Stanley Chow's Andy Burnham illustration becomes political symbol

Illustrator Stanley Chow created a portrait of Andy Burnham in October 2020 after the mayor's speech outside Manchester Central Library. Chow's wife suggested the drawing, which he made in Adobe Illustrator and posted on Twitter. Burnham adopted the image within minutes for his Twitter handle, and it has since appeared on billboards, beer mats, mugs, aprons, and record inlays, featuring in Burnham's mayoral and Makerfield byelection campaigns. The image, with a light scowl and dark attire, has become visual shorthand for Burnham's anti-establishment sentiment. Chow, 51, grew up in Altrincham and Stockport, studied at Manchester Metropolitan, and has worked for the New Yorker and Time magazine. He is currently preparing an exhibition for Manchester's Arndale shopping centre. The image was also used without permission by Reform UK figures including Nigel Farage and candidate Robert Kenyon, who doctored it with anti-immigration messaging. Chow took legal action, and the images were removed. Burnham's team later licensed the image from Chow.