A window on the world of card publishing

1. Gypsy Chic
magazine
Gypsy
INSIDE!!! Interviews with Zin Craig Matthews of PoiZIN Pen, Janna Cossettini
of Deckled Edge Design and JO SCOTT of Scott & Robson Designs
Issue 1 - 2015
ROSES FOR
ROSES SAKE
Floral elegance on card
WIN!!
FREE CARD
SAMPLES IN OUR
COMPETITION
See page 23
Hoarders!Who needs ‘em?
INSIDE!!! Interviews with Zin Craig Matthews
of Deckled Edge Design and JO SCOTT of Scott & Robson Designs
Bold &
BRIGHTTHE TREND FOR
AUTUMN/WINTER 2015
THE MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO GREETING CARD PUBLISHING
Meet the expert
LYNN TAIT PAGE 9
Pinboards
Do they have
supernatural
powers?

2. from the Editorfrom the Editor
L E T T E R
Welcome to Gypsy Chic ® the
first issue of my magazine
dedicated to greeting card
publishing and business start-
up. My goal is to give you
a behind the scene glimpse of what it is
like to set up as a card publisher through
inspirational articles, interviews, helpful
tips, and fun competitions. In this mini first
edition I’m delighted to introduce a couple
of my fellow greeting card designers – Janna
Cossettini of Deckled Edge Design, Zin
Craig Matthews of Poizin Pen, and Jo Scott
of Scott & Robson who’ve kindly answered
my numerous questions.
Founding a business start-up takes great
self-belief, tenacity, perseverance, and hard
work and my hope is that the articles I’ve
included in this online
magazine will give you
encouragement to
carry on. I’ve found
in my own journey
that an inspiring
article here, or
an infographic
there, can
really restore
my faith,
and help
me carry
on. As in any
business, it
is best to take
advice from the Masters in your industry,
and in this issue Lynn Tait, of the Lynn Tait
Gallery shares her Export wisdom. I hope to
bring you many more interviews with experts
in this creative space and trust you will find
something in these pages to encourage you
in your journey as a designer/publisher.
Finally, we’d love to know what you think
about this magazine issue.Your input will
help guide our future direction so please
do take five minutes to share your views
with us by emailing me on Lorraine@
lorrainestylianou.com. So without further
ado I encourage you to grab a drink, put
your feet up, and enjoy the read.
Lorraine Stylianou
Editor
2

3. l Don’t tell anyone you are attending – don’t sent
invitations, update your website or publicise it in anyway.
l Don’t have your finished product on display – just stick
the original designs from your canvases, or watercolours
on the shell walls – don’t bother getting them into print
ready pdfs and printed at the printer.
l Use any old chair to climb on – ignore all health and
safety requirements.
l Don’t bother with order forms, clipboard, and
pen supply.
l Get to your stand the morning of the show to set up,
looking dishevelled and unorganised.
l Use poor quality “hook and loop” tape so that
everything falls off the shell walls
l Forget your business cards, fliers, and brochures on
the day.
l Wear uncomfortable high heeled shoes for the
duration of the show.
l Don’t smile at the buyers, or any other attendees
l Walk off for long periods leaving your neighbours to
man your stand.
l Don’t follow up with anyone who is kind enough to
leave a card after the show has ended.
Like any entrepreneur,card
publishers need to show
certain characteristics in order to
move forward in their business.
The most common qualities of
successful entrepreneurs are:
TENACITY
l Running a business is akin to
climbing Mount Everest. You have
to be able to accept the many
challenges life throws your way,
push through obstacles, and learn
to take risks with persistence and
determination.
PASSION
l Without a strong desire or the
enthusiasm to achieve success
it is difficult to inject any energy
into your business. In a creative
business,if you are fuelled by
a need to give your customer
something beautiful,special or
ingenius,at a price they are willing
to pay,your business has a much
better chance of being successful.
TAKING RISKS
Periods of uncertainty,and living
with the prospect of failing is part
and parcel of running a business.
Successful entrepreneurs learn to
tolerate the unknown in order to
achieve a bigger goal. That’s why
having big dreams helps you look
above and beyond the risks you
have to take in order to achieve
your objective.
VISION
l Seeing the opportunity in things
others don’t is a characteristic
successful entrepreneurs share.
Being able to communicate that
vision helps you acquire the finance
to grow the business. If you can
convince others of the benefits
your business will bring in a clear,
concise pitch,you can more easily
market your vision.
SELF-BELIEF
l In business it is difficult to isolate
yourself completely from the cynics
and the sceptics,and for that reason
you have to have a strong belief
in what you hope to achieve, or
plan on offering,otherwise you
will find yourself being talked
out of potentially great business
opportunities and swayed in a
direction you hadn’t envisaged.
In difficult times,a strong belief in
yourself and your goals will help
you see the naysayers for what they
are – an annoyance that you learn to
avoid,side step,and ignore.
FLEXIBILITY.
l Being able to adapt to changing
market conditions as and when
required is key to surviving in
business. When you start out be
aware that your early products and
services may go through a lot of
refinement before you are really
satisfied with what you have to offer.
The characteristics of successful card publishers
3
How NOT to do a
greeting card trade fair
Use poor quality “hook and loop” tape so that
satisfied with what you have to offer.
Use poor quality “hook and loop” tape so that
In business it is difficult to isolate
yourself completely from the cynics
satisfied with what you have to offer.
Use poor quality “hook and loop” tape so that
In business it is difficult to isolate
yourself completely from the cynics
satisfied with what you have to offer.

4. 4
M
ost card publishers start off as home-
based businesses and choose to work
at times that fit around current work
and family commitments. Painting
canvases, or producing digital designs for the card
industry can be a profitable route to take. There are
hundreds of thousands of artists, designers, and
crafters around the world who have an unwavering
passion for what they love doing and earn a living
from it as well. Micro businesses can make a powerful
impact despite their size. Most artists choose a
creative business because of the lifestyle it affords
them. It is not their intention to take over the world
initially, at any rate. Neither do most prospective card
publishers know everything about enterprise. The
majority of us have to wing it again and again!
As a freelancer, it is important to surround
yourself with enterprising individuals who feed
your mind and encourage you forward along the
entrepreneurial path. You will share the challenges of
self-employment together, something your employed
friends won’t appreciate in the same way.
Lots of my business colleagues are currently
coaching and writing books based around the
corporate escape – leaving the world of working for
someone else and starting up on your own. Leaving
a well-paying day job for a life as a designer without
1) a raging determination to make that choice
succeed or 2) some alternative income stream in
place would be foolhardy. Speaking for myself, I
now live a life that is totally free of office politics,
mushroom managers, job evaluations and the general
angst that employees feel when their job security is
continually under threat and I really never look back at
my 30 years in the rat race.
Nevertheless, breaking in to the creative industries
can take a lot of effort and there is no
quick “business in a box” solution.
You need to create new work
consistently, raise your profile
and attract some engaged
fans and customers.
Becoming a master juggler, plate spinner and blagger
also helps. The nature of being self-employed means
that income is not always guaranteed and you’ll find
that it is crucial to put money aside when times are
busy for those periods when things go quiet.
The entrepreneurial path is one of the most exciting
and creative routes you can take but creativity isn’t
enough. It is a balancing act between our imaginative
right brain and our more logical, rational left brain.
Understanding your goals and creating an action plan
are vital to get clarity on what to focus on. You will
then have a stronger sense of purpose rather than a
collection of scattered ideas. If you haven’t already
done so, simply grab a pen and take a few minutes
to jot down what your priorities in running a design/
card business are. As soon as you have some goals in
mind, you can translate those into tactics, a prioritised
list and dates of when they should be accomplished.
For the more impossible goals, break them down into
a series of smaller tasks.
As far as possible, make your goals SMART:
• SPECIFIC
• MEASURABLE
• ACHIEVABLE
• REALISTIC
• TIMED GOAL
The more specific and real a goal is, the more likely
you will achieve it. The more feeling you attach to
a goal the more motivated you will become. More
importantly, know your “why”. Be totally clear why
you want to design cards – if you don’t have a reason
or an emotional driver behind it, you will be more
likely to give up.
A tip I’d recommend is to find people who’ve done
what you want to do and try and get them to help you
get there too. If they can’t get involved personally,
read everything you can about them and
implement what worked for them.
Get accountability partners
(otherwise known as
benevolent tyrants!).
MIX
BUSINESS
WITH
PLEASURE
TOP TIP:
Attend a Ladder Club
seminar and join the GCA
http://www.progressivegreetings.
co.uk/ladder-club.php
http://www.greetingcard
association.org.uk/
PLEASURE

5. 3
M
ost card publishers start off as home-
based businesses and choose to work
at times that fit around current work
and family commitments. Painting
canvases, or producing digital designs for the card
industry can be a profitable route to take. There are
hundreds of thousands of artists, designers, and
crafters around the world who have an unwavering
passion for what they love doing and earn a living
from it as well. Micro businesses can make a powerful
impact despite their size. Most artists choose a
creative business because of the lifestyle it affords
them. It is not their intention to take over the world
initially, at any rate. Neither do most prospective card
publishers know everything about enterprise. The
majority of us have to wing it again and again!
As a freelancer, it is important to surround
yourself with enterprising individuals who feed
your mind and encourage you forward along the
entrepreneurial path. You will share the challenges of
self-employment together, something your employed
friends won’t appreciate in the same way.
Lots of my business colleagues are currently
coaching and writing books based around the
corporate escape – leaving the world of working for
someone else and starting up on your own. Leaving
a well-paying day job for a life as a designer without
1) a raging determination to make that choice
succeed or 2) some alternative income stream in
place would be foolhardy. Speaking for myself, I
now live a life that is totally free of office politics,
mushroom managers, job evaluations and the general
angst that employees feel when their job security is
continually under threat and I really never look back at
my 30 years in the rat race.
Nevertheless, breaking in to the creative industries
can take a lot of effort and there is no
quick “business in a box” solution.
You need to create new work
consistently, raise your profile
and attract some engaged
fans and customers.
Becoming a master juggler, plate spinner and blagger
also helps. The nature of being self-employed means
that income is not always guaranteed and you’ll find
that it is crucial to put money aside when times are
busy for those periods when things go quiet.
The entrepreneurial path is one of the most exciting
and creative routes you can take but creativity isn’t
enough. It is a balancing act between our imaginative
right brain and our more logical, rational left brain.
Understanding your goals and creating an action plan
are vital to get clarity on what to focus on. You will
then have a stronger sense of purpose rather than a
collection of scattered ideas. If you haven’t already
done so, simply grab a pen and take a few minutes
to jot down what your priorities in running a design/
card business are. As soon as you have some goals in
mind, you can translate those into tactics, a prioritised
list and dates of when they should be accomplished.
For the more impossible goals, break them down into
a series of smaller tasks.
As far as possible, make your goals SMART:
• SPECIFIC
• MEASURABLE
• ACHIEVABLE
• REALISTIC
• TIMED GOAL
The more specific and real a goal is, the more likely
you will achieve it. The more feeling you attach to
a goal the more motivated you will become. More
importantly, know your “why”. Be totally clear why
you want to design cards – if you don’t have a reason
or an emotional driver behind it, you will be more
likely to give up.
A tip I’d recommend is to find people who’ve done
what you want to do and try and get them to help you
get there too. If they can’t get involved personally,
read everything you can about them and
implement what worked for them.
Get accountability partners
(otherwise known as
benevolent tyrants!).
MIX
BUSINESS
WITH
PLEASURE
TOP TIP:
Attend a Ladder Club
seminar and join the GCA
http://www.progressivegreetings.
co.uk/ladder-club.php
http://www.greetingcard
association.org.uk/

6. 6 x
W
riting a business plan is still one of the
most challenging aspects of business
start-up and for me a continual work
in progress. I often wonder who would actually
read it. Most of them look so yawn-worthy. You can
choose to ignore writing one at all until you need
investment but there is always this niggling thought
at the back of your mind that without one you can’t
be a fully-fledged business. The problem for start-
ups is that so often they are basing their business
on a list of ideas, and no-where near formulating
their aspirations into a plan, never mind thinking
about investors.
As a creative, formulating ideas in a way financiers
will understand doesn’t usually come naturally.
Ultimately, a business plan is written to help secure
funding and should show how the business aims to
create enough money to pay any loan back and over
what period. If you really struggle with this, get in
touch with a business mentor or trainer who can give
you the support you need to get it written.
The purpose of the plan is to set the direction of
your business, outline clearly how you plan to get
there and hopefully motivate others to participate.
They need regular updating and reviewing.
Financiers, crowd funders or other investors should
know that business plans are ever only assumptions,
based on fiction and even possibly ludicrous. They
should be capable of looking beyond the plan to
see the personality behind the business.
Think about how you are going to produce your
goods, how you will sell (online or in retail) and
deliver them.
Who is your target customer, what age they are
and what income do they earn? Will you combine
online and more traditional advertising? What
experience do you bring to your business? What
are your values and big picture? Ultimately knowing
how much money you think you will need to borrow
and how you plan to repay it also helps.
Having some financial forecasts and an idea of
the people you will include to bring your goals to
life are also useful. You can get free business plan
templates on business websites as well as from
the lenders themselves. What I found helpful were
examples of completed business plans such as those
available from SMARTA or business libraries. If you
have to present it to a bank manager remember
to talk about it enthusiastically – Personality and
passion carries a lot of weight.
Even if money is not an immediate issue it might
still be worth writing a business plan as it forces you
to identify what your main business objective is and
how you will plan to make your business work.
STRATEGY DOCUMENTS
If business plans scare you, then draw up a
strategy document.
This is essentially a list of goals, ideas and routes to
market that will generate revenue. The document is a
route map with a number of different paths that goes
into your very core. It will encompass your values,
vision, action points, and purpose.
Try and list in sequence activities you need to
complete in order to get to a particular point and
prioritise them in terms of importance. My current
list includes:
l Looking at trending sites – What trends in other
industries, for example fashion, could be incorporated
into my decorative design work.
l Buying a better camera
l Expanding my online presence (Folksy, Etsy,)
l Noting all the big show dates in my calendar and
deciding if I want to buy a stand.
l Saving all the craft fair brochure pdfs that I get
sent on my computer, diarising dates and deciding
which ones to attend. (An artist with any commercial
sense needs to know what people are buying in the
design arena). Although I don’t recommend copying,
keeping a record of the words other commercially
savvy artists use is really helpful if you have to knock
up a brochure in record time.
l Doing some reconnaissance in my local area in
terms of what businesses may like to exhibit my art or
stock my greetings cards.
l Writing press releases to some local papers to grow
attention in the new place I’ve moved to.
l Continually communicating via my social media
platforms in ways that will help my business and help
grow my list of potential customers – and diarizing my
tweets, facebook page updates etc.
l Thinking of new technologies I could incorporate
into my business eg familiarizing myself with Instagram
l Studying funding providers (may need them in the
future) and researching my market.
Write down the basis of your creative mission in the
box below. Type it up and put on your noticeboard.
PlansPlans

