33_35_Second Nature.qxp_Grid 07/12/2023 22:16 Page 1
In Conversation With…Second Nature
EXTRA DIMENSIONS
“It takes around three weeks to design just one Second Nature pop-up or 3D card,” reveals Nicole Schragger, joint general manager of the greeting card company. She knows first hand that this is the case as she not only heads up the studio team, but creates a lot of the designs herself. It is a rare knack of not only being able to think in 3D, but also to work out the ingenious series of up to 50 folds to instantly create the wow factor when the card is taken from the envelope. “I have literally grown up with Second Nature Pop-ups and have had a very good teacher,” quips Nicole. Her uncle Rod Schragger started the company over 40 years ago, joined soon after by his brother Trevor who is Nicole’s father and her mum, Carmen having long been on board steering the creative side. Nicole’s learnings are certainly very much in evidence with Second Nature’s latest 3D release, which spans four distinct greeting card collections. In addition to a whole host of new designs under its celebrated Pop-ups brand, across both everyday and seasonal, three brand new concepts are debuting, namely Spectacular, Clever Cubes and Paper Celebrations.
Above: One of the latest designs in Second Nature’s Pop-ups collection. Below: Nicole Schragger, Second Nature’s joint general manager holding one of the Quilling Card designs as well as a design from the publisher’s new Za-Zoo children’s temporary tattoo card. Below right: The eco packaging is a key element in the Second Nature portfolio.
“This is our largest ever launch of 3D cards,” explains Nicole. “Over the years Second Nature has earned a reputation as a leader in 3D innovation, which is something we are committed to continue to build on, to give our retail customers some excitement for their stores,” states Nicole.
While all involving paper engineering, the three new brands each have a distinct format. The Spectacular collection features multi-layered scenes inside a 3D window, each of the Clever Cubes sees die-cut elements emerge from a square base while the Paper Celebrations of intricate sculptures evoke memories of childhood pop-up books. ‘More than just a card…’ is the sign off promise on the front of Second Nature’s ‘A whole new world of 3D innovation’ catalogue which features the new collections. While the last few years has seen a reduction in the choice of handmade ranges on the market as well as those hand-finished
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 33
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Second Nature is one of the UK’s longest established greeting publishers, but that doesn’t mean it shies away from adding some new dimensions to its business, far from it. Not only has it recently forged distribution partnerships with both Scribbler and US-based Quilling Card, but it has also invested heavily in what is its largest ever 3D product launch. PG popped into the company’s HQ in London’s Notting Hill offices to find out more.