Début Art Agency and The Coningsby Gallery

Début Art

début art is based primarily in London and also has offices in Paris, New York and Berlin. 

It was formed in 1985 and actively seeks out leading contemporary image makers and clients, ensuring the creation of original, progressive and successful media material. 

This agency and the illustrators and animators it markets have taken on awesome assignments worldwide, including companies that are leaders in their fields, including Microsoft, Apple, Coca-Cola, Harper Collins, Penguin Books, Universal Music and Sony. Doing commissioned work for these massive companies would give massive exposure and promotion of work, and this is something I would be interested in as an aspiring illustrator. 

Another reason I wanted to research this particular agency was because of the great style diversity within the illustrators it markets: 

This is a screenshot showing the contrasting styles between each illustrator and graphic designer.

I like that there is a clear difference between each individual and it's good that each of them are unique because it gives the agency a potentially huge diversity in their client base. This also means there is no 'house style' that some agencies promote, which really does mean that there can be something for every client.

The agency represents 142 illustrators (as of publishing) and was founded by Andrew Coningsby, who is available to email directly at andrew@debutart.com.

There is also directions and a map to pinpoint the location of the building and they've even written which buses can take you there, which can be helpful for both clients and artists alike.

Andrew Coningsby also runs and directs a gallery space at the same location, the Coningsby Gallery. The gallery exhibits a range of art, from illustrative pieces and fine art works to graphic and type design. The information on the gallery's website is very useful for prospective exhibitors, as there is a calendar showing free spaces for exhibitions and a PDF file outlining the full details of the space such as measurements and hanging requirements.

Some exhibitions held there are presented by a range of artists- not only illustrators and graphic designers exhibit there but also photographers, fine artists and even sculpture and craft works.