David A. Carter (born March 4, 1957) is an American author and illustrator. He is best known for his pop-up books for both children and adults. His Bugs series has sold over 6 million copies in the U.S.. 600 Black Spots (2007) and White Noise (2008) were both chosen for the New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Book Award.
During the late 1970s, Carter worked as a graphic designer and advertising illustrator in his home state of Utah. Until 1987, he worked as an artist, paper engineer, and book designer, for a pop-up book publishing house in Los Angeles, California. Building on the success of How Many Bugs in a Box?, he embarked on his current career as an author, illustrator, and paper engineer, primarily of children’s books. Carter collaborates with his wife, Noelle Carter, and various authors. David Carter has created more than 120 books, including guides on how to make pop-ups titled, The Elements of Pop Up and The Complexities of Pop Up. He designed a pop-up for a hardback book by the British band, Coldplay, for their 2011 album, Mylo Xyloto. He enjoys creating pop-up card designs for MoMA on a regular basis. His work has been included in the Art of Pop-Up books exhibitions in the United States, France, Japan, Taiwan, and China.
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Watch David’s 2011 lecture from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries Paper Engineering Series: