byhands.no

What It Is

byHands is an illustration agency headquartered in Oslo, Norway, founded in 2010. According to the website, it represents some of Norway’s outstanding contemporary artists and has grown into one of the country’s leading agencies for commercial and artistic illustration. It is not an online illustration tool; instead, it operates as a human-led agency that matches clients with suitable illustrators and manages custom projects.

Core Capabilities

Its services cover advertising illustration, visual identity illustration, technical illustration, icons and symbols, editorial illustration for newspapers and magazines, brochures and annual reports, as well as murals, products, display materials, and storyboards. byHands’ key value lies in managing the process “from brief to final delivery”: clients can enter discussions with either complete or incomplete requirements, and the agency team helps refine the brief around the target audience, style, number of illustrations, use cases, duration of use, and project timeline. The website lists around 17 Norwegian creators and showcases a large number of brand, publishing, cultural, and media projects.

Pricing and Copyright

The main site does not publish a price list or specify payment methods. Its model is clearly based on custom project quotes, with costs affected by the illustrator, quantity, usage, licensing scope, usage period, and delivery timeline. Regarding copyright, the site only mentions that it will ask where the illustrations will be used and for how long; specific rules on licensing, buyouts, territories, media, and source file delivery need to be confirmed separately.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are the diversity of artist styles and a rich portfolio of client cases, covering organizations such as Adobe Create, Aftenposten, DNB, NRK, Gyldendal, and The Washington Post. In addition to its own illustrators, it can also connect clients with talent in graphic design, motion graphics, copywriting, web design, animation, and storyboarding. The drawbacks are limited transparency: pricing, timelines, copyright terms, and export formats are not clearly stated in the main content. It is also not suitable for users who need instant, self-service generation of visual assets.

Who It’s For and Access from China

It is suitable for brands, advertising agencies, publishers, media organizations, and cultural institutions with clear commercial projects, budgets, and licensing needs—especially projects looking for a Nordic illustration style and professional agency oversight. The main content does not provide information on access from China, so actual connectivity and communication efficiency need to be tested independently.