Illustrator & hand-letterer

Margo Pennywhistle illustrator & hand-letterer working in Lisbon.

I draw friendly little worlds for storybooks, snack boxes and apps that would rather make you smile than look serious. Every line is wobbly on purpose.

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MPPortrait · self
Selected work05 projects · 2024—26
01

Biscuit & Bramble

Storybook
Picture book · 2026

A typographic identity for a small independent publisher, built around one obsessively-drawn serif.

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02

Wonky Veg Club

Packaging
Brand & packaging · 2025

Tactile packaging and a print system that feels handmade without ever leaving the press.

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03

Sprout Learns to Read

App
Kids app art direction · 2025

A calm, image-led art direction for an audio studio that wanted to sound the way it looks.

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04

The Doodle Diner

Lettering
Menu & mural · 2024

A slow, readable site and a custom type pairing for a neighbourhood wine bar.

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05

Pocket Constellations

Print
Sticker set & zine · 2024

A botanical illustration series and accompanying marks for a tea house's first shelf.

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About

A practice of one, by choice.

A one-person drawing desk for warm, slightly wonky brands — the kind that look like a real human held the pen.

I've spent the last decade in and around studios learning that the work I love most is the work I get to touch every part of — the brief, the sketches, the kerning at midnight, the press check. So now I keep things small on purpose.

When I'm not on a project you'll find me drawing letters that go nowhere, collecting paper I don't need, and teaching the occasional type workshop in Lisbon.

What I do
Character & worldsLovable little creatures and the wobbly places they live, drawn to be remembered.
Hand-letteringHeadlines, signage and marks lettered by hand so nothing feels machine-stamped.
Playful packagingBoxes, jars and labels that earn a grin on the shelf and a keep on the kitchen counter.
Kids-app artFriendly screens, sticker rewards and tiny doodled icons for products small humans love.
Hands-on with
Type designRisographLetterpressEditorial layoutHand letteringBookbinding
Selected clients & recognition
HollowType Directors Club — Cert.
MarrowBrand New, featured
TesseraAGDA shortlist
PivotPrint Annual
CardinalIt's Nice That
FathomCommunication Arts
Margo gave our veg boxes a face that made strangers wave at the van. Sales went up; so did people's moods.
TA
Tess Aldridge
Founder, Wonky Veg Club
Contact

Let's make something.

I take on a handful of projects each season. If you've got something you care about, I'd love to hear about it — a paragraph is plenty to start.

hello@margopennywhistle.studio
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Margo Pennywhistle· Lisbon
Margo Pennywhistle — an original demo drawn in the Doodle style for staqd.Built in the Doodle style