7. x 7
W
riting a business plan is still one of the
most challenging aspects of business
start-up and for me a continual work
in progress. I often wonder who would actually
read it. Most of them look so yawn-worthy. You can
choose to ignore writing one at all until you need
investment but there is always this niggling thought
at the back of your mind that without one you can’t
be a fully-fledged business. The problem for start-
ups is that so often they are basing their business
on a list of ideas, and no-where near formulating
their aspirations into a plan, never mind thinking
about investors.
As a creative, formulating ideas in a way financiers
will understand doesn’t usually come naturally.
Ultimately, a business plan is written to help secure
funding and should show how the business aims to
create enough money to pay any loan back and over
what period. If you really struggle with this, get in
touch with a business mentor or trainer who can give
you the support you need to get it written.
The purpose of the plan is to set the direction of
your business, outline clearly how you plan to get
there and hopefully motivate others to participate.
They need regular updating and reviewing.
Financiers, crowd funders or other investors should
know that business plans are ever only assumptions,
based on fiction and even possibly ludicrous. They
should be capable of looking beyond the plan to
see the personality behind the business.
Think about how you are going to produce your
goods, how you will sell (online or in retail) and
deliver them.
Who is your target customer, what age they are
and what income do they earn? Will you combine
online and more traditional advertising? What
experience do you bring to your business? What
are your values and big picture? Ultimately knowing
how much money you think you will need to borrow
and how you plan to repay it also helps.
Having some financial forecasts and an idea of
the people you will include to bring your goals to
life are also useful. You can get free business plan
templates on business websites as well as from
the lenders themselves. What I found helpful were
examples of completed business plans such as those
available from SMARTA or business libraries. If you
have to present it to a bank manager remember
to talk about it enthusiastically – Personality and
passion carries a lot of weight.
Even if money is not an immediate issue it might
still be worth writing a business plan as it forces you
to identify what your main business objective is and
how you will plan to make your business work.
STRATEGY DOCUMENTS
If business plans scare you, then draw up a
strategy document.
This is essentially a list of goals, ideas and routes to
market that will generate revenue. The document is a
route map with a number of different paths that goes
into your very core. It will encompass your values,
vision, action points, and purpose.
Try and list in sequence activities you need to
complete in order to get to a particular point and
prioritise them in terms of importance. My current
list includes:
l Looking at trending sites – What trends in other
industries, for example fashion, could be incorporated
into my decorative design work.
l Buying a better camera
l Expanding my online presence (Folksy, Etsy,)
l Noting all the big show dates in my calendar and
deciding if I want to buy a stand.
l Saving all the craft fair brochure pdfs that I get
sent on my computer, diarising dates and deciding
which ones to attend. (An artist with any commercial
sense needs to know what people are buying in the
design arena). Although I don’t recommend copying,
keeping a record of the words other commercially
savvy artists use is really helpful if you have to knock
up a brochure in record time.
l Doing some reconnaissance in my local area in
terms of what businesses may like to exhibit my art or
stock my greetings cards.
l Writing press releases to some local papers to grow
attention in the new place I’ve moved to.
l Continually communicating via my social media
platforms in ways that will help my business and help
grow my list of potential customers – and diarizing my
tweets, facebook page updates etc.
l Thinking of new technologies I could incorporate
into my business eg familiarizing myself with Instagram
l Studying funding providers (may need them in the
future) and researching my market.
Write down the basis of your creative mission in the
box below. Type it up and put on your noticeboard.
Plans

8. 8
M
y memory plays tricks on me, and as
hard as I try, there are days where I
couldn’t pitch my business for toffee.
Despite all my best efforts (the business plan, my 3
second elevator pitch, and all the great prose I’ve
written about my card business in brochures and on
my website) my mind goes blank and I forget what
my business objectives are, or where I plan to be in
10 years’ time. That’s where my pinboards come in.
I’m certain most of us have a dominant sense,
whether it is our hearing, our sight, sense of smell or
intuition (the lesser known one) and depending on
the situation,one will prove stronger than the other.
Visual things seem to have a greater impact on me
than something written, spoken or felt.
My niece loaned me The Secret DVD by Rhonda
Byrne the other day – yes, it took me a long time to
get round to making that one a priority, but I have to
say,I was bowled over. I listened to all the amazing,
uplifting tips on how to create our dream world
through visioning,affirmations, and law of attraction.
I must have filled a whole notebook of quotes and
“To Do’s”but the most poignant of all of the ways we
bring about our destiny is through vision boards.
The DVD encouraged the viewer to cut out images
of where they’d like to see themselves in the future,
and pin them up where they see them regularly.
As an artist,I love to paint places, buildings, and
landscapes.Over a year ago (early 2014), I did a
series of paintings of key Belfast landmarks of which
the Titanic building was one. It’s an area of the city
I had never been to – I had left Northern Ireland in
1986 for University in England and never returned
except for the occasional trip to visit family at
holiday time. My Titanic Building painting was
done from a photograph on a scrap of old canvas
I had purchased in an art supply store in Finsbury
Park. To me the building is an architectural
wonder - the aluminium panels representing
the crystallised water of an iceberg. I thought
no more about the painting until this weekend
(12 September 2015) as I shared lunch with my
family in the restaurant of… The Titanic Building.
Coincidence? Quantum Physics?
In business we need all the help we can get so
I’d highly recommend going through your stash
of magazines, newspaper articles, and positive
affirmations to create a vision board you are proud
of. Find images that really help expand your
horizons, and reflect your big business goals and
dreams. Put your vision boards in a place you will
see them regularly, and really try and sense you are
in the places and situations you have cut out. With
an attitude of gratitude, and some positive action,
I’m certain some magic will happen. Never dismiss
following tried and tested business practices
to grow you empire but doesn’t a touch of the
supernatural interest you too?
THE
POWERof Pinboards

