unfold uk

spring fair - be square

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Spring Fair trade show in Birmingham, England.  It's a massive gift/accessories/greeting card & stationery trade show [stats: 73,000 buyers - 4,000 exhibitors - 19 halls] that attracts a lot of international buyers.  It was really interesting to see what paper products the UK has to offer.  Maybe I'm subconsciously biased, maybe I missed the 'cool and fun' exhibits, but I wasn't that impressed.  That said, there were some standouts whom I call the 'Ones to Watch' - you'll see at the end of this post. 

real squares

The Square Card Company, above

Caroline Gardner, above

There are some design differences that I noticed right away, such as the square.  The square is everywhere. Designers in both countries love the square, and I can understand why: it's symmetry provides a nice visual frame for the graphic, it's distinctive, and it looks pretty when displayed on a retail rack.  But because there are no mailing restrictions on square cards in England, it seems like every designer out there only uses this format.

Sarah Naylor, above

one to watch:  I really love Sarah Naylor's designs.  This is from a range of kid's cards, the images are not cutesy and dopey, there is a little bit of funky edge to them.  Not to mention the fact that they are flourescent!  Yes, they are square, but they are anything but common.

hi and all that

I've met a lot of very talented, smart and fun people in the greeting card/stationery industry, from designers and retailers to people who simply love stationery.  Since starting Soleberry.com as an online paper boutique in 2004, I've learned more than I ever thought I would about exactly what goes into creating, packaging, marketing and delivering greeting cards and all other manner of paper products.  And I love it.

Last summer I moved to England and have gotten to know some of the players on the UK paper scene too. Unfold UK is about the people on both sides of the pond that make the industry great.  I want to hear how they started, what they are working on, how they are selling their product and the clever things they are doing.  I want to know what's ahead - what's the next big trend?  And what just won't die?  Of course, I also want to know what trash TV they are watching, since we can't all be working all of the time.   

Stay tuned...