Portico Designs licenses Rocket68’s London Calling illustrations
London’s calling for Portico Designs as the company has taken on the licence for illustrations of the capital by Rocket68 for a range of 2025 calendars and diaries.
Portico’s range will be based on London Calling, the award-winning illustrated collection of prints and cards by Rocket68 founder and artist Jill White portraying the vibrancy and beauty of the architecture, areas, life and communities of this ancient city.
Rocket68 is represented by art licensing and design company The London Studio and the deal was brokered by independent licensing sales consultant Kirsty Guthrie of KJG Ltd, which is exhibiting at Brand Licensing Europe, at London’s ExCel over October 4-6.
Charlie Czul, Portico’s sales director, said: “Rocket68 is widely admired for a portfolio that combines an exciting colour palette and the zest of contemporary design, as this wholly original take on aspects of London proves. The London Calling range is striking and inspirational – perfect for what we’re sure will be a very popular range of calendars and diaries.”
London Calling is a sophisticated and artistic take on diverse landmarks in and around London, including Windsor Castle, the Walkie Talkie building, Battersea Power Station, Houses Of Parliament and the Gherkin.
Jill’s collection is a finalist in the Best Art Range in The Henries Awards 2023 – with the winners to be revealed at the glitzy party on 5 October – and a winner in the international category at the Gift Of The Year Awards in 2022.
Founder and director of The London Studio Soula Zavacopoulos added: “We’re delighted to see Jill White’s exquisite work recognised by a major name in calendar and diary publishing.
“London Calling is a fabulous collection and one that very much merits its own calendars and diaries from one of the UK’s finest independent publishers. I expect many of the retailers and galleries who already stock Rocket68’s successful cards and prints will be thrilled that they’ll soon be able to expand their in-store displays to include this exquisite social stationery next year.”
The London Studio has a strong reputation for identifying and supporting highly original artists, many of whom have been honoured in greeting card, illustration and design awards
Jill is a Trinidad-born illustrator and designer who designs at her studio in Somerton, Somerset, where she also runs the Rocket68 greeting card and gift store.
Her cards and prints are stocked in a multitude of independent UK stores and larger outlets such as Harrods and Waterstones, as well as museum and gallery shops including the Tate and Tower Bridge. They are also exported internationally and her artwork is licensed by The London Studio to select retailers and publishers worldwide.
The London Calling range of calendars and diaries published by Portico Designs will be available from September 2024 with a wide-ranging distribution including bookshops, supermarkets, gift shops and online.
