with labels come limits

Still frame of Takunda Muzondiwa against a white wall with black and white images on it and a map of Africa.

takunda muzondiwa: hold onto your heritage

Still frame of Jimmy Smith wearing a black t-shirt against a white wall.

jimmy smith: stay rare

Still frame of Blair Imani in a blue hijab.

blair imani: the tough gets going

Still frame of Cheryl Maas from the chest up looking off to the side against a green backdrop with a snowboard in the background.

cheryl maas: find your unstoppable

Still frame of Kumi Tominaga against a red studio backdrop.

kumi tominaga: the upside of discomfort

Still frame of Jordan Bambach against a blue studio backdrop.

laura jordan bambach: feel the fear, and do it anyway

Still frame of Tea Uglow in a beanie with headphones around her neck with a curtain and bookcase in the background.

tea uglow: if the system doesn't work for you, hack it

Still frame of Charlie Craggs with their hands clasped together from the chest up against a white curtain with flowers in the foreground.

charlie craggs: how i tackled bigotry

Still frame of Sandra Bold in heavy thick frame black glasses with a plant to the right.

sandra bold: how i started a movement

bejay mulenga: how i met the queen at 21

Still frame of Light Watkins in front of a greens studio backdrop.

light watkins: finding meaning through meditation

Still frame of Robett Hollis sat on a chair near the water with a bridge in the background.

robett hollis: lead the movement you wish existed

Still frame of Alma Har'el on stage at the Rare with Google speaker program Cannes Lions 2019

alma har'el: liberate talent discovery

Still frame of Liz Jackson on stage at the Rare with Google speaker program Cannes Lions 2019

liz jackson: the original hackers

Still frame of Ete Davies on stage at the Rare with Google speaker program Cannes Lions 2019

ete davies: leave no one behind

Still shot of Wangu Chafuwa sat on a stool from waist up.

rare community: reframing allyship

Takunda Muzondiwa from the shoudler up against a yellow studio backdrop

takunda muzondiwa: a spoken word poem on allyship

Image of Dr Sanah Ahsan smiling from the shoulders up wearing a colourful striped jacket and magenta pink top.

dr sanah ahsan: psychologist & poet

Image of Erika Soto-Lamb wearing gold hoop earrings, purple top and a check blazer.

erika soto-lamb: vice president, social impact strategy, showtime/mtv entertainment studios at paramount global.

Image of Jimmy Smith in a black t-shirt from the chest up.

jimmy smith: founder, amusement park

Image of Dr Tsedale Melaku smiling from the chest up wearing a floral top and red blazer, with silver hoop earrings.

dr. tsedale melaku: sociologist, assistant professor of management at the zicklin school of business, baruch college (cuny), and author of 'you don’t look like a lawyer: black women and systemic gendered racism'

aries moross: illustrator & art director

Image of Shantell Wetherall laughing, looking down and to the side, wearing a navy blue top with pink translucent eyewear.

shantel wetherall: writer, podcast host of 'hey aunty!'

Image of Royce Akers from the shoulders up wearing a white button-up shirt with a colourful checked blazer.

royce akers: operating partner, mash

Image of Nooky against a brick wall wearing a black WAW t-shirt with a black cap.

nooky: indigenous rapper

Image of Felicia Foxx from the shoulders up wearing a black bucket hat, sunglasses and one earring.

felicia foxx: performing artist

Image of We Are Warriors Ben Miles and Nooky standing outside against a brick wall backdrop.

we are warriors: nooky & ben miles, ecd r/ga

Black and white photo of John C Jay wearing a coat and shirt.

john c jay: president of brand creative for fast retailing, owner of uniqlo

mama alto: jazz singer & ceo transgender victoria

Image of Africa Brook wearing red nail polish and a brown top with her hand resting against her face.

africa brooke: consultant & writer

Image of Caroline Casey wearing a black turtleneck, smiling into the camera from the chest up.

caroline casey: activist & management consultant

takunda muzondiwa: spoken word poet

blair imani: author, historian & activist

cheryl maas: pro-snowboarder

kumi tominaga: head of japan, creative shop @ meta

laura jordan bambach: president & chief creative officer at grey

tea uglow: creative director

charlie craggs: actress, activist, and author

sandra bold: cco at wunderman thompson benelux

bejay mulenga: entrepeuneur, founder ceo, creative consultant and public speaker

light watkins: speaker, podcaster, author, teacher

robett hollis: ex-professional snowboarder, entrepenuer, speaker and advisor

liz jackson: founder of the disabled list

malik al nasir: author, performance poet and filmmaker

tara mckenty: co-founder of rare with google

stefanie digianvincenzo: co-founder of rare with google

lo harris: multidisciplinary artist & illustrator

Black and white photo for Reggie Black from the shoulders up wearing a brimmed hat.

reggie black: artist

claudia chinyere akole: artist & illustrator

gemma o'brien: illustrator

Image of Oliver Costello smiling from the waist up, sitting infront of a fire wearing a black shirt with white illustration.

oliver costello: director of jagun alliance aboriginal corporation

Image of Arieta Tegeilolo Talanoa Rika from the chest up against a backdrop of trees with a floral top and black jacket.

arieta tegeilolo talanoa rika: writer, storyteller & founder of talanoa

Image of Reg Flowers from the waist up wearing a grey suit and shirt.

reg flowers: theatre professional and teaching artist

sulaiman khan: founder and chief radical officer of this ability limited

Double-page scan from the Rare with Google 2020 publication featuring portait of Oliver Costello from the shoulders up.

oliver costello our work is creation work as told to shantel wetherall

Double-page scan from the Rare with Google 2020 publication featuring portait of Arieta Tegeilolo Talanoa Rika

arieta tegeilolo talanoa rika the foundation of recovery interview by shantel wetherall

Double-page scan from the Rare with Google 2020 publication of Reg Flowers.

reg flowers flourishing on the fringe interview by shantel wetherall

Double-page scan from the Rare with Google 2020 publication of Naomi Stead seated on a chair speaking into a microphone.

naomi stead the architecture of wicked problems interview by shantel wetherall

Double-page scan from the Rare with Google 2020 publication of Sulaiman Khan and Naheed Rubi Khan.

sulaiman khan and naheed rubi khan the way forward interview by chris kenna

An illustrated poster featuring two people in muted greens, reds, oranges and pinks by Lo Harris.

still i rise by lo harris

A poster by Reggie Black featuring handwritten Rare with Google mantras in blue, white and grey on a black background.

adcolor leaders mantras by reggie black

A typographic artwork by Claudia Chinyere featuring handwritten Rare with Google mantras in various sizes, in white on an orange background.

rare mantras 2022 by claudia chinyere akole

A bold, handwritten typographic artwork by Aries Moross featuring handwritten Rare with Google mantras in black and white.

rare mantras 2021 by aries moross

A lively, handwritten typographic artwork by Gemma OBrien featuring handwritten Rare with Google mantras in white on a green background.

rare mantras 2020 by gemma o'brien