Card Designer Highlight x Shorthand Press

The Card Designer Highlight is a collection that includes impartial makers whose greeting playing cards you’ll find in Paper Supply shops. Meet and be impressed by a brand new designer each month on our weblog!

This month, meet our Card Designer Rosanna of Shorthand Press. Rejoice Worldwide Ladies’s Month and learn how this lady owned enterprise began 16 years in the past and the place a gradual tempo, authentic greetings and the magic of letterpress has result in immediately in our weblog put up right here.

How did you each start your card-making profession? 

A few years in the past, I discovered myself drawn to this little retailer in Seattle. I’d go in and simply take a look at the greeting playing cards, really feel the paper, learn the phrases, take a look at the again to see who made them, after which attempt to discover out extra concerning the firm and one who had made the playing cards. I realized that the printing technique that I noticed on these playing cards that I used to be so drawn to was known as letterpress printing. I discovered a category and realized methods to print on a  letterpress, purchased my very own press and began printing enterprise playing cards and wedding ceremony invites.

It wasn’t till I used to be a few years into printing that I assumed to myself “Perhaps I attempt my hand at making a greeting card. I’ve a couple of concepts!”. I made a bit assortment of about 12 playing cards, took pictures of them, assembled a tiny catalog and walked into a couple of shops in Seattle to hawk my wares. And the Shorthand greeting card line was born!

Creating greeting playing cards has been such a satisfying and great profession and I’m so glad that I found letterpress greeting playing cards in a bit retailer in Seattle all these years in the past. I can’t imagine how far that little assortment of 12 playing cards has come!

The place do you draw inspiration from? Meals? Pop Tradition? Timeless Motifs? Playful Puns? 

Inspiration comes from coloration mixtures, from structure, people artwork, swatches of previous cloth. Inspiration for sentiments comes from my life and the lifetime of these round me – what are the playing cards we need to ship that we don’t have the phrases for? What are the events we discover ourselves celebrating?

It’s necessary to me that the emotions we categorical on our playing cards for each scenario are authentic. There are solely so some ways to say Joyful Birthday, however the problem of arising with a brand new method to say it’s enjoyable! After I suppose I’ve provide you with an concept that I’ve by no means seen earlier than, I google the mixture of phrases to double verify that another person hasn’t already had this sensible concept, haha. We now have a pair older playing cards in our line which have candy sentiments which might be common equivalent to “I like you to the moon and again” – however even that line doesn’t have a particular writer attributed to it.

What does your day appear like as a card maker and designer? 

I drop my daughter off in school after which head into work. My desk is at our first retailer location within the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Our print store is situated at the back of our retailer. At this level in my business trip, the majority of my time is spent operating this firm – which I completely love. Every day brings varied areas of focus within the enterprise from serious about wholesale gross sales, budgets, print schedules, social media, analyzing knowledge, constructing programs, conferences, photograph shoots, what every retailer wants. I like being within the print store to see what Nick and Paul are printing that day, I like to get a glimpse of the orders Martin is transport out, watching Coral, Corey and Ian make notebooks and fold greeting playing cards to satisfy orders. It’s enjoyable to stroll by way of the shop and listen to the retail group working with clients, to take a seat at my desk and work with the again of home group on the print store and retail operations, or hear concerning the progress of our wholesale gross sales from Molly. I’ve a completely great group and I’m so lucky every single day to work in such an incredible surroundings.

After which earlier than I do know it, the afternoon comes and I race again house to select my daughter up from faculty. Usually the concrete work is finished for the day, however simply dwelling life as a enterprise proprietor and entrepreneur is stuffed with inspiration. Within the down time after work is usually when my inventive mind subconsciously thinks of latest card concepts or continues to refine concepts for brand spanking new merchandise, or I’ve an concept of methods to remedy a query on a spreadsheet. I’ve realized that point spent NOT working is as beneficial as time spent working and I like being open to the inspiration that can hit after I’m doing non-work associated duties.

What’s your most popular medium? 

Letterpress printing remains to be our main printing technique and I simply like it a lot. The way in which colours overlap to create new colours, the way in which the feel of the paper provides an extra layer to the general design is a magic I haven’t gotten bored with but. For instance: a discipline of flowers is printed on a card, the inexperienced ink urgent into the paper – the reduction of the little white flowers left poking by way of the inexperienced have an nearly 3-D side to them as a result of the white paper has not been smooshed down by the press. The white flowers appear like they’re coming out of the sector. Then blue ink is added to create the sky, and little flower stems and grass blades seem the place the blue ink additionally overlaps in sure spots with the inexperienced ink. I don’t suppose I’ll ever recover from how a lot I like letterpress printing!

What does your inventive course of appear like? 

Ariel is my co-greeting card designer at Shorthand and since 2017 we now have labored collectively to create all of the playing cards. Yearly we share inspiration with one another of what we’re loving (proper now we’re very floral heavy, and I simply can’t get sufficient!). This consists of explicit motifs, coloration mixtures, and many others. After which as we work by way of every assortment, every new launch, we pull from our bigger themes that we’ve compiled for that 12 months and we predict by way of the emotions we would like for every card. It’s a true inventive partnership. Ariel creates the visible parts, I consider the emotions and do the handwriting for the playing cards, after which we refine our ideas – it may be tough to inform the place her work stops and mine begins and vice versa. It has been such a pleasure to develop such a powerful inventive partnership and I believe our work is stronger due to our teamwork.

What are you most happy with as a creator and card maker? 

I’m so happy with the sluggish and regular journey this enterprise has been on. I began printing in a bit shed in my yard in Seattle 16 years in the past. The print store moved to Los Angeles, the group expanded, we opened our first retail retailer 8 years in the past, we simply opened our second retail retailer final summer time, our wholesale line continues to develop, we now have such nice relationships with each our distributors and our stockists. I’m proud to have created jobs that pay individuals pretty, this work is truthfully all a lot extra fulfilling due to the group doing this work with me. I’m happy with the truth that I’m nonetheless delighted by greeting playing cards even 16 years later.

Any private tidbits? Particular abilities/enjoyable info?

This 12 months, in an try to develop my mind past mothering and dealing, I purchased a drum set. I’ve all the time wished to discover ways to play the drums, so now I’ve a equipment in my storage and most afternoons I am going out and play for some time whereas my daughter performs close to me within the storage. This expertise has been an incredible reminder that studying new expertise is invigorating!!

Discover Shorthand Press Playing cards, equivalent to Funkier Cheese Birthday Card, Stoked for Your Engagement Card, and Planning a Wedding ceremony Card at our native retailer or on-line at papersource.com. For extra inspiration and behind-the-scenes motion, comply with ShorthandPress on IG. 

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