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British Design
Left: Part of an Art File card design. Below left: WHSmiths’ Designed In Britain concept in Harrods.
‘Designed In Britain’ is emblazoned across the new greeting card display concept introduced last month within WHSmith Travel’s flagship store in London’s Victoria Station; echoing WHS’ Harrods’ concession in the iconic London department store, unveiled in April. WHS is not only flying the flag for great British design but also fanfares the names of the UK publishers whose designs feature on the new unit; and celebrating ‘It’s a London thing’, a number of publishers are also showcased in a Hello London display. It’s no secret that British creativity, innovation and quality is arguably the envy of the world, with much of that design talent showcasing their card design agility at PG Live this month, so PG asked a Brit-pack of WHS’ ‘Designed In Britain’ publishers, and a set of publishers spotlighting London icons on cards, plus retailer John Lewis, why UK design is so great. A Creative Historic Hub
Below: Creative and cutting edge, a card from Hammond Gower.
Nicci Gower, founder of Hammond Gower, believes creativity is an important part of our history and it's the reason the UK plays a huge part in the design industry today. “The Olympic Opening Ceremony is a prime example: this unique and iconic event sparked the world’s imagination and shows that Britain is one of the most influential creative hubs in the world. The UK is also home to designers who celebrate cutting-edge techniques just as much as skilled craftsmanship, which is why we have had such a global impact. Look closely, anywhere in the world where something creative is taking place, there will be a British person involved! We print and produce our cards in Britain because it is renowned for high-quality design, and is part of one of the most well-respected creative industries in the world. We take great pride in making things in this country and the UK has a long history of craftsmanship - we’ve always been good at making things by hand or by machine in order to create exceptional things! To lose this tradition in the UK would be a huge loss, so we are very keen to contribute to keeping British manufacturing alive today.”
It’s A London Thing Ezen Designs’ cards are produced and printed in the UK. David Wertheim, director for Ezen, states, “It’s one of the things that I wanted to ensure when I created the company. For me it's a personal ethos to make sure our designs are created, printed and packaged from our London studio to guarantee the absolute quality of our greeting cards. Sending greeting cards is so ingrained in the British culture that I felt that for Ezen they would be made in the UK. I wanted to keep them British made, that’s why I have added a Union Jack on the back of each card.” Right: A Queen’s Guard blows a kiss on an Ezen card.
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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