Illustration & publishing
Illustration and design for young readers who notice everything.
Children's print has the toughest audience there is. It has to be clear enough to follow, generous enough to explore, and never talk down.
Happy Hour Studio provides illustration, art direction and editorial design for children's magazines, publishing, museum family print and educational material — including Remus, the British Museum's children's magazine. Independent studio based in East Sussex, working UK-wide and remotely worldwide.
Who it's for
Editors and publishers commissioning magazines, activity print or illustrated non-fiction for children.
Museums and galleries producing family trails, activity sheets and other young-audience print.
Education and learning teams who need illustration that carries information, not just decoration.
Brands needing bespoke illustration and character work with a hand-drawn warmth.
What a project includes
01
Reading the brief properly
Age range, reading level and how the thing is actually used — on a sofa, in a gallery, in a classroom — shapes everything.
02
Illustration and art direction
Original illustration, or commissioning and directing illustrators, with a consistent world across every spread.
03
Editorial design
Grids, typography and pacing so a magazine has rhythm: places to stop, places to play, places to read properly.
04
Print production
Artwork prepared for the real press, with paper, finishing and cost discussed early rather than at proofing.
Selected work
Common questions
- Do you illustrate as well as design?
- Yes — and I also art-direct other illustrators when a project needs a different hand or more volume.
- Can you handle a regular magazine schedule?
- Yes. Remus is an ongoing title, so recurring issues and fixed print dates are familiar territory.
- How are illustration rights handled?
- Usage is agreed up front in the quote, so you know exactly where and for how long the artwork can be used.
Commissioning something for young readers?
You don't need a finished brief or a fixed budget to get in touch. If something's on your mind, that's enough to start.