Heart Agency

What Heart Agency does

Heart Agency is a privately held, London-headquartered illustration talent agency founded in 1994, with a secondary office in New York. The company represents a curated roster of more than 35 professional illustrators — including names such as Tom Gauld, Laura Carlin, Marc Boutavant, George Wylesol, and Fien Jorissen — and matches them with enterprise clients across publishing, editorial, technology, fashion and luxury, music and entertainment, cultural institutions, and sports. Confirmed client engagements span Penguin Random House, Folio Society, The New York Times, The Economist, Bloomberg Businessweek, Google, Apple, Netflix, Burberry, Chanel, Adidas, HUGO Boss, A24, Royal Mail, the V&A, and the British Library, covering use cases from book covers and editorial illustration to campaign work, title sequences, stamp design, and limited-edition merchandise.

The agency's core "product" is artist representation and project brokerage rather than a software platform; there is no proprietary technology stack, AI capability, API, or SDK disclosed. Supporting the representation business, Heart operates a small owned-media portfolio comprising the Beat publication, the Talking Heads interview series, and the Conversations zine, used for brand-building and industry positioning. Marketing channels are primarily the agency's website portfolio, the @heart_agency Instagram account, and participation in the American Illustration competition (AI45).

The revenue model is commission-based: Heart earns a percentage of fees generated when a represented illustrator is placed with a client for a specific project. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per engagement based on scope, usage rights, and complexity. The go-to-market motion is relationship-driven and consultative — the agency works directly with enterprise art buyers, brand teams, and editorial commissioners to identify appropriate illustrators from its roster. The company is founder-led with no disclosed external investment, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no recorded M&A or funding activity in the available data.

Name

Heart Agency

Legal name

Heart Agency

Website

https://heartagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Heart Agency is a privately held London-based illustration talent agency founded in 1994, representing 35+ professional illustrators for enterprise clients in publishing, editorial, fashion, technology, and cultural institutions across Europe and North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Illustration Talent Representation

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (711410)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Creative Talent Booking (Photographers, Videographers, Content Creators) (HSACAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creator Talent Management & Representation (MPAAAHAB), Full-Service Artist Management (MPAIAGAA)

Keywords

• Artist representation
• Illustration agency
• Commercial illustration
• Editorial illustration
• Creative talent management

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Artist Representation and Commission: Heart Agency represents a roster of illustrators and matches them with clients seeking illustration services for editorial, publishing, and commercial projects. The agency earns commission from these transactions between illustrators and clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Heart Agency is an illustration representation agency that maintains a curated roster of more than 35 professional illustrators and connects them with editorial, publishing, advertising, brand, and cultural institution clients. The agency matches artists to projects across book covers, magazine illustration, campaign visuals, animations, title sequences, album artwork, and stamp design, earning commissions on placements. It also produces its own publications, including the 'Beat' magazine and the 'Conversations' zine, and recently released a 30th-anniversary book titled 'What Happened'.

Product overview

Heart Agency is an illustration agency founded in 1994, representing a roster of professional illustrators for editorial, publishing, advertising, and brand clients. The agency offers artist representation services, connecting artists with commercial and editorial projects. The agency also produces its own publications including 'Beat' and 'Conversations' zine. The portfolio spans diverse illustration styles across print, digital, animation, and book publishing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Beat: A publication produced by Heart Agency featuring illustration work and artist interviews
• Talking Heads

Products and services

• Artist Representation Services Core representation service in which Heart Agency manages a roster of professional illustrators and connects them with enterprise clients in editorial, publishing, advertising, brand, fashion, music, technology, and cultural sectors for commissioned illustration projects.
• Beat Publication In-house publication produced by Heart Agency featuring editorial content, illustrator work, and artist interviews, including issues Beat #6 and Beat #7.
• Conversations Zine Collaborative publication produced by Heart Agency featuring artist interviews and artwork collaborations.
• What Happened Anniversary Book Special book project marking Heart Agency's 30th anniversary, featuring artworks by represented artists inspired by a significant event from one year between 1994 and 2025.

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Big Active: Big Active is a London-based creative agency and talent management firm representing photographers, illustrators, and directors for advertising, fashion, and cultural clients. It overlaps with Heart's illustration representation but operates across broader creative disciplines.

Regional players

• The Jacky Winter Group: The Jacky Winter Group is an Australian illustration and creative agency representing illustrators for commercial and editorial work. Operates the same talent-representation model as Heart but is regionally focused on Australia and Asia-Pacific.

Direct peers

• Handsome Frank: Handsome Frank is a UK-based illustration agency representing a curated roster of illustrators for editorial, publishing, and commercial clients. It is the closest direct peer to Heart Agency in terms of model, geography, and client mix.
• Bernstein & Andriulli: Bernstein & Andriulli is a US-based talent representation agency with a strong illustration division representing artists for editorial, advertising, and publishing clients. Comparable to Heart in its artist-representation model and enterprise client focus.
• Outline Artists: Outline Artists is a UK-based illustration agency representing illustrators for editorial, advertising, and design commissions. Directly comparable to Heart in business model, roster approach, and target client base.
• Richard Solomon Artists: Richard Solomon Artists is a US illustration agency representing illustrators for editorial, advertising, and publishing projects. Comparable to Heart in its artist-representation focus and blue-chip client engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/heart_agency
• Xx.com/Heart_Agency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heart Agency