9. TEN TOP TIPS
of EXPORTING
1. Research your export partner fully
before you commit.
2. Agree terms and make sure that you
are going to make money. You will need to
heavily discount your cards.
3. Meet your export partner. There are
plenty of opportunities for them to come
to the many fairs and all serious distributors
will be there at least one of them.
4. If you want to export the two fairs that
are good for meeting export distributors
are the Spring Fair in February and
Progressive Greetings Live in May or June.
5. Don´t make a decision at the fairs, this
is a long term commitment and you need
to make sure that this is right for you.
6. It is rare for you to have to pay the
carriage, make sure you have
this in the contract along
with all the other terms.
7. It is vital that you always
have the stock, this is the
most likely reason for the
relationship to collapse. The
distributor will be selling to
the whole country through
agents and if one card is out
of stock that will mean lost
sales on a big
scale and a lot of
aggro. Make sure
you can manage
the lead times from
the date of order.
8. Payment terms. Proforma on the first
order and after that it is likely to be 60
days plus make sure you can finance this as
it could cause you a cash flow problem .
9. It is important to carefully work out
all the costings, especially your time. If
you are printing digitally it is quite hard to
make a profit. It can be a lot of work and
stress for little reward.
10. If you have done your homework
and it all works, exporting can be a brilliant
and lovely way of expanding your business.
Infinitely better than being involved in
brokerage which is much more
risky. Once those boxes leave you
that’s it, a done deal, no sale or
return or thousands of cards sitting
in someone else’s warehouse. You
can then build up your export
partners one at a time.
CONTACT
Lynn Tait
The Lynn Tait Gallery
http://www.thelynntaitgallery.com/
9
EXPORTING
the lead times from
It is rare for you to have to pay the
carriage, make sure you have
It is vital that you always
relationship to collapse. The
agents and if one card is out
Infinitely better than being involved in
brokerage which is much more
risky. Once those boxes leave you
that’s it, a done deal, no sale or
return or thousands of cards sitting
in someone else’s warehouse. You
can then build up your export
partners one at a time.
CONTACT
Lynn Tait
The Lynn Tait Gallery
http://www.thelynntaitgallery.com/http://www.thelynntaitgallery.com/
BY LYNN TAIT

10. 10
BRIGHTS
T H E T R E N D F O R A U T
Having followed the latest trends in the media during
Fashion week September 2015 I’m excited to say that
they all include bright bold colours primarily of the
citrus variety. I see them on everything – stationery,
clothing,accessories and styling products. They have
been around for a couple of seasons and look to be
staying.Have a look at two of my Curious Canine
designs opposite for on trend colour!

11. BRIGHT RED AND PURPLE!
The “back to school” marketing campaigns local stores have been promoting
include lots of bright pinks and orange colours which I think are great –
School can be really dull sometimes, and a nice bright notebook can make the
gloomiest day just a bit more bearable. The same goes in the greeting card
business – nothing like a pop of colour to make a design stand out above the
others in a spinner or on a person’s mantelpiece.
11
T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5
YELLOW IS INVOGUE!
Never mind orange... yellow is definitely the must-have colour for Autumn/
Winter. If you don’t fancy an all-over bright yellow you could go for a design
with just a flash of yellow on the border.

12. 1 WHAT DO YOU FEEL MAKES A GOOD
CARD RANGE?
l l l I think the answer is in the question,
‘What does it make you feel’? A good range
will always consist of a combination of
great imagery, choice of words, colours,
not forgetting a high quality board that
feels good in the hands, but it’s at that
point when you look at a card and it
elicits a feeling that I think makes it a
successful card. It might prompt a feeling
of tranquility, it might remind you of
something or someone, it might make you
smile or go ‘Awww’ and when this happens,
I think you know when you’ve got a good
card range. Having always bought and
sent lots of greeting cards myself over the
years, when I do go shopping I know when
I see the card I want because it sparks
a little feeling of delight when I see it.
The challenge in creating a good range is
consistently reproducing that little spark
over more than one design.
2. WHAT IS YOUR METHOD OF
CREATING ONE?
l l l Lots of trial and more error than
anything else, but I do have a process
of sorts. I keep a regular sketchbook in
which I mull over ideas and once I have a
theme in mind I’ll move onto sketches and
pen and ink drawings, then I crack open
the paints. I keep varying degrees of the
original work in my card designs and the
rest is manipulated in Photoshop.
Colour is always an issue for
me, I have no formula and
I am rubbish at keeping
a consistent palette so I
try and keep thematic
elements to shapes
and compositions and
l just let the colour
evolve as I go. Once I have something I
like, a range of images that to me, spark
joy*, then ideally I like to try them out at
a craft fair or a dog show to get feedback.
This isn’t always practical as fairs are
time consuming, standing out all day in
the cold is not my idea of a good time, so
sometimes I skip this bit and send sample
packs to 2-3 of my trusted shops (one
is run by a friend, and the other 2 are
enthusiastic buyers of my cards) in return
for their feedback on what is selling well.
If it’s good feedback then the cards go in
the brochure, if it’s not, then I go back to
the sketchbook.
*Does it spark joy? is a question
I’ve borrowed from Marie Kondo, the
Japanese cleaning consultant. In her book
“The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up”
she asks you to ask this question and use
your response as the guide to what to
keep and what to sell/recycle/give away
when you are clearing out your house. I
can’t recommend the book highly enough,
if you want to do a big spring clean, read
this, it is truly life changing. But as an
aside, I thought it was also a good question
to ask of my work. Does it spark joy in
me? If yes, then I’m onto a winner, if no
then perhaps I need to work on it more or
abandon it and start again.
3. WHAT THINGS WOULD YOU SUGGEST
NEW CARD PUBLISHERS DO TO BUILD
THEIR PROFILE ?
l l l I think a good place to
start is an email newsletter,
blogs don’t really reach
my audience of shops
(only other artists
and creatives) which
isn’t to say that you
shouldn’t have F
12 x
Card range design, colours, and promotion with
JO SCOTT
of Scott & Robson Designs

