SPRING//SUMMER 2018 65 64 SPRING//SUMMER 2018 ATWORKWITH:Emma Pearce, Designer,Hotchpotch ATWORKWITH:ScottWoodward,Marketing Manager,Nemo Group ATWORKWITH: Christina Foreman, Creative Director, Papier ATWORKWITH:Chloe Bayles,Wholesale Manager, A Gift FromThe Gods I’m a goofy character illustrator,lovely letterer, design daydreamer and stationery geek...I can’t think of any other industry I’m better qualified for. For the past eight years I’ve worked all over the world as an in-house and freelance designer with some of the leading stationery brands,and now I’m an in-house illustrator, designer and tireless trend researcher for Hotchpotch. Day to day,my main focus is creating artwork and lettering for new greeting card, gift wrap and stationery ranges,but I also create graphic design work for all areas of the business, including catalogues,web and promo materials.So really there’s no typical working day at Hotchpotch.I could be styling a photoshoot or creating a layout for the next product catalogue, proposing a design concept for a new Hotchpotch collection or creating beautiful and inspiring trend boards for our customers.I also design,plan and set up the Hotchpotch stands at trade shows such as Spring Fair andTop Drawer,where I’ll present the newest Hotchpotch collections to our independent and high-street customers.But most of the time you’ll find me writing jokes and endless puns, painting, inking and sketching in our London studio. Every design I create starts with a few pencil sketches,then I might add a splash of colour with some watercolour paints,or It’s a very broad brush in my role,varied but with one overall focus,to help our members grow profitably. As marketing manager I have a brilliant team behind me, helping to deliver leading solutions,from traditional publications to innovative email marketing,e-commerce and social media management for our dealers,so I oversee the creation and execution of these to their high standards.I’m also responsible for marketing Papier collaborates with a large range of designers,illustrators,brands and cultural institutions.When we first launched in 2015, I would contact designers and illustrators whose work I had been following on social media,like Emma Block,Danielle Kroll and Carolyn Suzuki.Our first big brand collaboration was with MatthewWilliamson, who we approached with a wedding collection concept as we felt his fun and colourful print archive would be perfect for invitations!As we have grown,we’ve collaborated with other design partners from different areas such asV&A,the Moomins and Mother of Pearl.Part of my role is to find new and interesting partners to work with, who don’t necessarily already come from the stationery world.  My role as Creative Director is very hands on and no day is the same! My day can vary from meeting with new potential design partners,or working with existing partners on new designs and launches.It can involve overseeing my design team,who work on both the partner and in-house designs,art directing and styling still-life shoots which feature new collaborations and products,as well as working with our content editor on features forThe Fold (our monthly online journal).It’s so rewarding to work in such a creative environment as Papier,the whole team is just as passionate about stationery and design as I am!  As Papier is an online,print-on-demand stationer,technology plays a big part in what we do.We are able to combine leading tech and an excellent site experience to allow our customers to personalise and customise our products with ease.Even though the trend has been to move to a more digital world, our core values centre around design-led quality products using premium paper stocks and printing methods to create beautiful and tactile stationery.We want our products to connect people in a meaningful way. To describe my typical day at work would be a cliché,because there just isn’t one! My role atA Gift FromThe Gods covers so much more than managing our wholesale accounts,despite that being my official title.I oversee range plans,product design, production,preparing for and managing trade shows,trade advertising and writing press releases.As we are a lifestyle brand,stationery is only one of the categories we cover,which means two sets of trade shows and plenty of CADs (computer-aided design)! My day starts with the Far East, taking care of queries with our suppliers in China and tackling the challenges associated with managing multiple suppliers and multiple product ranges. Replying to emails is a must with any job, but for me it is crucial, so I can keep in contact with buyers, our current stockists and of course trade shows.Without emails, where would we be? I sit in on our web team meetings giving insight into direct consumer engagement and sales.This is invaluable and helps to inform range planning decisions and gives confidence for wholesale buyer recommendations on bestsellers and up sells. During my day, I like to keep up with market, product and