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Up Close…Newbie Henries Winners
The Henries greeting card awards have always been a level playing field - free to enter and open to every UK card publisher, irrespective of size or tenure. Here PG spotlights a trio of newbies - Bird & Co Studio, Little Roglets and Heyyy Cards - who all triumphed in the recent awards to find out more about how they are making their mark on the greeting card map.
A TRIUMPHANT TRIO SPREADING HER WINGS Emily Byrd is flying high having transformed her life from the burnout of her creative director job in the fast-moving consumer goods category to spreading her wings as a publisher. Setting the uplifting tone of The Henries 2024 awards ceremony was Emily’s emotional reaction to being announced she was crowned The Lynn Tait Most Promising Young Designer Or Artist, the first award of the evening. The prestigious award came just over a year after Emily had set up Bird & Co Studio. “Leaving a secure salary and steady job was no easy choice,” Emily said, “I was plagued by financial worry and imposter syndrome, but it felt like something inside was calling me to do this and I had to listen and follow.” After a childhood of creativity, from designing her swimming club’s badge to coming up with an animation for Nickelodeon, a graphic design degree followed. Emily then became a creative director and partner at a creative agency, producing branding and packaging for global companies but admitted: “I often found myself frustrated and overwhelmed with the amount of waste in the
FMCG category where so many everyday items are made for one use, without the ability of being recycled or reused.” In 2022 “after suffering from burnout, I finally spread my wings and made the decision to go after my dreams of starting my own creative business, one that worked to help protect our environment and allowed me a life of freedom – freedom to create meaningful art that makes me happy, financial freedom and the freedom to go on an adventure during the week if the sun pops out,” elaborated Emily. “The beginning was lonely and I craved community. At times it felt like I was climbing a mountain in the dark without a headlamp or a map!” recalled Emily. Above: A range of Emily’s collections. Left: Emily was overwhelmed with her Henries win. Below: Emily’s Henries’ entry board showed off her talents.
“Seeing my artwork on products and selling to shops was my ultimate goal so I reached out to some wonderful creatives that inspired me. I knew I needed support and help with direction and, straightaway, I was struck by how generous this industry is with sharing knowledge and encouragement,” she added. Having taken part in The Ladder Club, Emily also attended the GCA’s Dragons’ Speed Dating event in March this year, and officially launched to trade on online marketplace Faire and at PG Live in June: “I was so chuffed to leave the show with orders, amazing new contacts and industry friends as well as a Golden and Sunshine ticket!” said Emily. Her biggest achievement in the last year though was “being announced as a finalist for two Henries awards and ended up actually winning one!” Emily is feeling positive about the coming year with lots of ideas for products, stands booked at PG Live and Harrogate Home & Gift, and plans to get help with fulfilment and packing orders as well as ambitions to get into art licensing. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 55