Natural History Museum welcomes fresh licensing perspective from publisher
Ohh Deer has unveiled its first heritage licensing partnership in a dino-mite deal with the Natural History Museum to put a fresh perspective on the subject.
And working with the home of dinosaurs, known as a world-leading science centre and one of the UK’s. most visited attractions, has allowed Ohh Deer’s co-founders Mark Callaby and Jamie Mitchell to unleash their own love of the prehistoric beasts while injecting humour into the museum’s historical and educational illustrations for the inaugural collection of 24 greeting cards, six postcards, and four Risograph art prints.
“This range has been especially fun to work on,” creative director Jamie told PG Buzz, “because the museum really allowed us to bring the fun elements of our brand into the collaboration. I’ve always been fascinated by dinosaurs so working with the Natural History Museum, who are known as the home of dinosaurs, has been brilliant.”
Maxine Lister, head of licensing at the Natural History Museum, added: “Through our collaboration with the incredible Ohh Deer, we’ve put a fresh twist on the historical illustrations we have tucked away in the museum’s archives.
“Together we’ve had fun reimagining them as humorous and colourful products that will allow younger generations to share in the wonder of both the museum’s collections and the natural world in a whole new way.”
Jamie worked on the range with the Ohh Deer product team to take inspiration from the museum’s vast collection and transforms it into a fresh, fun, and contemporary offering.
The publisher has previously worked with the museum’s retail buying team and were approached by the licensing team who wanted Ohh Deer to produce a funny card range.
It’s a first for the company as heritage brands are new for Mark and Jamie, although licensing is a big part of the business as they currently work with over 120 different artists and brands, and there’s another big announcement in the pipeline.
MD Mark commented: “The Natural History Museum has always been my favourite museum thanks to my parents taking me there when I was young and going on many drawing trips during my illustration course while at Kingston University.
“So, when the museum approached us about this opportunity we were just as keen to collaborate. We definitely thought that we’d have to jump some hurdles with the type of humour we wanted to apply to the range – but the teams at the museum wanted to see our brand shine through!
“We love licensing in general as it allows us to keep the brand fresh. The heritage brand is a new angle for us, but I think it’s a good reflection on how far the business has come and hopefully shows that we believe you don’t always need new, instead refreshing what’s already available is equally as exciting.”
The full range will be on display at all the trade shows Ohh Deer are attending from January, including Top Drawer London and Spring Fair in Birmingham. Wholesale pre-orders for the range start on 6 December with stock being displayed from January.
