Emily Coxhead, the design maestro behind Pigment’s uplifting Happy News greeting card range is spreading her wings wider by branching out into giftware, stationery and dated lines with new collections launched at Spring Fair with Widdop and Co, Blueprint Collections and Portico Designs.
Emily has also gained several high profile fans of her first book, entitled Make Someone Happy, which has recently been published by Penguin Random House.
Even Richard Branson blogged about her book on his website.
Widdop and Co’s Happy News collection includes colourful mugs, quirky jewellery, original photo frames including 3D photo holders, fun bags and candles all featuring Emily’s heart-warming messages, unique touches and hand-drawn illustrations. Blueprint Collections’ range includes happiness-inspired notebooks, ring binders, tote bags and stickers. New from Portico Designs for 2019 is a collection of vibrant dated calendars and diaries.
“I’ve absolutely loved working on the new products and seeing ideas I’ve had come to life, as well as products I used to make myself in my bedroom produced on a huge scale is just magic,” says creator Emily Coxhead.
It was hard to miss the Happy News range on Widdop & Co’s stand at Spring Fair, with the new product displayed in a Happy News painted tuk tuk. “The Happy News got off to a flying start at the Spring Fair,” says Sue Grant, marketing manager of Widdop and Co. “The display of the product on the tuk tuk and its position on our stand attracted many visitors curious to find out more about the brand.’
Emily Coxhead being there in person on the stand, Sue says was a real boon – “her enthusiasm is the driving force behind the brand and we could not have been happier to have her join us. We’re excited about the possibilities of the brand in 2018 with a huge amount of interest across a wide variety of different retailers”.
According to Alicia Davenport from Dri Licensing (who looks after the Happy News licensing programme), “book sales are looking very positive, even though it was just launched beginning of February.”
* The Happy News collection will on show in its tuk tuk in the Widdop and Co showroom, forming part of Widdop and Co’s third Sentiment Show, which starts on Monday (26 February) in the company’s North Manchester HQ and runs for four weeks. The show, which has a special focus on the company’s sentiment and special occasion brands, also offers retail visitors the opportunity to complete final buying for Mother’s Day and to begin planning for Father’s Day, Graduation, Communion and Confirmation and Thank You Teacher.
Every visitor spending over £500 will receive a free pack of either their best selling Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gifts worth over £250 at retail. Retailers wishing to book a place at the Sentiment Show, should call the Widdop and Co sales office on 0161 688 1226.
