The Art File is pulling out all the stops for PG Live (June 4-5) and gearing up for its largest ever mid-year launch of new products. The Nottingham-based card publisher has collaborated with high profile designers, including Heather Flynn (creator of Alice Scott and co-creator of Happy Jackson), award-winning illustrator Emily Brooks and paperfold maestro, Paul Jackson, as well as drawing on the talents of the company’s own in-house studio to create a super strong show line-up of over 100 new designs.
As James Mace, The Art File’s sales and marketing manager revealed: “We’ve been busy over the last six months designing in-house and forming new collaborations with some highly talented designers to give you one of The Art File’s most pivotal midyear launches to date.”
Following on from working on the editorial of The Art File’s Imagine range, that launched at the start of this year, celebrated designer Heather Flynn brought a new wordy brand she has created, called Snap to Grid to The Art File.
“I have always admired Heather’s work and we agreed ages ago that when the time was right it would be fun to work together,” Ged Mace, md of The Art File told PG Buzz. “So when Heather contacted me about her latest project ‘Snap to Grid’, I jumped at the opportunity. We love the fresh humour of this new collection together with the upbeat tones which fit perfectly with The Art File. Unlike some other word ranges on the market, which rely on crude or rude words to raise the significance of the gag, this colourful collection is just witty and therefore will attract a very wide audience.”
The Snap to Grid collection will debut with 18 birthday and open designs as well as 11 occasions designs and seven age cards.
Commenting on what sparked Snap to Grid, Heather said “I love watching how the cultural references and language we use change and evolve, today more rapidly than ever. I’d begun writing and storing ideas for a youthful, fresh editorial range over the last year, waiting for the right time to work it up into a collection. Ged and I had a long-standing ‘let’s do something together’, so I was all the more delighted that Snap to Grid was a great fit for The Art File and to finally fulfill that promise!”
(Being pregnant with her second child has clearly been great for Heather’s creative powers as she will also launch a new brand, Goodhands, with Pigment at PG Live).
Emily Brooks is another well-known name from the artistic world who is bringing her own brand of illustration to The Art File with a range that is launching at PG Live. Known for her block colour, engaging illustration and popular social media content, Emily, who launched her own greeting card company at the start of last year, is now broadening her brand’s presence by working with licensee partners, such as The Art File, to launches into stationery, giftwrap, tabletop and giftware. The Art File is launching 24 of Emily’s bestselling designs, as well as three exclusive new designs.
Joining the 3D strand of The Art File’s portfolio is Twist Out, a brand new range created by world leading paper fold designer, Paul Jackson. Paul, who has written more than 40 books about origami, pop-up design and packaging, has taught fold design in more than 80 art and design colleges and widely exhibited his work around the globe.
Plus, after last year’s PG Live success of the Lion humour collection by brothers Hugo and Leo Bennett, The Art File has commissioned further designs that will launched at the exhibition.
Added to all these are some stunning in-house created ranges, including Infinity and Beyond, an everyday collection inspired by the celestial trend of the 90’s, which has had a recent revival on the catwalk, plus a stellar Christmas offering of 150 new designs including in charity, luxury boxed and giftpackaging.
The Art File is one of 230+ companies who will be exhibiting at PG Live (June 4 and 5 at London’s Business Design Centre). To make sure you are at this amazing celebration of the exciting greeting card industry, register now (and receive your free 2019 Show Preview) https://pgl-2019.reg.buzz/
Online registration works really well, but if you don’t have an easily accessible email address or you would just rather speak to someone in real life, please call the PG Live show team on +44 (0) 1635 297070 during office hours.
Top: Heather Flynn has been a busy bee, creating new brands that will be debut with The Art File and Pigment on cards.
