About Philip Straub
Passion. Creativity. Vision. Strategy
Crafting Iconic Worlds for Legendary Brands
Philip Straub is an Art Director, worldbuilder, and Creative Director passionate about building emotionally resonant, visually compelling, and strategically grounded experiences. Philip has contributed to major franchises including Marvel’s Black Panther, Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, Madden, NCAA, and Lineage, and created the award-winning IP Utherworlds — a richly layered mythic universe shaped by archetype, metaphor, and storytelling.
Creative Clarity. Operational Impact. Inspired Teams.
Philip has led teams ranging from focused pre-production pods to global teams of over 100 developers, including outsourced partners. Philip adapts leadership and creative strategy to meet the specific needs of each product — from early prototyping to full-scale production. Regardless of team size, Philip prioritizes clarity, collaboration, and a culture where creative teams can thrive.
Philip’s strengths lie at the intersection of creative direction and production fluency. He has introduced scalable 3D concept workflows, helped define early product branding, and partnered closely with narrative and marketing teams to align visual storytelling with execution.
Strategic Creativity. Scalable Storytelling.
Philip Straub has built two complementary creative businesses: an illustration studio where he created artwork for global IPs including Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, Game of Thrones, and World of Warcraft; and a separate licensing business built around original content and partnerships — resulting in multi-million dollar global merchandise sales. Philip also illustrated over 30+ children’s books and dozens of book covers, including the bestselling Maze Runner series, and served on the advisory board for Paier College of Art.
In addition to games and publishing, Philip has contributed to children’s edutainment projects for companies like Disney, Fisher-Price, Mattel, and Nickelodeon — helping to craft visually engaging, age-appropriate content that educates as much as it entertains.
Philip leads with passion, curiosity, and creative clarity — building worlds, teams, and business ventures that connect, scale, and endure.
A Partial List of Clients
A partial list of clients include: Scholastic, John Wiley and Sons, Universal Studios, Fisher Price, Mattel, Utne Reader, Penguin, RJ Reynolds, National Geographic, Big Tuna Trading and Mercer Mayer, McGraw-Hill, Simon and Schuster, Harper Collins, TSR, Random House, Draft Worldwide, Ballistic Publishing, Golden Books, Harper Festival, Future Publishing, Corel, Electronic Arts, Magic the Gathering, Softmotion, Brewster Wallcoverings, Atlas Wallcoverings, Wallsauce, Hasbro, Communication Arts, American Traditional, Satchi and Satchi, Martin Design, CR Gibson, Wizards of the Coast, Little Brown, Science Fiction Book Club, David Textiles, Gander Mountain, Sci Fi Channel, Popcap Games, Synthelabo Global, Stylorouge, Gelaskins, Skinit, Murals Your Way, Endless Games, The Canadian Group, Sunsout, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Toyota, Del Rey, Delacorte, Ceaco, Heaven and Earth, Dianoche, Activision Blizzard, Magic Murals, Leanin Tree, Ravensburger, Cryptozoic,and Nickelodeon.
Awards and Recognition
Philip Straub’s career has been honored with an extensive list of awards across illustration, concept art, digital media, and entertainment design. Early in his journey, he was selected for the Society of Illustrators Student Show, and just a year later, had two pieces accepted into the Society of Illustrators Professional Exhibition—a rare distinction for a young illustrator. Over the years, his work has earned Silver and Bronze Medals from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles and appeared in over a dozen volumes of Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, beginning with Spectrum 4 and continuing through Spectrum 19, marking a decades-long presence in the world of imaginative visual storytelling.
As Director of Art on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Philip contributed to a project that achieved both critical and commercial success. The game received eight awards at the 18th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, including Outstanding Achievement in Game Design, Animation, Character, Story, Innovation, and Technical Achievement. It also won Outstanding Art Direction, Fantasy at the NAVGTR Awards, and earned Excellence in Animation at the SXSW Gaming Awards, along with recognition from BAFTA and the Game Developers Choice Awards. These honors reflect the game's groundbreaking visual and narrative accomplishments—and the creative leadership behind them.
Philip’s original IP, Utherworlds, has also garnered extensive acclaim, earning over a dozen international awards for its visual innovation, web experience, animation, and book design. These include Gold and Platinum Medals from the AVA Digital Awards, multiple Silver Awards from the Communicator Awards, top honors from the Horizon Interactive Awards, Pixel Awards, and the Web Awards, and a Grand Prize at the Indie Book Awards.
In addition to his creative work, Philip has served on advisory boards for Paier College of Art, Corel, Ballistic Publishing’s Exposé series, and CGSociety, and was recognized as a Corel Painter Master for his contributions to the evolution of digital painting tools and education.
These accolades reflect Philip’s lifelong dedication to visual storytelling—across genres, platforms, and audiences—and his lasting influence on both published art and immersive entertainment worlds.
