With our SoNo Park Holiday Fest coming up in two weeks, I'm excited to share interviews with some of the talented artists we have this year.
First up is Post Box Press. Katie and her brother Joel create designs that are clean, simple and lovely. My favorites are the Chevron & Holiday cards and I'm pretty stingy about who I send them to. Enjoy reading their fun interview...
What prompted you to start your business?
When my brother Joel got married he asked me to help design his wedding invitation, and when I got married a few years later I asked him to help me design mine. We were both frustrated by the lack of options (in a seemingly flooded wedding market) that met our criteria: clean, simple, custom, AND affordable. After working together we realized we shared a common vision: a partnership committed to good design, simplicity, quality, and making custom design available to the common man :)
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
We're constantly inspired by our clients. The individuality that each person brings to the table is incredible, and that individuality inspires our design.
We typically start out with a concept, and it evolves throughout the design process. I think that's one of the advantages of working as a team: although sometimes it's hard to take criticism, or give up an idea, the process yields a better product than either of us would have come up with on our own. So I guess we're inspired by each other, too.
This year we embarked on a new adventure: readymade cards and templates. Most of our cards are inspired by projects we've done for ourselves over the last three years, so they reflect a lot of our personalities. We're both a little (ok, a lot) obsessed with simplicity, and a lot of our work centers around geometric shapes and typography. I think a lot of our best design comes from our simplest ideas.
What is one essential for your work space?
Joel: Magic Mouse.
Katie: A Le Pen, because I'm a compulsive list maker.
What is the best part about owning your own business?
Where to begin? I love working with my brother. He's an extremely talented designer and just a really good man, and I feel very lucky to have him as a partner. We set our own schedules and take projects we love, and though we sometimes overcommit, we're careful to protect the things that are important to us and not burn ourselves out. I'm able to be at home with my son, Leo, which is an amazing gift.
But maybe the single best part is seeing our designs realized on paper. Getting an invitation or announcement in the mail (we send ourselves a copy of the finished product) and thinking "We made that." And it made people happy.
