Burlington, Vermont

DAVID ZACHARIS

I create playful and imaginative illustrations exploring music, cinema, and popular culture, with a touch of fantasy all my own. Inspired by vintage illustration and animation, my work captures the energy of the present and the nostalgia of the past.

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Selected Work

Sleeves, posters & other ephemera

Eighteen pieces, pulled from the record sleeves, gig posters and shop prints — click any tile for the full story. More lands regularly at Boyish Charms.

David Zacharis, self-portrait

Illustrator & Design Director
Burlington, Vermont

About

I’ve always drawn things.

I’ve drawn musicians, records, posters, portraits, strange characters, and whatever else has lodged itself in my brain. Somewhere in there I also started an independent record label, spent twenty years playing in an indie-pop band, and built a career designing things and leading creative teams. None of it was particularly planned. It all just seems to come from the same place: I like making things, and I like making things with people I like.

These days I split my time between leading a design org, playing shows with The Smittens, DJing Unhappy Hour, collect far too many records, and draw whenever I can. I’m also available for freelance illustration, album art, gig posters, editorial work, characters, branding, and particularly those odd ideas that are a little difficult to explain.

  • Burlington City Arts — Board Member
  • The Smittens — Creative Director & Bass
  • Dangerfive Records — Founder, 13 releases
  • UVM — Strategic Leader Certificate
“

Les œuvres charmantes et créatives de David Zacharis, illustrateur et designer web de la belle ville de Burlington, dans le Vermont.

Other Adventures

Somewhere along the way...

2025 — Present
Advisory Board of Director, Burlington City Arts
Advising on grants and programming for Vermont's flagship arts organization.
2009 — Present
Director of Product & Design, ProSites / CPA Site Solutions / PracticeMojo / LifeLearn
Leads a distributed team of 16 designers, front-end developers, and PMs across four SaaS brands.
2002 — Present
Creative Director & Bassist, The Smittens
Visual identity, packaging & promo for an internationally touring indie-pop band.
2000 — Present
Freelance Illustrator & Designer
Editorial illustration, posters & album art for Burlington City Arts, Vermont Folklife Center, American Public Media, Fika Recordings, Martha, Fortitude Valley & Last Leaves.
2004 — 2009
Technical Services Manager, The Kea Group
Led QA and web development for an ERP software provider.
1999 — 2008
Founder & Creative Director, Dangerfive Records
Released & distributed 13 albums across CD, vinyl & digital formats.
1997 — 2003
Web Marketing Coordinator, Pycon Inc.
Web development, technical illustration & marketing for a semiconductor technology company.
J'ai envie d'mettre un disque pour embêter les voisins — playlist cover
Now Spinning

J'ai envie d'mettre un disque
pour embêter les voisins

French, roughly: “I feel like putting on a record to annoy the neighbors.” The studio playlist — yé-yé pop, New Wave soundtracks and jangly indie-pop, the same record crates that feed the illustration work. 79 songs · ~3h 30m · updated regularly.

  • Roller GirlAnna Karina
  • Ça Plane Pour MoiPlastic Bertrand
  • Laisse Tomber Les FillesApril March
  • Tu Es Un Être ParfaitFleur
Listen on Spotify
Clients & Collaborators — Burlington City Arts Vermont Folklife Center American Public Media Fika Recordings Martha Fortitude Valley Last Leaves The Smittens Clients & Collaborators — Burlington City Arts Vermont Folklife Center American Public Media Fika Recordings Martha Fortitude Valley Last Leaves The Smittens Boyish Charms
Open for Freelance Work

Let's draw something together

Gig posters, album art, editorial illustration, brand identity — if it needs drawing, let's talk.

david@zacharis.com