The New Folium is a discovery platform for illustrators, surface pattern designers, and other commercial artists.

It helps brands, art directors, publishers, manufacturers, and buyers discover artists based on the work itself — including style, collection, medium, market, and commercial application.

It is not a social media platform or a social feed. There is no posting schedule, algorithm to keep up with, or expectation to constantly create content.

We built The New Folium around a problem many artists know well: creating great work and being discoverable are two very different jobs.

Artists are often expected to constantly post, create content, research companies, find contacts, and send cold emails just to have their work seen.

We want to make discovery easier by organizing portfolios around the way buyers actually search for creative work, while also actively introducing the platform to brands, publishers, art directors, manufacturers, and buyers.

No.

The New Folium is a discovery platform, not an illustration or licensing agency.

We showcase artists and help potential clients discover and connect with them. We do not represent artists, negotiate contracts on their behalf, or take ownership of their work.

The New Folium is built around search and discovery rather than engagement.

Artists don’t need to post regularly, gain followers, make reels, or generate engagement to remain visible.

Instead, artwork and artist profiles are organized around creative and commercial criteria that help buyers find what they are looking for.

The platform is designed for professional and emerging illustrators, surface pattern designers, and artists whose work may be suitable for commercial applications such as stationery, textiles, home décor, publishing, packaging, children’s products, apparel, and more.

You don’t need to upload your entire portfolio.

Artists can begin with a small selection of work that represents their style and commercial direction.

We recommend choosing strong pieces that help buyers quickly understand what you do.

The initial setup is designed to be simple and should take around 10–15 minutes.

You can add your profile information, select the categories that describe your work, upload a few artworks, and add your professional links.

No.

There is no posting schedule and no requirement to continually upload content to remain part of the platform.

You can update your portfolio whenever it makes sense for you.

No.

Artists can join whether they are represented or independent.

Yes.

The New Folium is designed to work alongside existing representation.

If you are represented, you should continue to follow the terms of your agreement with your agent regarding inquiries, licensing, territories, or client communication.

Yes.

Artists can include a studio name or professional pseudonym on their profile.

No.

Artists who prefer not to use a personal photograph can use an appropriate studio image, logo, or other professional profile image.

No.

Social links are optional.

Your profile can point buyers toward your website, portfolio, shop, social channels, or other places where they can learn more about your work.

Yes.

Having a profile and being discoverable on The New Folium will remain free.

We’re still exploring the best way to make The New Folium sustainable while keeping it accessible and valuable for artists.

We may introduce optional paid features in the future, but we’re still studying what those could look like and how they can genuinely add value.

Having a profile and being discoverable on The New Folium will remain free.

No.

The New Folium does not currently take commissions from artist-client projects or licensing agreements.

Yes.

Artists retain the copyright and commercial rights to their work.

The New Folium does not acquire ownership of artwork uploaded to the platform.

No.

Uploading artwork allows us to display it as part of your portfolio and promote your presence on the platform.

It does not transfer ownership of the artwork to The New Folium or give us the right to independently license or sell it.

No.

The New Folium does not use or license artists’ work for AI training.

The New Folium is intended to showcase work created by artists.

We are developing moderation and reporting systems to help identify content that does not meet our platform guidelines, including suspicious AI-generated submissions.

We are taking practical measures to reduce unnecessary exposure of artists’ work, including blocking known AI crawlers where possible, avoiding public access to original artwork files, and displaying web-appropriate versions rather than original high-resolution files.

No website can guarantee that publicly visible images can never be copied or scraped, so we prefer to be transparent about that limitation.

No.

Original production files are not required for public portfolio display.

Original artwork files are not made publicly available for download through artist profiles.

The platform provides a way to report suspicious content or potential copyright infringement so it can be reviewed by our team.

Buyers can discover artists and artwork through searches and filters built around both creative and commercial criteria.

These include areas such as style, collection, medium, market, and commercial application.

This allows buyers to start with what they are looking for rather than needing to already know an artist’s name.

Yes.

Artwork discovery is an important part of The New Folium.

Buyers can browse artwork visually and then discover the artist behind the work.

The artwork opens in a dedicated artwork view showing information such as its title, commercial application, market, style, collection, medium, and the artist who created it.

From there, the buyer can continue directly to the artist’s public profile.

No.

Buyers can browse and discover artists without creating an account.

We want discovery to have as little friction as possible.

The New Folium helps buyers discover artists and then provides ways to continue the relationship through the artist’s available professional contact information and links.

No.

The relationship remains between the artist and the potential client, or between the client and the artist’s representative when applicable.

No.

At this stage, The New Folium is focused on discovery and connection rather than acting as a licensing marketplace.

Licensing agreements, project terms, payments, and contracts are handled directly between the artist or their representative and the client.

Buyers do not currently need to create an account simply to browse the platform.

Artists should use the same professional judgment they would use when receiving an inquiry through their own website, portfolio, or other professional channel.

The platform is designed for art directors, brands, publishers, manufacturers, licensing professionals, and other creative buyers looking for artwork or artists for commercial projects.

Yes.

We don’t want The New Folium to become simply another profile artists have to maintain.

Alongside building the artist catalogue, we are actively introducing the platform to art directors, brands, publishers, manufacturers, and other potential buyers.

No.

The New Folium creates another way for your work to be discovered, but we cannot guarantee inquiries, licensing deals, commissions, or client projects.

Our goal is to make discovery relevant for buyers while avoiding a system where the same artists permanently occupy the first positions.

Artist discovery may therefore incorporate search relevance as well as rotation mechanisms designed to give different artists opportunities to be seen.

No.

We don’t want early profiles to permanently dominate results or newer artists to become buried simply because they joined later.

The platform is being designed to create a fairer discovery experience while still keeping search results relevant to what buyers are looking for.

Portfolio DNA gives artists a visual overview of how their uploaded work is distributed across different areas of their portfolio.

For example, it might show that a portfolio currently consists of 60% patterns, 25% illustration, and 15% lettering.

It is intended as a helpful overview rather than a rating of the artist or their work.

Yes.

Artists can update their profile and portfolio as their work evolves.

Yes.

Artists can manage the artwork displayed on their profile and update their portfolio over time.

Yes.

Artists are not locked into the platform.

No.

Artists are free to maintain their own websites, work with agents, participate in other directories or platforms, sell through shops, and promote their work elsewhere.

Yes.

Artists can add supported shops and professional links to their profile.