On Saturday 17 February, greeting card publisher Lucy Ledger hosted her first Creative Business Masterclass at the V&A Museum. The aim of the course was to help new creative businesses stand out and be authentic in their industry and an emphasis was put on paper design with a special focus on greetings cards. Demand for places on the course was so high that the 16 places available sold out within a week of being announced!
Lucy says: “After being in business across various creative industries for eight years I know how important it is to cultivate a strong personal style and recognisable brand. I think in the greetings card industry some new designers can emerge just replicating what is already in the marketplace, I used the session to strongly discourage this and to show that being true to yourself as an artist is the only way to have longevity in such a saturated industry. I also know how overwhelming it can be for new designers to strive for this ultimate goal so my main aim of the day was to help the businesses with fun, simple and practical steps to either create their own authentic brand or strengthen the one they had. I wanted the students to go away not just feeling inspired, but with practical steps on what to do next.”
For the afternoon session Lucy handpicked designers and organisations she admires the most to complement and strengthen the message.
“In the greetings industry there are some companies that really do stand out to me as being an example of how a strong brand can bring long standing success,” says Lucy. “Paper Salad are one company I think really shows this perfectly and I love how their story is so honest and inspiring. As soon as the course was confirmed I knew I wanted them to be my keynote speakers for the afternoon session”
For other speakers Lucy asked Janet Stevens from G.F Smith who wowed the student with so many options of paper and board and showed the amazing new eco range produced from recycled coffee cups. Sharon Little from the GCA came down to talk about the Ladder Club, the benefits of joining and practical advice for new publishers. Rachael Taylor talked about her career in licensing and surface pattern design and Rose Hill from Rose Hill Designs finished the day talking about the importance of PR and getting your message out.
“I was so lucky to have an amazing team of speakers around me on the day that helped make it truly special,” says Lucy. “It was a really wonderful day and I was so overwhelmed with the feedback we got from the students – it was a complete success”
The course was received so well another date will be announced for September shortly. This date is already half filled from the waiting list for the February course, so spaces will be extremely limited. Follow Lucy on instagram or visit her website to be the first to know when the tickets go on sale.
Some of the feedback from the students:
“Thanks Lucy for a wonderful day yesterday. It exceeded my expectations; the knowledge, the hands on advice, the generosity of all the speakers and your honest and authentic message for us all.”
“Thank you Lucy Ledger for creating such an amazing course. I feel excited and inspired by the possibility of things to come. If you haven’t attended one of Lucy’s courses I highly recommend you do – it’s the best money I’ve spent in years!”
“AMAZING CREATIVES! Thank you Lucy Ledger and V&A museum for organising such a fantastic day with so many talented creatives. It was great to meet so many inspiring people. I feel a little star struck!”
“Thank you Lucy for an amazing inspiring day. Love, love, loved it! Great selection of speakers and can’t wait to put all your helpful ideas and tips to use”
“Wonderful informative Creative Masterclass today. Feeling thoroughly inspired. Thank you!”
