Ian Blake, Woodmansterne’s art director is making history for the greeting card publishing business in that the designs from his own range creation, Hysterical Heritage have been turned into a book.
Being published by Portico, an imprint of Pavilion Books, Panic Ye Not is being hailed as ‘A survival guide to the middle ages’. The 96-page hardback book (being published on June 10) is true to the hugely successful Hysterical Heritage greeting card range, featuring illustrations inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry juxtaposed with hilarious takes on how our ancestors would have coped with modern day issues and mundanities.
‘Invasions, plagues, and only bathing once a week are nothing compared to our current struggles; not having Wi-Fi reception, failing to order in time for next day delivery, or simply forgetting your mobile phone’ reads the book intro.
“Six years ago, when the first card designs hit the shops, I never could have imagined it would be such a runaway success and it would help me see my name credited as an author for the very first time!” Ian told PG Buzz. “Thanketh to everyone who has made this possible!“ he added in true Hysterical Heritage style.
In the acknowledgements page in the book, Ian not only pays tribute to his Woodmansterne colleagues, members of his family and those who have had an input in the range over the years (such as Lisa Hunt, who worked alongside him on the initial illustrations), but a key historical leader too – William The Conqueror, without whom Hysterical Heritage would never have come into being!
Strengthening the tie between the card range, the back cover of the book includes a Woodmansterne logo.
It was a historical event – the 960th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, to be precise – that prompted Ian to progress the idea for the greeting card range that had been brewing for a few years previous.
“Since everyone knows about the Bayeux Tapestry and period of British history, even if it’s only Harold getting shot in the eye or just the 1066 date when the Battle took place, I felt it would have universal appeal,” relayed Ian, who has worked with copywriter Alex Lowe since the range started with some input from Simon Nevin and Mark Blake-Will along the way on a few gags.
While the designs are immediately evocative of the Bayeux Tapestry style, Ian created the characters and scenarios, and also his own historical font to complete the look.
Putting the range and the book together Ian admits has taken considerable amount of research to get the balance right between the historical reference and the humour.
“History wasn’t my best subject at school, but having created a range inspired by such an historical event, I like to think my teacher would have given me an ‘A’ for this piece of ‘homework’!” quips Ian.
The Hysterical Heritage range came into the media limelight a couple of years ago, when it was first announced that the Bayeux Tapestry was to be loaned to the UK. The Daily Mail latched onto the tongue-in-cheek treatment of the Battle of Hastings artefact, including an extended article peppered with several images from the Woodmansterne card range on its Online portal, which is the most visited English-language newspaper website in the world, attracting over 14 million visitors daily.
And, not only can you buy the cards and soon the book, but you can wear the t-shirt too as Spike Leisure licences several of the Hysterical Heritage designs for its t-shirt collection.
Top: A portion of a Hysterical Heritage design.
