Founded in 1999 by Ted Adams, Alex Garner, Kris Oprisko, and Robbie Robbins, Idea and Design Works (IDW) initially focused on providing artwork and graphic design for a variety of entertainment companies.

In 2000, Idea and Design Works formed its publishing division, IDW Publishing, which has grown into a fully staffed publishing company.

IDW Publishing was named Publisher of the Year in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009 by Diamond Comic Distributors.

IDW Publishing currently publishes a wide range of comic books and graphic novels including titles based on Angel, Doctor Who, GI Joe, Star Trek, and Transformers. Creator-driven titles include Fallen Angel by Peter David and JK Woodward, Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, and a variety of titles by writer Steve Niles.

Artists Ashley Wood and Ben Templesmith are both exclusive to the company and their titles include Popbot, Sparrow, and Swallow (Wood) and Groom Lake, Welcome to Hoxford, and Wormwood (Templesmith).

In 2002, IDW's 30 Days of Night, started a seven-figure bidding war between three movie studios. The movie was released in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 movie its opening weekend. Other IDW titles that are being developed for entertainment include: Locke & Key, Snaked, and Wake the Dead.

Dean Mullaney’s Library of American Comics is an imprint of the company and includes the titles The Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy, The Complete Little Orphan Annie, The Complete Terry and the Pirates, and Scorchy Smith and the Art of Noel Sickles. In 2008, the first volume of The Complete Terry and the Pirates received an Eisner Award.

Another imprint of IDW, Worthwhile Books, focuses on character-driven children’s books.

In 2007, IDT purchased a majority interest in IDW. The original founders of the company continue to be minority owners and Adams and Robbins still actively manage the company.