Young designers showcased thanks to The Henries Awards special category
The UK’s greeting card industry is renowned for its creativity and constantly bringing through young designers is at the heart of the success.
The Lynn Tait Young Designer Or Artist, which is sponsored by indie small retail chain Postmark, is one of the most interesting categories in The Henries Awards as it recognises the talent that’s constantly being discovered.
Each year, all designers under the age of 35 are invited to submit boards showcasing their artistic prowess as part of the annual industry awards, with all boards being seen by the 40-plus pack of retailer judges at the physical judging day.
Once the judges votes have been counted up, the best make up the finalists in the category and here PG Buzz features the remaining four of the seven who will find out on Thursday, 3 October, which one will lift the prestigious trophy, at the lavish awards event, the industry’s big night, which this year has an anything-goes ancient Rome theme at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel.
Georgi Doig, director of happiness for Lil Wabbit
“I am beyond excited to be a finalist in this category for the second year running. When launching Lil Wabbit just four years ago, after I took my grandmother’s watercolour paints home following her death, I could never have guessed that one day I’d be nominated for an art-based award.
“Since last year’s Henries I’ve been busy beavering away. I’ve created two new ranges consisting of 55 designs; launched our new bee scheme sponsoring 60,000 bees, each one representing a card sold; continued our StreetVet campaign and hit a total of £13,000 raised to date; taken part in my first PG Live and Harrogate Home & Gift, as well as our fourth Top Drawer; plus landed my first small chain and national stockist thanks to the Dragons Speed Dating event.
“Being recognised among the publishers in the category is truly amazing and we can’t wait to get to the awards and party the night away!”
Rachel Burt, designer at Hotchpotch
“Hi I’m Rachel! I am a greeting card designer at Hotchpotch. I have been working in the greeting card industry since I graduated from university – some years ago now! – and feel so lucky that this is my job!
“I love doodling on my iPad and it has become a bit part of my design process. There is so much potential in digital processes and I love to explore these!”
Beth Lewton, senior designer at Woodmansterne Publications
“My creative journey started over 10 years ago working within design industries and, to this day, I continue to craft my design skills within the greeting card industry knowing there is always more to learn and explore.
“What inspires me? Well, my main source is Mother Nature, she gives my soul peace and quiet, so I take from her any inspiration she is happy to share with me.
“What gets me excited is taking a seed of an idea, giving it fertile soil, holding patience for growth and then watching the idea bloom. Hopefully many more ideas will be in bloom soon!”
Emily Nash, founder of Emily Nash Illustration
“Hello! I’m Emily, an independent publisher of illustrated greeting cards and paper goods. I create bright, fun and colourful imagery, using hand-cut and digital collage. I started my artistic career as an editorial illustrator and, while I contributed towards a wide variety of publications, the lifestyle, food and culture pieces were my favourites as they allowed me to be more playful and creative.
“Alongside this, I worked part time for a greeting card publisher which was how I was introduced to the industry. I soon realised how fun it could be to illustrate with the sole purpose of spreading joy, so in 2019 I decided to go it alone and launched my own greeting card business.
“Since then, I’ve steadily grown my collection to over 300 products and I’m proud to be working with a fast-growing list of retailers around the world. While cards make up the majority of my range, I also design art prints, notebooks, puppet cards and more.
“This has been a big year and I have recently started outsourcing fulfilment to a small and friendly warehouse team, which has meant I have more time to focus on creating new designs and expanding the business. I’m so proud to be part of such a creative and friendly industry and am looking forward to seeing where it leads me next!”
All winners of The Henries 2024 will be announced at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on Thursday, 3 October, 2024.
To book tickets click here. It is a fabulous opportunity for the greeting card community to get together and celebrate its creative excellence as well as its strong sense of camaraderie. For more details head to the website www.thehenriesawards.co.uk
