Art map makers look for global domination

German born Mr Braun hand-draws colourful illustrations of major cities of the world, including London, New York and Paris, as if seen through a fish eye lens, using bird's eye view pictures, city maps and knowledge gained from pacing the streets.

Mr Braun said: "In my images I always emphasise the architectural and structural element of the city. This is my own interpretation of the metropolis and the urban environment. I want to show the hustle and bustle of the city and its complexity of make up in a quirky, yet detailed and accurate way."

These illustrations are then printed onto merchandise including notebooks, T-shirts, jigsaws and canvases, which they sell at their Greenwich Market gallery and shop.

Mr Braun said: "The idea came about from a Christmas card that I designed and sent to family and friends years before in 1999. Isaac saw the card in 2004 and it sparked an idea in him that this could lead to something big."

Mr Lilos, who looks after the commercial side of the business, said: "He laughed at me but I could see the vision - see his artwork on different merchandise, it was just so original so I pestered him about it for about six months to sit down and do something bigger and bolder.

"Eventually he relented and started the very first London panoramic image."

Arty Globe launched a weekend stall in Greenwich Market in September 2008 and then moved to their first shop in April 2009. Recent expansion means they have now relocated to a bigger and more prominent outlet.

The duo appeared on Dragons' Den in 2009 where they were told their idea was not profitable and the Dragons refused to invest their cash.

Mr Lilos said: "I just felt that what Hartwig does is so original, this would be a fantastic opportunity to present what we do on a bigger stage, in front of millions of people. Also, I had always wanted to go on Dragon's Den, ever since the first series started. We asked for £50k for 10 per cent of the business.

"It would've been nice to have the investment as we were still in the early stages of business. To have the experienced Dragons mentoring us and the business would have been fantastic."

Mr Braun said:"Even now, a year after the show was broadcast, we still get people coming into the gallery and mentioning Dragons' Den and recognising artwork from the show.
"Deborah Meaden was the most complimentary and thought we could do it by ourselves."

Following the rejection they set up the stall and their first year trading yielded a £104,000 turnover after their mugs, stationery, prints and clothes went down a storm.

Mr Lilos said: "Doing things on a shoestring forces you to think a lot more creatively about ways to lower your costs - negotiate with suppliers and distributors, just about checking yourself before committing to anything.

"Luckily our suppliers are very appreciative of the artwork and could see the potential.

"They have been so accommodating, especially because we are a small business start-up and in the middle of a recession.

"They were able to give us good cost structures and credit terms, and worked with us to get samples straight away which helped a lot.

"It helped that the business was profitable from day one."

Arty Globe has also been commissioned to create designs for clients including Hamleys toy store's 250th anniversary range, the British Museum and Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum.

Mr Lilos said: "We are committed to retaining our local roots. We would like to get merchandise to other shops in London. We would like to expand the range to depict other areas of London and also other bespoke commissions for cities within and outside the UK.

"We are also in discussions with a number of other European heritage sites."

Go to artyglobe.com