Folio Art

In short

Folio started in 1976 in a small London basement shop opened by Nicholas Dawe, who still runs it, and now works from a studio on Crawford Street representing about 70 illustrators and animators, from painters and printmakers to vector and 3D artists. It has a long record on artists' rights: Dawe helped set up the Association of Illustrators and later the Society of Artists Agents. It is #3 on our illustration ranking.

Its artists made Syd Brak's airbrushed Athena posters in the 1980s and Jason Brooks's Hed Kandi club art in the 1990s. Recent commissions lean toward packaging and brand campaigns: HifuMiyo illustrated Harrods' ceremonial matcha gift range, Bodil Jane drew a map of 12 romantic Amsterdam spots for Hinge, and Carolyn Jenkins painted watercolours for Barbour x FARM Rio that were animated for short films and covered the walls of a Liberty pop-up.

Publishers, brands and their agencies that want an experienced agent to match a brief to the right artist, then handle licensing, deadlines and delivery, get what Folio is built for; Disney, Apple, Airbnb and McCann have all hired through it, and its search by medium, subject and format makes shortlisting quick. It is not a design studio, so branding, layout, web or campaign strategy needs another partner, with Folio supplying the artwork inside it.