What Illustratörcentrum does

Illustratörcentrum is a Swedish non-profit association (ideell förening), founded in 1975 and headquartered at Hantverkargatan 45 K in Stockholm, that operates as the country's largest provider of visual-communication services for professional illustrators, graphic designers, animators, game designers, and comic artists. It functions as cultural infrastructure, operating as one of 13 Swedish trade centers serving an estimated 12,000 professional creatives, with regional representatives covering West, North, South and East Sweden. Its core products are the annually published Swedish Illustrators & Graphic Designers catalog (featuring 159 vetted creatives and awarded Best Catalogue by Svenska Publishingpriset in 2013 and 2021), an online portfolio platform on illustratorcentrum.se that draws approximately 70,000 unique visitors annually, a free commission-facilitation/consulting service that matches clients with appropriate creatives, and the co-developed Konstdepartementet online booking platform that connects professional artists with schools for curriculum-aligned workshops.

The organization monetizes primarily through annual membership subscriptions of SEK 600 (SEK 400 for members of affiliate Svenska Tecknare), modest catalog retail sales distributed through approximately eleven Swedish outlets including Konst/ig Books, Adlibris, Bokus, and Teckningsmuseet, and supplementary programming such as the Pixel & Penna newsletter (eight issues per year) and events including Bokmässan, Seriefest i Väst, and CAP&Design Live. Its go-to-market combines direct enterprise client facilitation with content marketing via website search and newsletter, while distribution is overwhelmingly domestic Swedish with an emerging Nordic footprint.

Governance is member-driven through an elected board chaired by Fredrik Anvin, with Valeria Hedman currently serving as Acting Director, supported by a small staff of 1–10 employees including a commissions facilitator, member coordinator, and communications officer. The organization holds a board seat on the European Illustrators Federation (since 2024) and represented its members' positions at UNESCO's MONDIACULT 2025 conference in Barcelona, anchoring a growing role in EU-level AI and copyright policy advocacy for the illustration sector.

Name

Illustratörcentrum

Legal name

Illustratörcentrum

Website

https://illustratorcentrum.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sweden's largest non-profit association (founded 1975) connecting professional illustrators, graphic designers, and animators with clients through its annual catalog, portfolio platform, and free commission facilitation. Operates as cultural infrastructure serving roughly 12,000 Swedish professional creatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Talent Marketplace

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Graphic Design Services (54143), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Content & Creative Studio for Creators (Concepting/Production) (MPAAAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Design & Maker Skills (Graphic Design, Calligraphy, Lettering) (EDAAAGAJ), Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF), Digital Arts & Design (Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation) (EDAMAAAB)

Keywords

• Illustration services
• Graphic design
• Creative talent platform
• Visual communication
• Artist directory

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership fees: SEK 600 per calendar year for regular members, SEK 400 for members of Svenska Tecknare. Membership provides portfolio page, catalog inclusion, and access to courses/seminars/workshops.
2. Catalog sales: The Swedish Illustrators & Graphic Designers catalog is available for purchase through retailers in Sweden and can be ordered free by clients contacting the organization.
3. Commission facilitation services: Free matching service connecting clients with freelancers, helping find the right creative competence for jobs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Illustratörcentrum is a non-profit association that connects clients seeking visual communication with Sweden's professional illustrators, graphic designers, animators and comic artists. Its core offerings include an annual printed and digital catalog of vetted creatives (Swedish Illustrators & Graphic Designers), a portfolio hosting platform with searchable creative fields/techniques/project types, and a free commission facilitation service that matches clients with freelancers and advises on briefs, rights, fees and agreements.

Product overview

Illustratörcentrum is Sweden's largest provider of visual communication, operating as a non-profit association that connects clients with professional illustrators, graphic designers, animators and comic artists. The core offering consists of the annual Swedish Illustrators & Graphic Designers catalog (awarded Best Catalogue by Svenska Publishingpriset), a portfolio hosting platform with approximately 70,000 annual visitors, and commission consulting services. Additional services include the Konstdepartementet online booking platform for school workshops, and annual membership providing access to networking, professional development and industry events. The organization serves as a cultural infrastructure entity, one of thirteen trade centres serving Sweden's independent cultural industry and 12,000 professional creatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Swedish Illustrators & Graphic Designers: The annual catalog published by Illustratörcentrum featuring Swedish illustrators, graphic designers, game designers, comic artists, and animators.
• Konstdepartementet
• Pixel & Penna
• IC Portfolio Sessions
• Illustrationsbranschen i praktiken