trend research.This ensures we adapt trends to our handwriting, and means I can almost be preparing for next season without even really thinking about it. I feel lucky that my background work with inks and pen,then scan to a digital file where I can touch up and finish digitally in preparation for print. I’m always seeking to create collections that are innovative and trend-ahead, and one of the biggest challenges is staying ahead of competitors. As a designer you never really switch off. I’m always searching for my next hit of inspiration and I spend time during my work day reading blog posts, seeking inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram and keeping up to date with what’s happening in the industry.To make sure my designs are always fresh and exciting I’ll often be out in independent stores or at trade shows researching new products, trends, colours and materials, eager to discover a new brand I’ve never seen before. 2017 was a really rewarding year for me.As well as being selected as a Star Choice in the inauguralThirty Under 30 Awards, I received a second nomination for the Henries ‘Most PromisingYoung Designer’, and my ‘Flair’ greeting card range for Hotchpotch collected the ‘Best ContemporaryTrend Range’ award. My design work has received three nominations forTop Drawer PaperAwards. Industry recognition combined with positive customer feedback drives me to keep innovating and I feel so fortunate to be living my design dream. management programme and the new corporate websites we’re building for dealers.  I’ve been lucky to be rewarded with recognition such as being named aThirty Under 30 Star Choice,and recently BOSS Emerging Professional of theYear,but the rewards in this industry are the people! I like the fact that the industry is always changing and evolving,which as a marketer gives me more opportunities.But it’s the people that make this industry for me,and I’ve made some great friends. I’m currently involved in two BOSS special interest groups,BOSS Midlands,where I am the Chairman-Elect,and BOSS Leaders of the Future.The first is designed to help networking in our industry with Midlands businesses through practical and informative events and social meetings.With Leaders of the Future,our overall aim is to guide, support,train and connect our people,and it’s that connecting part which I’m looking to take forward. As we see a new generation of individuals coming forward,it’s important they see what a great industry this is. includes achieving a first in fashion design, and working within a large retail brand designing products and accessories.This has given me a deep understanding of how to plan and build a range. Either way I have to be super organised, which explains my title of spreadsheet goddess in the office! My day ends with conversations with trade show organisers and new stockists, particularly in the US, which is five to eight hours behind. Our statistics show a lot of interest from the US so our goal in 2018 is to expand further internationally. For me the biggest reward of my job is seeing a product go from CAD to shop floor.So,from market research,to designing, receiving the final samples and seeing the production delivered into our warehouse all Nemo to dealers and the channel and looking after communications.Part of this is communicating our famous conference:this year Refresh ’18 takes place on 14 and 15 June and we have a festival theme,so bring your wellies and tie dye! One of my main motivations is I like to win! I have a very competitive streak in me and I like to think my enthusiasm rubs off on my colleagues to motivate them to deliver the best they can,to create great marketing campaigns and deliver excellent service.I will never settle for average,believing it can always be better.There is a lot of opportunity in this industry to embrace technology,especially in marketing,which a lot of vendors and dealers are taking advantage of,so it’s an exciting time for tech! Among the challenges of my job,the myriad services and products our members offer can be overlooked when marketing to their end customers,so communicating effectively to their customers is a real challenge.However,we’re embracing this opportunity at Nemo with our social media branded and beautifully packaged,and then onto selling to our customers.Seeing the reaction on social media and images of the product in stores is so satisfying after working on that product for more than eight months. The biggest reward, however, can be the biggest challenge, as there are so many things to cover in one day. It can be a whirlwind, but it’s never boring. Being involved in a number of areas gets you out of your comfort zone and you learn so much and grow as a result.You have more responsibility, but your work and decisions actually make a difference. As a small growing business there are challenges, but we have a great team here and everyone helps out in moments of madness.The rewards are a blossoming brand and a good day at work.