My New Shop!

Visit my shop here: Rosalind Wilson

When I design greetings cards and invitations there are a few avenues I currently follow, for example designing for a publisher or company e.g. Marks and Spencer, Ballistic Blue where they produce, sell and deliver my (and others') designs. I also create and produce designs for greetings cards and invitations directly to my own customers.

The latter is where I have been struggling with my (not very good) business head. The time I put into meetings and consultations, production, storage, delivery on top of the design doesn't seem practical. I felt I needed to either invest in production on a bigger scale or concentrate purely on designing for publishers.

The latter made more sense. However, I love the diversity of my individual customers' briefs and the personal contact I have with the 'end user', I think it keeps me on my toes and generates fresh ideas.

I've discovered a way I can have an online shop where I can format my designs to be personalised and purchased by the customer, then produced and delivered by the company that run the site: Zazzle.

My Shop allows me to put my designs on Cards, invitations, thank yous (and even bags, mugs and t-shirts) which can be customised and purchased. Zazzle offer delivery options, money back guarantee and lots of help to the artist and customer.

I can still have that personal relationship with the customer, receive feedback and take invividual requests.

Even though I've only recently set the shop up and am still filling its virtual shelves, I've already made quite a few sales and been lucky enough to win two "today's best" awards!

I hope you like it, and I'd love to hear your feedback and ideas!

Poppy for Poppy

Here's a little design to celebrate a first birthday party: a special pink poppy design for a little girl called Poppy!

Tigerprint Christmas Typography Comp...

This week I had on my to-do-list to enter the Tigerprint competition. I haven't entered as frequently as I used to which is silly coz however busy (or not) I may be I always enjoy tackling their briefs. Also, the designs can always come in handy to re-use when (if) I don't win!

Last minute my eleventh hour entries are in. I do like designing for xmas greetings and the Typography theme was a lovely challenge, a new way to look at a thoroughly designed season!

The brief was to design a card exploring Christmas Typography as the theme, and also as it's an online card it has to have editable, personalised text and/or room to upload a photo... oh and has to work on a range of scales from a small thumbnail to a large size printed card. Keeping to a simple, contemporary colour palette I created my "let it snow" design from random "falling" snowflakes forming the letters by using negative and positive space. I enjoyed creating this one; adding the snowflakes practically one at a time... time consuming but very theraputic at the same time!
For the "Christmas Tree" and "Let's Make Merry Wreath" designs I chose a decorative font and manipulated it to fit together in a christmassy papercut style. Reminiscent of cutting paper snowflakes.

The wreath would frame an uploaded photo really delicately, perhaps inside the card?

Finally, a more fun and informal romantic Xmas greeting with "Note to Santa"!

A couple of my new blogging and twitter buddies, and previous Tigerprint Comp winners, have blogged their entries to the Tigerprint Competition too... have a look at Elizabeth Ryman, Helen Pickup, and other regulars Marlene Leibowitz and Bess Harding's entries.