Products and services

• Swedish Illustrators & Graphic Designers (Catalog) Annual printed and digital catalog featuring 159 vetted Swedish illustrators, graphic designers, game designers, comic artists, and animators, divided by creative field for easy navigation; serves as a reference tool for clients seeking freelance creative professionals.
• Portfolio Platform Member portfolio pages hosted on illustratorcentrum.se, providing individual illustrators, graphic designers and animators with online presence; members can display their work, contact information, creative areas, techniques, and project types. The platform receives approximately 70,000 unique visitors annually.
• Commission & Consulting Services (Förmedling) Free customized matching service connecting clients with suitable creative professionals; provides guidance on commissioning illustration, graphic design, animation and comics work, helping clients navigate briefs, usage rights, deadlines, fees and agreements.
• Konstdepartementet (Art Department) Online booking platform offering collaborative meetings between professional artists and students through artistic workshops connected to school subjects and the national curriculum. Co-developed with Konstnärscentrum, The Center for Photography and Konsthantverkscentrum.
• Membership Program Annual membership (SEK 600 regular / SEK 400 for Svenska Tecknare members) providing access to portfolio page hosting, catalog inclusion, industry events, courses, seminars and workshops. Applications reviewed during February, May and September admission months.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70,000 annual unique visitors to portfolio pages
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European Illustrators Federation (EIF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Illustratörcentrum sits on the EIF board since 2024 and coordinates European positions on AI and copyright issues. Participated in European symposium in Madrid and contributed to policy development for MONDIACULT 2025.
• KonstnärscentrumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the Konstdepartementet online booking platform together with Konstnärscentrum, The Center for Photography, and Konsthantverkscentrum. This service connects professional artists with schools for workshops.
• The Center for PhotographycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of Konstdepartementet online booking platform for artist-school connections.
• KonsthantverkscentrumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of Konstdepartementet online booking platform for artist-school connections.
• Steen & Strøm Department Store (Oslo)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwedish member Emmelie Salomonsson was commissioned for their 2025 Christmas campaign 'Barndomsdrøm' featuring window displays and in-store graphics.
• Svenska TecknarecoreOthersPartnership providing reduced membership fee (SEK 400 instead of SEK 600) for members of Svenska Tecknare.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Konstnärscentrum: Swedish non-profit that co-developed Konstdepartementet with Illustratörcentrum. Operates the same trade-center model for a different discipline (fine artists), making it a near-mirror peer organization with shared infrastructure and audience.
• Svenska Tecknare: Swedish association for visual artists that partners with Illustratörcentrum on discounted membership (SEK 400 vs SEK 600). Operates as a peer trade body for Swedish visual creatives, sharing members and policy interests.
• Association of Illustrators (AOI): UK-based non-profit trade association serving professional illustrators with portfolio, advice, commission support, and policy advocacy. Closest structural peer to Illustratörcentrum's national trade-center model for illustrators and designers.

Broad incumbents

• Fiverr: Global marketplace for freelance creative services including illustration, graphic design, and animation. A broad incumbent competing for the same commissioning clients and freelance talent pool that Illustratörcentrum serves domestically.
• Upwork: Largest global freelance marketplace, hosting many illustrators, graphic designers, and animators. Competes broadly with IC's free commission facilitation for the same client budgets, albeit with very different positioning and curation.
• Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI): Global, by-invitation network of leading graphic designers and graphic-artefact creators. Comparable to Illustratörcentrum in mission (advancing the standing of graphic designers/illustrators) but operates at a global, elite-curator scale.
• European Illustrators Federation (EIF): Federation of national illustration trade bodies across Europe; Illustratörcentrum sits on its board since 2024. Functions as the broader pan-European umbrella for the same trade-center model that IC operates nationally.

Emerging players

• Behance (Adobe): Large-scale portfolio and discovery platform owned by Adobe, used by illustrators and graphic designers worldwide to showcase work and receive commissions. Competes with IC's portfolio platform on global reach and discovery, but lacks the curated, trade-body trust layer.
• ArtStation: Portfolio and jobs platform focused on digital and concept artists, illustrators, and animators — overlapping strongly with IC's animator and illustration categories. Operates a global marketplace layer IC does not.
• Dribbble: Portfolio and marketplace platform for graphic designers, illustrators, and animators with hiring and freelance-marketplace features. Overlaps with IC's designer-discovery and commissioning facilitation services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Illustratorcentrum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Illustratörcentrum