Bronze Medal
Issued by Society of Illustrators Los Angeles · Jan 2009
Bronze Medal in the "Society of Illustrators Los Angeles" 47th annual competition
Spectrum 17
Issued by Spectrum Fantastic Art · Jan 2009
Inclusion in Spectrum Fantastic Arts Competition
Expose' 6 Advisory Board Member
Issued by Ballistic Publishing · Jan 2008
Judge for Ballistic Publishing annual Digital Arts Competition
Gold Award in Digital Media
Issued by London International (collaboration on "Tinman" ) · Jan 2008
Spectrum 15
Issued by Spectrum Fantastic Art · Jan 2008
Illustrations accepted in Spectrum Fantastic Arts Annual competition
Spectrum 14
Issued by Spectrum Fantastic Art · Jan 2007
Illustrations accepted in Spectrum Fantastic Arts Annual competition
Corel Painter 10 Advisory Board Member
Issued by Corel · Jan 2006
Helped develop new tools, brushes, and features for Corel Painter 10
Silver Medal
Issued by Society of Illustrators Los Angeles · Jan 2006
Silver Medal in the "Society of Illustrators Los Angeles" 44th annual competition
Spectrum 13
Issued by Spectrum Fantastic Art · Jan 2006
Illustrations accepted in Spectrum Fantastic Arts Annual competition
CGSociety Advisory Board Member
Issued by CGTalk, Ballistic Publishing · Jan 2005
Founding Member of the Digital Arts Organization, CGSociety
Spectrum 12
Issued by Spectrum Fantastic Art · Jan 2005
Illustrations accepted in Spectrum Fantastic Arts Annual competition
Spectrum 11
Issued by Spectrum Fantastic Art · Jan 2004
Illustrations accepted in Spectrum Fantastic Arts Annual competition
Society of Illustrators Los Angeles 43
Issued by Society of Illustrators Los Angeles · Jan 2003
Inclusion in the Society of Illustrators Los Angeles annual juried competition
Spectrum 8
Issued by Spectrum Fantastic Arts · Jan 2001
Illustrations accepted in Spectrum Fantastic Arts Annual competition
Spectrum 5
Issued by Spectrum Fantastic Art · Jan 1998
Illustrations accepted in Spectrum Fantastic Arts Annual competition
Spectrum 4
Issued by Spectrum Fantastic Art · Jan 1997
Illustrations accepted in Spectrum Fantastic Arts Annual competition
Society of Illustrators 38
Issued by Society of Illustrators · Jan 1996
Inclusion in the annual Illustration Competition gallery and book showcase for the Society of Illustrators
Spectrum 16
Issued by Spectrum Fantastic Art
Illustrations accepted in Spectrum Fantastic Arts Annual competition
Paier College of Art Advisory Board
Develop Curriculum · 2022-2025
Utherworlds: Silver Award, Visual Appeal
Issued by W3 · Sep 2014
Utherworlds: Gold Medal, Web Graphics
Issued by AVA Awards · Jun 2014
Utherworlds: Platinum Medal, Special Effects
Issued by AVA Awards · Jun 2014
Utherworlds: Platinum Medal, Web Animation
Issued by AVA Digital Awards · Jun 2014
Utherworlds: Silver Medal, Websites- Art
Issued by Communicator Awards · May 2014
Utherworlds: Silver Medal, Websites- Entertainment
Issued by Communicator Awards · May 2014
Utherworlds: Silver Medal, Websites- Motion Graphics
Issued by Communicator Awards · May 2014
Utherworlds: Silver Medal, Websites- Publishing
Issued by Communicator Awards · May 2014
Utherworlds: Bronze Medal, Video, Promotional
Issued by Horizon Interactive Awards · Apr 2013
Utherworlds: Gold Medal, Entertainment Industry
Issued by Horizon Interactive Awards · Apr 2013
Utherworlds: Silver Medal, Motion Graphics
Issued by Horizon Interactive Awards · Apr 2013
Utherworlds: Silver Medal, Self Promotion
Issued by Horizon Interactive Awards · Apr 2013
Bronze Medal
Issued by Society of Illustrators Los Angeles · Dec 2012
Spectrum 19
Issued by Spectrum · Apr 2012
Silver Medal
Issued by Society of Illustrators Los Angeles · Jan 2012
Animation Finalist
Issued by Pixel Award · Jan 2010I
Finalist in the Pixel Awards for Utherworlds.com
Award of Excellence
Issued by Web Awards · Jan 2010
Award of Excellence from Web Awards for Utherworlds.com
Fantasy Fiction Finalist
Issued by Indie Book Awards · Jan 2010
Finalist for Fantasy Fiction in the 2010 Indie Book Awards for Utherworlds
Grand Prize
Issued by Indie Book Awards · Jan 2010
Award of Excellence from Web Awards for Utherworlds, The Illustrated Novel
Honorable Mention for Visual Development
Issued by Society of Illustrators Los Angeles · Jan 2010
Expose' 7 Advisory Board Member
Issued by Ballistic Publishing
Judge for Ballistic Publishing annual digital Arts competition
Corel Painter Master
Issued by Corel - 2010-present