13. 1 WHAT DO YOU FEEL MAKES A GOOD
CARD RANGE?
l l l I think the answer is in the question,
‘What does it make you feel’? A good range
will always consist of a combination of
great imagery, choice of words, colours,
not forgetting a high quality board that
feels good in the hands, but it’s at that
point when you look at a card and it
elicits a feeling that I think makes it a
successful card. It might prompt a feeling
of tranquility, it might remind you of
something or someone, it might make you
smile or go ‘Awww’ and when this happens,
I think you know when you’ve got a good
card range. Having always bought and
sent lots of greeting cards myself over the
years, when I do go shopping I know when
I see the card I want because it sparks
a little feeling of delight when I see it.
The challenge in creating a good range is
consistently reproducing that little spark
over more than one design.
2. WHAT IS YOUR METHOD OF
CREATING ONE?
l l l Lots of trial and more error than
anything else, but I do have a process
of sorts. I keep a regular sketchbook in
which I mull over ideas and once I have a
theme in mind I’ll move onto sketches and
pen and ink drawings, then I crack open
the paints. I keep varying degrees of the
original work in my card designs and the
rest is manipulated in Photoshop.
Colour is always an issue for
me, I have no formula and
I am rubbish at keeping
a consistent palette so I
try and keep thematic
elements to shapes
and compositions and
l just let the colour
evolve as I go. Once I have something I
like, a range of images that to me, spark
joy*, then ideally I like to try them out at
a craft fair or a dog show to get feedback.
This isn’t always practical as fairs are
time consuming, standing out all day in
the cold is not my idea of a good time, so
sometimes I skip this bit and send sample
packs to 2-3 of my trusted shops (one
is run by a friend, and the other 2 are
enthusiastic buyers of my cards) in return
for their feedback on what is selling well.
If it’s good feedback then the cards go in
the brochure, if it’s not, then I go back to
the sketchbook.
*Does it spark joy? is a question
I’ve borrowed from Marie Kondo, the
Japanese cleaning consultant. In her book
“The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up”
she asks you to ask this question and use
your response as the guide to what to
keep and what to sell/recycle/give away
when you are clearing out your house. I
can’t recommend the book highly enough,
if you want to do a big spring clean, read
this, it is truly life changing. But as an
aside, I thought it was also a good question
to ask of my work. Does it spark joy in
me? If yes, then I’m onto a winner, if no
then perhaps I need to work on it more or
abandon it and start again.
3. WHAT THINGS WOULD YOU SUGGEST
NEW CARD PUBLISHERS DO TO BUILD
THEIR PROFILE ?
l l l I think a good place to
start is an email newsletter,
blogs don’t really reach
my audience of shops
(only other artists
and creatives) which
isn’t to say that you
shouldn’t have F
12 x
Card range design, colours, and promotion with
JO SCOTT
of Scott & Robson Designs

14. 14 15
a blog (I do have one), only personally
I’ve found a newsletter more effective. It
started out just with family members as
a way of keeping in touch, then friends
were added when we moved away to live
in Ireland, then commission customers,
then shops and now anyone who I have
any work contact with is asked if they
want to be added and I have a sign-up
box on my website and Facebook page.
I email monthly and give updates on
work, any special offers I’m running
and previews of new work. Next I think
building a following on social media is
fun and worthwhile, I would say just
pick the social media channels you use
already, for me it’s Facebook and Twitter.
I schedule posts occasionally and always
like to post my sketchbook updates when
I’m away on holiday. I don’t spend too
much time on social media for the card
publishing, I think it’s important, but
it’s relative, there’s no point spending
hours deliberating over every post and
scheduling a social media
bonanza, this is not where
your potential customers
are coming to
look for new products to buy, but it might
get you noticed and put on a potential
buyers watch list. Ultimately customers
buy at Trade Shows, they are expensive
and nerve wracking and you’ll need
realistic expectations that you probably
won’t recoup the entire cost of your
first Trade Show in orders, but there is
nothing like a trade fair to focus your
attention, build your profile and get you
noticed by buyers.
4. AS A CARD PUBLISHER YOU HAVE
NICHED INTO THE WORLD OF CATS AND
DOGS - HOW HAS NICHING HELPED YOU?
l l l It wasn’t the intention originally,
obviously I have a love of dogs (I own a
dog myself) but between us, I’m actually
allergic to cats, although that doesn’t stop
me appreciating their beauty!
I started out just printing reproductions
of some of my commission work as art
cards, I got great feedback and so it went
on from there, the dog paintings were
by far the most popular. At the Ladder
Club seminar last year I think I was
referred to as ‘The Dog Lady’ by one of
the other attendees, at least I hope she
was referring to my work! Having this
label allows others to share their dog and
cat stories with me, as soon as people
find out what I do they will often share a
story with me about their pet or show me
a photograph and many of these I used
in the card range ‘Today I will be…’ this
is a range of cards based on the idea of a
dogs diary, what they get up to and the
naughty things they are caught doing.
This has been my first ‘hit’ range; I have
one shop that is on their fourth re-order
since February.
In specialising in dogs and then cats I
also came in contact with the volunteer
organisation Helping Paws
(www.helpingpaws.co.uk) we
came up with a fundraising
idea whereby I donate my
painting time and people buy a
set of cards of their pet which
I paint from a favourite photograph, the
cost of printing, postage and packaging the
cards are covered in the cost and rest of
the money goes directly to Helping Paws,
we’ve raised over £500 so far and it’s done
a lot for raising my profile, but there’s
nothing like the feeling when you hear
about a newly rescued dog and knowing
that some of the money raised went
towards helping that animal.
So to answer the question, I have
embraced my niche and proudly wear my
title of ‘The Dog Lady’ but there is a LOT of
competition in the Dog and Cat sector so I
don’t necessarily see it as an advantage. It
does make some of my choices easier, for
example, subject matter, I don’t need to
ponder for long on which animal to use!
5. WILL YOU GO ON TO PAINT OTHER
ANIMALS IN THE FUTURE?
l l l I do a lot of commission work which is
primarily portraits of pets, dogs and cats,
but occasionally I get asked to paint other
animals from chickens to alpacas and as
a member of the Association of Animal
Artists, I also paint a lot of wildlife. I have
a couple of card ranges in the pipeline for
2016 that feature other animals and we will
just have to see how these are received.
6. WHAT ARE YOUR 3 TOP TIPS FOR
NEWBIES STARTING OUT IN GREETING
CARD PUBLISHING?
l l l I haven’t finished my first year of
trading as a greeting card publisher so I
feel very much a newbie myself still, but
having gone through most
of the painful experiences
in starting out I suppose I do
have some advice I can share.
Firstly I would say, self-
belief is important, once
you start looking into the world of card
publishing and take those first steps to
exhibiting at a trade fair it’s easy to get
caught up in what everyone else is doing,
you can look at others work and get
overwhelmed by the talent and variety out
there so it can be disheartening to begin
with. If you are just starting out then I
think you are entering the card industry
for a reason, either it’s something you’ve
always wanted to try or friends, family,
someone close or industry related has
encouraged you to give it a go, so I would
say, try and keep focus on your belief in
yourself and that of others and remember
other people are probably looking at your
work and thinking ‘Wow’.
Secondly I would book yourself onto
a Ladder Club seminar, they run every
November and join their Facebook group,
the networking, feedback, camaraderie
and advice I received when first starting
out saved me making some very expensive
and potentially embarrassing mistakes,
plus I’ve met a couple of new friends
along the way, it’s a real community. The
Greeting Card Association is also a very
useful resource when starting out (www.
greetingcardassociation.org.uk)
Lastly I would say, book that Trade Fair,
you won’t truly know where you stand
until you do this, so visit the Shows now,
do your research and ask for hints and tips
from others, you’ll find complete strangers
willing to give the most honest and detailed
information, unlike any other industry I’ve
worked in and just go for it.

