Today we are thrilled to bring you a fantastic and inspiring interview with Coralie Bickford-Smith. Coralie is a London based designer, illustrator and author, working by day as a book cover designer at Penguin Books and by night as a writer and illustrator of her own books and a variety of design projects.
Photo by Alex McBride
Coralie has attracted worldwide attention with her clothbound series for Penguin Classics, which are heavily influenced by the world of Victorian book bindings. Her debut book, The Fox and the Star, was also named Waterstones Book of the Year 2015 and was one of Time Out’s 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time! Coralie went on to publish her second book The Worm and The Bird and is currently working on a third.
Recently, the team had the pleasure of receiving goodies from Coralie’s latest project, Stamp Garden (part of a collaboration with Princeton Architectural Press). Stamp Garden is comprised of a number of lovely, high-quality rubber stamps and inks with a gorgeous botanical theme. We had a blast creating our prints and patterns with Coralie’s stamps and think they’d make a fantastic addition to any stationery and stamp lover’s collection!
Do you remember the first piece of work you ever sold?
When I was at primary school I used to draw pictures of my favourite cartoon characters, these were Snoopy and Garfield, and other students would ask to buy them for a few pennies. I remember feeling very happy as drawing was the one thing that I loved to do.
Can you describe the evolution of your business?
It has been an organic process which has been about finding my own path and learning from my many mistakes. So it has been slow and steady. I like to experiment and explore my own reasons for doing things and only proceed when things feel right for me. I tend to over work as I love having a stable job and being able to explore and grow from there, so weekends and evenings I do the other work, like writing and illustrating my own books and fun projects like the Stamp Garden.
What has been the most important lesson you have learnt along the way?
Being true to who I am and staying with my core values. It means I do more of what I love to do and less of what I think I should do.
We’d love to hear a bit about your process. Where do your designs begin, and how to you develop them through to the finished product?
Everything begins life in a sketch book. I research, explore and generally play with ideas. Then I start drawing with pens on layout paper. I tend to trace my drawings on a light box a number of times to get them just right. From there I take the illustrations into the computer and experiment with colour and layout in illustrator. The final stage is working out the technical requirements for printing in the way I feel would work best for the project and preparing the artwork for the printers. Getting away from the computer is very liberating and I really value the playful nature of making a mess on paper, it can sometimes lead to great unexpected results.
At each major growth point of your business how do you make yourself take the big leap?
I get very fearful, it is something I have to counteract on a daily basis. I have a mind that constantly wants to question my abilities. Learning to push forward has been a big part of my career development. I tend to break tasks down into smaller pieces and focus on the smaller bits. That helps free me up and takes away the overwhelming feelings that can hamper progress. When I get stuck and can’t make a decision I used to get frustrated, now I am learning to just let it be as something invariably happens that ends up taking the decision out of my hands.
Can you share a little about how your brand look and feel has developed over time?
It is heavily based in pattern design and the historic works of William Blake and William Morris. I love illuminated manuscripts and beautiful uses of colour. These passions have naturally morphed into a style that is underpinned with a knowledge of printing techniques plus the typographic training I acquired at university.
How has the industry changed since you started?
My career began at the point when the desk top computer had revolutionised design. I just missed that systemic shift. Since then there has been the threat of the kindle to the physical book. Also the worry that digital design would take over physical print. There was a point when people were saying print is dead. I feel that print is far from dead. Through all of the debating about the future of design I was lucky to have a job that I loved where print was most definitely alive.
Photo by Joe Stensen
What makes you excited about your business now?
Potential new projects appearing in my inbox. I love the idea that anything is possible and anything can happen at any minute. It is exciting and makes me feel alive. I am also excited about the fact that I am building up a variety of work in my portfolio. The Stamp Garden was a game changer it was such a beautiful project to work on and it feels fresh and new to me combining all my favourite things, illustration, pattern making and printmaking!
What is your creative space like?
I have two spaces, my desk space in penguin Random house which is very tidy and my attic space at home which is the opposite. It has big sky lights that look out over the neighbouring roof tops. It also houses all my reference books and my two desks. One is for drawing and one is for my computer. It took many years to be able to have my own room dedicated to the work I do. I will never tire of the luxury of being able to make a mess shut the door and go downstairs leaving it as it is for when I am ready to start work again.
Photo by Joe Stensen
Which of your products is your favourite?
The Stamp Garden! It is such a good fit for all my passions and is an interesting departure from my bookish tendencies. I love patterns and printmaking so this printing set combines both of these perfectly.
What advice would you give to an emerging designer looking to follow a similar path to you?
Do what you love and somewhere, someone, someday will champion it, just keep creating. Also it is important to learn from your mistakes, failure does not mean the end it is just part of the process of personal growth, another step forward in your own journey.
What is the big dream for you as a designer and your business?
The dream is to own my own etching press so I can create my own editions of prints and books. It is like a bigger version of the Stamp Garden!
