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In Conversation With...
It was love at first sight at Leeds University, then there was a lunch in London, followed by a meetup in Manchester. And now they are very happily celebrating their 10th anniversary. This however is an ongoing ‘love story’ that has been played out on giftwrappings, with Glick and Paper Salad now marking a decade - and five Henries trophies - since they first started working together. PG ‘unwraps’ how the relationship between the two companies has developed and why it is such a winning partnership.
It’s A Ten
From Them Becky Dobson, managing director of Glick clearly remembers the moment when Paper Salad came into her orbit. “I was in the Leeds University shop, which was well known for its product selection, and spotted a couple of sheets of distinctly designed wrap, which I discovered were from Paper Salad. Glick at that time only produced foil-based designs, little did I know then that it would be through our work with Paper Salad that the company’s design direction would radically change,” revealed Becky.
As chance would have it, in 2010 both Becky and Claire Williams (who co-owns Paper Salad with Karen Wilson) were both invited to The Retas and happened to sit next to each other. “I was obviously aware of Glick as a leading player in the giftwrapping sector. We were producing a small selection of flittered wrap and boxes to go with our cards which everyone seemed to love, but we found it a bit problematic to produce, the paper we used was probably too thick and managing
stock levels was tricky,” admits Claire. “I assumed Glick had a big in-house design studio and so was surprised to discover that the designs were all brought in from other sources. As I was picking Becky’s brains on the production front, she was asking me all about our design process. We got on really well and so when she suggested Karen and I met her (and Andy Milne, then the md of Nigel Quiney) at the Cardgains trade show at Manchester United, it seemed like a good idea,” elaborated Claire. It certainly was a ‘good idea’ as, following a trip to Top: Glick’s Becky Dobson (second left) and Michelle Airth (centre) with Paper Salad’s Claire Williams (third left) and Karen Wilson being presented with the trophy for Best Wrappings Collection at the last physical Henries in 2019. Above: Paper Salad has become known for its bright colours and high production values. Far left: The first Paper Salad collection from Glick, ten years ago. Left: Paper Salad’s designs for Glick have proven time and time again to have wide appeal.
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