15. 14 15
a blog (I do have one), only personally
I’ve found a newsletter more effective. It
started out just with family members as
a way of keeping in touch, then friends
were added when we moved away to live
in Ireland, then commission customers,
then shops and now anyone who I have
any work contact with is asked if they
want to be added and I have a sign-up
box on my website and Facebook page.
I email monthly and give updates on
work, any special offers I’m running
and previews of new work. Next I think
building a following on social media is
fun and worthwhile, I would say just
pick the social media channels you use
already, for me it’s Facebook and Twitter.
I schedule posts occasionally and always
like to post my sketchbook updates when
I’m away on holiday. I don’t spend too
much time on social media for the card
publishing, I think it’s important, but
it’s relative, there’s no point spending
hours deliberating over every post and
scheduling a social media
bonanza, this is not where
your potential customers
are coming to
look for new products to buy, but it might
get you noticed and put on a potential
buyers watch list. Ultimately customers
buy at Trade Shows, they are expensive
and nerve wracking and you’ll need
realistic expectations that you probably
won’t recoup the entire cost of your
first Trade Show in orders, but there is
nothing like a trade fair to focus your
attention, build your profile and get you
noticed by buyers.
4. AS A CARD PUBLISHER YOU HAVE
NICHED INTO THE WORLD OF CATS AND
DOGS - HOW HAS NICHING HELPED YOU?
l l l It wasn’t the intention originally,
obviously I have a love of dogs (I own a
dog myself) but between us, I’m actually
allergic to cats, although that doesn’t stop
me appreciating their beauty!
I started out just printing reproductions
of some of my commission work as art
cards, I got great feedback and so it went
on from there, the dog paintings were
by far the most popular. At the Ladder
Club seminar last year I think I was
referred to as ‘The Dog Lady’ by one of
the other attendees, at least I hope she
was referring to my work! Having this
label allows others to share their dog and
cat stories with me, as soon as people
find out what I do they will often share a
story with me about their pet or show me
a photograph and many of these I used
in the card range ‘Today I will be…’ this
is a range of cards based on the idea of a
dogs diary, what they get up to and the
naughty things they are caught doing.
This has been my first ‘hit’ range; I have
one shop that is on their fourth re-order
since February.
In specialising in dogs and then cats I
also came in contact with the volunteer
organisation Helping Paws
(www.helpingpaws.co.uk) we
came up with a fundraising
idea whereby I donate my
painting time and people buy a
set of cards of their pet which
I paint from a favourite photograph, the
cost of printing, postage and packaging the
cards are covered in the cost and rest of
the money goes directly to Helping Paws,
we’ve raised over £500 so far and it’s done
a lot for raising my profile, but there’s
nothing like the feeling when you hear
about a newly rescued dog and knowing
that some of the money raised went
towards helping that animal.
So to answer the question, I have
embraced my niche and proudly wear my
title of ‘The Dog Lady’ but there is a LOT of
competition in the Dog and Cat sector so I
don’t necessarily see it as an advantage. It
does make some of my choices easier, for
example, subject matter, I don’t need to
ponder for long on which animal to use!
5. WILL YOU GO ON TO PAINT OTHER
ANIMALS IN THE FUTURE?
l l l I do a lot of commission work which is
primarily portraits of pets, dogs and cats,
but occasionally I get asked to paint other
animals from chickens to alpacas and as
a member of the Association of Animal
Artists, I also paint a lot of wildlife. I have
a couple of card ranges in the pipeline for
2016 that feature other animals and we will
just have to see how these are received.
6. WHAT ARE YOUR 3 TOP TIPS FOR
NEWBIES STARTING OUT IN GREETING
CARD PUBLISHING?
l l l I haven’t finished my first year of
trading as a greeting card publisher so I
feel very much a newbie myself still, but
having gone through most
of the painful experiences
in starting out I suppose I do
have some advice I can share.
Firstly I would say, self-
belief is important, once
you start looking into the world of card
publishing and take those first steps to
exhibiting at a trade fair it’s easy to get
caught up in what everyone else is doing,
you can look at others work and get
overwhelmed by the talent and variety out
there so it can be disheartening to begin
with. If you are just starting out then I
think you are entering the card industry
for a reason, either it’s something you’ve
always wanted to try or friends, family,
someone close or industry related has
encouraged you to give it a go, so I would
say, try and keep focus on your belief in
yourself and that of others and remember
other people are probably looking at your
work and thinking ‘Wow’.
Secondly I would book yourself onto
a Ladder Club seminar, they run every
November and join their Facebook group,
the networking, feedback, camaraderie
and advice I received when first starting
out saved me making some very expensive
and potentially embarrassing mistakes,
plus I’ve met a couple of new friends
along the way, it’s a real community. The
Greeting Card Association is also a very
useful resource when starting out (www.
greetingcardassociation.org.uk)
Lastly I would say, book that Trade Fair,
you won’t truly know where you stand
until you do this, so visit the Shows now,
do your research and ask for hints and tips
from others, you’ll find complete strangers
willing to give the most honest and detailed
information, unlike any other industry I’ve
worked in and just go for it.
having gone through most
of the painful experiences
in starting out I suppose I do
have some advice I can share.
Firstly I would say, self-
belief is important, once

16. 16
PoiZIN PenYour heart is in the right place.
But your mind went somewhere else!

