I went to
get a Father’s Day card for my Dad last week. I obviously didn’t look at it closely
enough in the shop (I was in a rush on my way to the Scarlet Souk fashion show
but more on that later…) because when I got home I realised it had glitter on
it. GLITTER. Totally unnecessary, twee and just a little bit annoying. I
regaled this story to Karen over tea at Teacup during the
Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend and she started laughing “bet you wished you’d
bought one of mine!” Damn straight!
I met Karen
at a networking event in April. It was the usual ‘stand up, say your name and
your business’ type affair where she introduced herself as the business
development manager for The National Football Museum. The networking meeting rumbled on until
its close and we all filed out but as we were leaving she gave me her second
business card and my blog-ears instantly picked up: Karen designs her own
cards. And after a bit of investigation I discovered that they are endearing,
innovative and cool as hell.
“I have always made cards for friends and
family and then one year I made a Christmas card for my boyfriend with Christmas
themed robots on it: Santa, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman. He loves robots and
needless to say he loved the card!”
So the seed
was planted. All it took then was the herculean life of her boyfriend, Mark, to
inspire her to get her arse in gear, “he is always busy. Always. He works fulltime but designs websites, DJ’s and produces music in his spare time.
There were only so many nights I could watch Eastenders whilst he was …”
“Taking over
the universe?!” I interject.
“Exactly! So
I started doodling with people in mind and that’s when I realised that I had
the beginnings of a business.”
Taking
inspiration from people she knows and everyday objects
such as speakers, phones and kitchenware she creates robot characters for her
cards. Her passion for art has always been evident; Karen did A-level art and
has a B-Tech in jewellery design but getting to grips with a computer
illustration programme was a whole different ball game,
“I taught
myself to use Illustrator: some nights there was a lot of shouting at the
computer!”
But despite
the techno rage, she succeeded and her creations are heavily design lead: clean
lines and block colour,
“I wanted
them to feel hand drawn but still have a slick and professional feel.”
And they do.
There isn’t a whiff of glitter about them yet they are suitable for all ages
and the detail in each design is amazing. She designed her own branding,
sourced a printer and set about wrapping the cards in cellophane herself. As well
as working on a new line of characters (including a garden inspired robot!) and
contacting independent retailers with a view to them stocking her work, she has
her first commission,
“As soon as
my friend started talking about what she wanted I just knew what I would draw –
a bee robot! She now has the character on her blog.”
Her contacts
on the Museum circuit have helped launch a capsule collection of her cards into
local museums and galleries in Salford, Bury and Oldham. She also has an Etsy shop and a Folksy shop. Next on the already packed agenda?
“I am
looking at a range of other products on which to place my designs: Mugs, tea
towels, bags, prints, badges and wrapping paper. And my boyfriend is currently
designing my website.”
As we
venture out into the rain Mark is waiting and greets me with a handshake. I
feel as though I am in the presence of one of Manchester’s next power
couples…watch this space…
