Meet Zoe! Zoe Spry is an illustrator and greetings card designer based in Bristol. She has a fluffy ginger cat named Elton (after Elton John, of course), loves doing anything outdoors and binge watching reality TV. We asked her about her card-making journey so far…
How did you get into making cards? Was it always something you wanted to do?
I started designing cards after graduating from my degree studying Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors. I did a module on gifting and greetings which I absolutely loved and so when I graduated in 2016 I started making my own range to sell online. Eventually I got myself a job as a children’s book designer so I was always juggling full time studio life with my own business- it’s only been in the last year which I’ve gone full time on my business after being made redundant (bit scary during a pandemic!) but I’m loving every second.
What inspires your work?
I’m inspired by the combination of fast-moving trends, creating humour out of current affairs but with a thoughtful and considered edge which I like to think makes my brand unique. I’m all about fun and bringing positivity even if the world isn’t always the most wonderful at times.
Did lockdown change the way you worked at all?
Finding new wholesale stockists was really challenging during lockdown as all of the bricks-and-mortar stores were closed. It really forced me to look at my online presence, get a grip on my e-commerce and other ways of selling to get my brand noticed.
What is your favourite card you’ve made and why?
My fave changes all the time, but my favourite in the past year was probably a valentines card with the caption “thanks for dealing with my quarantine meltdowns”… I love these types of cards which sum up how we’re all feeling whilst making light of a bad situation!
Did you pick up any lockdown hobbies/do you have a recent lockdown binge watch to recommend?
I’ve been totally obsessed with Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime! I grew up on a little dairy Farm on the edge of Dartmoor so have had a natural interest in watching Jeremy Clarkson try to run a farm- made even me realise how much work goes into farming! Otherwise I’m a total reality TV-head so I could talk about Real Housewives all day long…
What are you most looking forward to as soon as the world goes back to normal or gets a little more normal over the next few months?
I’m absolutely desperate to get out travelling internationally again (still not sure when that’ll be) but I’ve got so many destinations on my bucket list.. mainly I’d love to see NYC!
If you weren’t designing cards what would you like to be doing instead?
Maybe still working in Children’s book publishing – it was great fun! Otherwise over the years I’ve considered a few random things including floristry (which is odd because I hardly ever draw florals).
Tell us one fun fact about yourself 🙂
I once applied for and won a place on a government funded trip to India and did a mini work placement in a sari fashion house – it was soo cool!
We think Zoe’s cards are soo cool! To see more of Zoe’s designs, click here to shop her full range online. We’re also pleased to announce you can now find some of Zoe’s cards in your local Scribbler store – go, go, go!