17. 1. WHEN DID YOUR IDEA TO PUBLISH
GREETING CARDS FIRST COME ABOUT?
l l l Following on from my stint as “Dr.
Ruthless”, a shock jock on radio station
Scot FM in Edinburgh, several of my
friends said that I should write down the
amusing stuff that comes out of my mouth
which is very off the cuff, rather edgy and
usually quite funny! So I did. I tend to say
out loud what others think but don’t have
the courage to repeat. I describe my cards
as a slap across the face, but with a kiss
inside to make it better!
2. WHATWERE THE MAIN STEPS YOU
TOOK TO GETTHUS FAR? (TRADEFAIRS
YOU’VE PARTICIPATED IN, STOCKISTS
ETC).
l l l The first thing I did was sign up for
the Ladder Club Seminar six months in
advance that was going to take place in
October 2013. I was totally ignorant to
the industry and I wanted to be as well-
informed and educated as possible. That
seminar was well worth the wait! The
second thing I did was to attend Autumn
Fair at the NEC in September 2013. I
wanted to see how greeting cards were
displayed, how large the stands are, what
is the lighting like and to see if anyone
was doing my style of card or humour.
3. CAN YOU SHARE WHAT INSPIRES YOU
TO WRITE?
l l l Real life situations. The Human
Condition. Silly things. Everything and
nothing. Things that happen in real time.
My husband David is my muse.
4. ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON
ANY NEW RANGES?
l l l Always. Constantly. I carry a
notebook and pen everywhere I go in
case something spills out of my brain and
lands in my mouth and if it makes me
or someone else laugh, I write it down in
draft form. At some point, it evolves into a
greeting card. Sometimes I use an image,
but my cards are mostly words.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FIVE YEAR PLAN (IF
YOU HAVE ONE?) AND IF NOT, OUTLINE A
FEW OF YOUR MOST IMMEDIATE GOALS.
l l l I want to be doing this for the next
decade or longer. I am not looking to get
rich or famous but I feel my cards deliver
a message people need to hear – or read.
“Your heart is in the right place, but your
mind went somewhere else!” I consider
my card line to be specialised and I want
distribution in good retail outlets. I think
PoiZIN Pen is a boutique brand and I want
to market it accordingly. Currently, I
have a distributor for 6 French speaking
countries and a distributor in the USA.
Now, it’s about growing the brand and
increasing sales and exposure.
17

18. 18
B
ack in early April 2015 I was informed
I ought to have a Christmas card
range on display at the trade fair I
was attending on 2nd June (PG Live,
Business Design Centre, London) as most buyers
would expect one. My stomach sank at the
prospect of having to come up with an entirely
new range in such a short time, primarily
because I was juggling so many other things in
my private life. Coming up with a new range
has it’s challenges at the best of times but to
do this whilst juggling our family’s house move
overseas, and a complicated business matter is
no small task.
I’ve never had any problem outsourcing a
design brief to one of my team if needed, but
always try to provide my graphic designers
with a good first draft so the collection bears
by signature from the word go. I start most
collections by opening a simple word document
and listing a minimum of 12 greetings (in this
case Christmas sentiments) below each other.
Listing all the elements you need to incorporate
– in this case timeless, classic Christmas scenes
featuring churches, doves, candles, and holly
wreathes, is also an important second step.
Time constraints either 1) stress you out
completely - rendering you incapable of getting
any work done at all or 2) help you to distil all
your creative energies into knocking something
out that can be fine-tuned later. Thankfully,
number one wasn’t an option! So by the time I
had sketched out Christmas baubles, Christmas
trees, bells, and reindeers I was well on my way
to having a Christmas collection.
Recognising that you can’t do it all is as
important in business as researching your
market or getting finance. My other life in
property management is held together by my
very disparate team of lettings agents,mortgage
brokers,handymen,plumbers,solicitors and
decorators to name but a few. The rookie
card publisher has to have a team in much the
same way to help with the production,printing,
distribution,marketing,and stocking of card
ranges. In emergencies,I can always call on my
team to refine my designs when I simply don’t
have the time to do so myself. I only had to go
back to the drawing board once with my reindeer
design as it turned out far too comical for what
otherwise is a fairly traditional collection. I had to
redraw the reindeer’s antlers,and face. Once this
was done,and the colour scheme agreed (four
green,four blue,and four red designs) I was good
to go. Probably the most nerve wrecking part of
the card lifecycle is uploading pdfs for use by the
printer,and waiting for them to arrive so you can
package them in good time.Only hours before I
caught my train into London a day before show
opening,I uploaded the range to my website. The
buyers who visited my stand may not necessarily
have noticed this particular range over and above
any other – but I know that having them on my
website for buyers to refer to them later clinched
a very substantial order. I guess the moral of this
story has to be the need to trust the team around
you to do what you don’t have time to do yourself,
and together produce something magical. If you
haven’t built your team yet,then do so promptly –
CHRISTMAS IS COMING!
&
Snowflakes, Sa

19. 19
Delegation
anta Claus

20. 20
Janna Cossettini
of Deckled Edge Design

21. 1. WHAT WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT
STEPS YOU TOOK TO LAUNCH YOUR
GREETING CARD BUSINESS?
l l l I actually was half-way through
illustrating a childrens picture book and
naivly thought I could do the book AND
launch greeting cards..... I had to put the
book on the back burner. So the answer
would be: A; I joined the GCA. Sharon was
such help with my silly Q’s. She outlined
card sizes, printers, and explained about
digital/litho etc. B; having some free
time for the first time in 8 years with
my youngest starting school. C; having
a desire to become a professional again
instead of being just ‘Mum’.
2. WHAT 4 PIECES OF ADVICE
WOULD YOU GIVE TO ARTISTS LIKE
YOURSELF WHO WANT TO GET INTO
GREETING CARDS?
l l l I have 5;
n Do your research.
n Ask loads of questions.
n Ensure what you plan to offer is going
to sell.
n Have some money to hand once the biz
is up and running for cashflow, to enable
you to purchase higher volumes of cards/
env at the lowest prices, this is aside from
costs of trade shows, packaging etc.
n Ensure you have someone to help with
advice on running a business/book-keeping.
3. ATTENDING TRADEFAIRS IS AN
IMPORTANT PART IN THE LIFE OF A
GREETING CARD PUBLISHER - WHICH
VENUE HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE
AND WHY?
l l l Home&Gift. It suits my personality
and the subject matter of my designs.
4. HOW DO YOU DECIDE ON THE THEME
FOR YOUR NEXT CARD RANGE, AND
HOW DO YOU DECIDE ON THE NAME
FOR A COLLECTION ?
l l l Listening to buyers at Trade Shows,
they tell you what they want to see more
of, or what is lacking in the current
industry. Sometimes it just dawns on you,
hits you out of the blue. At times it is an
extension of what you have already done.
5. WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO
SEE YOUR CARDS SOLD?
l l l Equine industry mainly, large tack
stores, coastal/rural independents.
JANNA COSSETTINI
85 NORTH CRAY RD. THE COACH HOUSE. SIDCUP.
KENT. DA14 5EP
M: 0773 6441749 T: 0800 7710771
E: info@decklededge.co.uk
W: www.decklededge.co.uk
Twitter: @DeckledEdgeArt
Facebook: facebook.com/decklededge
Catalogue: ISSUU/decklededge
21

