Handsome Frank

In short

Handsome Frank is a London illustration and animation agency set up in 2010 by cousins Jon and Tom, two grandsons of the Frank in the name, who met in a pub after careers in publishing and design. It represents more than 40 artists across five continents, Malika Favre, Jean Jullien and Tobias Hall among them, and runs as a team of four handling commissions and project management. It is #2 on our illustration ranking.

The commissions it shows off are mostly brand and public work. Tobias Hall drew the identity refresh for Sipsmith Gin, Agathe Singer illustrated coffee packaging for Fortnum & Mason, and Bruno Mangyoku's art went onto a Coca-Cola can. Andrew Joyce produced a suite of characters for wayfinding signage at the British Library, and Charlie Davis illustrated Transport for London's 25th anniversary. Apple, Google, Nike and Netflix are also on the client list.

Brands and creative agencies that know the look they want, and need the right artist found, contracted and kept on schedule, are the natural users, whether for a campaign, packaging or an animated spot. Handsome Frank does not run the wider project, so strategy, layout, copy and the rest of the brand system have to come from an in-house team or a design studio; its job ends at the artwork.