22. 22
M
y teenage daughter goes through
phases of declaring what she wants
to be when she grows up. This
has ranged from anything from becoming a
journalist, property investor, or foster parent.
The one role that has remained fairly consistent
throughout, however, has been a “Professional
Declutterer”. While I’m not always grateful
for her gentle goading to throw things out,
I appreciate that I probably need to be
challenged now and again to simply tidy up.
With her help I’ve recently cleared out about
30% of a loft I hadn’t even looked at in over
5 years. But there is a function us hoarders
are not recognised enough for: that of saving
seemingly useless things for posterity, and in
doing so preserving everyday things that will
tell a future generation a lot about our lives.
Collecting correspondence and greeting cards
is one such example.
For each of my children I kept a scrap book
containing their new baby cards -cards friends
and family sent to celebrate their birth. I come
across them every now and then and always
like thinking of the well-wishers, not all of them
people we see regularly, who took the time to
congratulate us on the arrival of our new baby.
The ones I received from contacts overseas are
particularly special since they didn’t have the
same choice of cards to buy but still made an
effort to put pen to paper. Examples include
blank cards with hearts on, and a kind message
written in broken English.Throwing these
away would mean my children have no idea
how special their birth was, nor the welcome
others extended to them as they made their
appearance. But for me the most important
thing about saving old correspondence is that
I’m preserving pictorical samples of history -
designs that will take their place in their specific
decades’ hall of fame.
Perhaps we should think carefully before we
throw the next batch of cards into recycling. We
could be denying someone the change to PAUSE
- to relive a special moment in someone’s life, as
well as closing a window on the past.We’re also
discarding some great examples of contemporary
design that may be iconic in the future.
HOARDERS
We need YOU!

23. 2
l You reveal more about yourself than
you realise when choosing a greeting
card. If chosen carefully, you are
giving the recipient a small peak into
the internal workings of your mind – a
glimpse into your fashion sense, your
preferred colours, personality traits, and
sense of humour. Of course if you’ve bought
it primarily with the recipient in mind, you are showing
your caring side, considering what would appeal to the
person who will receive it, the colours, subject matter
and humour you know them to enjoy.
The way you write inside a card is also revealing.
Do you quickly scribble a one-liner on the card and
send it on its way, or do you write an entire
letter on the inside of the card extending
it on to the space on the back with arrows,
and Please Turn Over’s (PTO)?
Please share the thoughts that go
through your mind when card buying.
All contributors’ names will be added to a
hat, and a winner will receive samples of Lorraine’s
Cats’ Chorus card range. Email us at Lorraine@
lorrainestylianou.com remembering to leave your
email and address. The winner will be announced
on my facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/
lorrainestylianouart] and we will contact you to let you
know too. Draw will be held on 1 November 2015.
lllCOMPETITION
CARD PSYCHOLOGY
sense of humour. Of course if you’ve bought
send it on its way, or do you write an entire
through your mind when card buying.
All contributors’ names will be added to a
hat, and a winner will receive samples of Lorraine’s
l l l This month in the book nook I’ve started
reading “TheYes book”, The Art of Better
Negotiation by Clive Rich. It was recommended
to me by a business network I’m a member of.
Negotiation is a subject that has daunted me at times,
and one I know I can improve. I can’t review the
book in its entirety as I’ve only read the introduction
but to quote the back cover the book “gives you a
modern framework for today’s changing negotiating
landscape, covering [the] attitude, behaviour and
process you need to overcome unhelpful traits in
yourself and others.” As card publishers I’m certain
we all want to hear “YES” a lot more.
For our next issue we’d love to hear about the
books you are reading and how it helps inspire and
motivates you on your creative journey.
The Book Nook
23

24. Maintaining visibility
It is really important to keep making yourself
visible in new ways all the time. This could include
joining the conversation you may be following on
a favourite blogsite, joining a new forum, signing
up to a new art website or opening on online store.
Many successful designers who see the business
aspect of their art as a natural branch of what
they already do will be creating e-zines, forming
collectives of likeminded people, and producing
regular newsletters to keep their readers informed
in addition to publishing cards and growing their list
of stockists. Customer engagement is where it’s at.
Good photography
Card publishing and design is a visual industry and
you will need great pictures to show off your work.
Buy a camera that allows you to take high resolution
photos. You need good quality photos for your own
promotional material (brochures, blog posts etc) as
well as for uploading to your website or affiliate sites
such as redbubble.com, fineartamerica .com, or
zazzle etc. They cannot reproduce your images on
cards, cushions or camera cases if the quality is poor
e.g. low quality JPEGS that are not in RGB colour
mode. The letters RGB simply refer to Red, Green and
Blue. Most design orientated online platforms such
as Etsy and Folksy will have blogs posts or FAQ’s that
cover photography. They are worth checking out for
ideas on lighting, focus, tripods, and background.
https://www.etsy.com/
https://folksy.com/
When Inspiration wanes ...When Inspiration wanes ...When Inspiration wanes ...
24
THE
ATTENTION
WAR
Visit some of the websites below to reignite your creative energy.
http://www.smartcreativewomen.com
http://www.ted.com/talks
http://www.creativeboom.co.uk
http://enterprisenation.com
http://www.saa.co.uk/
Please let us know any others you would recommend – head over to my
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lorrainestylianouart
cover photography. They are worth checking out for
ideas on lighting, focus, tripods, and background.
https://www.etsy.com/
https://folksy.com/

25. x
Meet Gypsy, and
Chic, my bohemian
character creations
who are here to
inspire you with
uplifting quotes from
Rumi for the weeks
ahead in all your
creative enterprises.
“Live life as if everything
was rigged in your favour”
“
was rigged in your favour
“Stop acting so
small, you are
the universe in
ecstatic motion”
“The door is
wide open,
don’t go back
to sleep”
“Sell your cleverness
and buy bewilderment”

26. 26
I
n keeping with the magazine’s title Gypsy
Chic, I wanted to showcase pictorially my love
of everything rose-related. Every one of my card
collections truly are a team effort and my Gypsy
Chic range is no different. Esther, one of my star
freelancers, used my design brief to create these
elegant flowers in both a day and night version.
I had a different sentiment added to each, and
Sharon, my trusted graphic designer, produced the
print ready pdfs. I’m certain the fact that both live in
Spain has added much free spirited Mediterranean
warmth to the range.The collection currently
totals 16 roses on a white background, and 16 on a
navy blue background and together they cater for
numerous different sending occasions:
Wedding, Engagement, Birthdays, Mother’s/
Father’s Day, as well as celebrations of love,
thanks , remembrance, and retirement. With a
mix of 32 designs, they really do look good in a
standard spinner - filling out the top pockets with
eye catching florals. There are some blank any
occasion designs in the range too for times when
we just want to say it with flowers!
To order please feel free to complete an order
from and return on
Lorraine@lorrainestylianou.com
ROSES for roses sake
NOUN
1
A prickly bush or shrub that typically bears red, pink, yellow, or white fragrant flowers, native to north
temperate regions and widely grown as an ornamental. (Oxford Dictionary)

27. 27

28. 428

29. Gypsy Chic magazineGypsy