My new release process

Cheryl Loh June 12, 2019

Every year, I have three planned releases for January, May, and September. With three releases, that divides the year nicely into three four-month-long chunks to prep for each release. I currently organize each release this way....

Month 1: Ideation & Research⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Month 2: Design⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Month 3: Revisions & Edits⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Month 4: Launch Prep⠀

It's a sweet creative cycle of coming up with new ideas, seeing what works, and then repeating it all again. Here’s a look at what goes on behind-the-scenes during each month:

MONTH 1: IDEATION & RESEARCH

In the first month, I am usually not starting any new designs. I’m usually promoting the previous release which has just wrapped up, and taking a break from creating. I’m usually just tinkering with new ideas and reviewing what did well from last season, what reps or customers have requested, and my greeting card idea doc. I have a Google doc in which I list most of my ideas - I try to list as many as possible, even the ones I think are pretty bad, just in case they inspire something in the future. I sort them by category (birthday, thank you, Mother's Day, etc). Lots of these ideas never get produced, but it gives me a way to jump start the idea generating process.

If I am launching a new product, I’ll also be doing research on manufacturing partners, price points, packaging, etc.

Depending on the time of year, I’ll be focusing on different designs. It can often feel like I’m living in a parallel universe because I will be designing Christmas cards in spring, and Valentine’s Day/Love cards in the fall.

January release:
Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduation, Wedding, Birthday, New Baby, Congrats, Sympathy, Thank You
For the January release, I also discontinue some designs from the previous year, or may update some designs to make my line more cohesive overall.

May release:
Holiday/Christmas, Birthday, New Baby, Congrats, Sympathy, Thank You

September release:
Valentine’s Day/Love, Birthday, New Baby, Congrats, Sympathy, Thank You

Towards the end of the first month, I’ll have a list of the ideas I want to move forward with. I share this list with Maddie Mack, a copywriter who helps to look over and provide feedback on my ideas, as well as come up with new, witty ideas for any categories that I’m focusing on. From there, we’ll have a more finalized list of the ideas we want to move forward, along with any copywriting revisions.

I then start to create little sketches of each design. My sketches are usually really loose and messy as I just want to get the different ideas out. I don’t focus on keeping them really clean until I get to the actual design phase. This is one of my favourite times because I start to gather image references and start imagining what the designs will actually look like.

MONTH 2: DESIGN

In month 2, I start the actual design phase. I reference my sketches and start creating rough drafts in Adobe Illustrator. I usually start by placing the type in first, then block out the rough shapes of any illustrations. From there, I’ll continue to add details and shading to bring the illustration to life. Over time I’ve developed a colour palette so that my cards look more cohesive together, so I usually work within that palette, but I do also experiment with colours to see what works best for each particular card. Some of my favourite colours to use are orange, yellow and blue, so you’ll usually see a lot of those colours in my work. Overall, I love cards that feel really fun and celebratory, so my palette is quite bright and cheerful.

*Initial sketch of the ‘Electric’ birthday card. Sometimes I’ll use a highlighter to make a mark on the ideas/sketches I want to move forward with.*

*Final design of the ‘Electric’ birthday card.*

*Initial sketch and phrasing of the ‘Llama’ birthday card.*

*Final design of the ‘Llama’ birthday card.*

MONTH 3: REVISIONS & EDITS

By the third month, I usually have the rough draft completed for most designs. At this time, I might start to realize that I don’t like how a particular card is turning out and may decide not to pursue it further, or sometimes I’ll also get random new ideas I’m excited about and create those. I’ll start to ask for feedback as I love to get an outside perspective on my designs. Oftentimes, since we are so close to our work, we may miss things that could be revised to make the card more successful. My designs may go through several revisions at this point, the phrasing, illustrations and colours may all change and cards may end up looking very different from where they were the month before.

*Initial sketch and phrasing of the ‘Loch Ness Monster’ birthday card.*

*Initial sketches of the ‘Yeti’ birthday card.*

*Final design of the ‘Loch Ness Monster’ birthday card.*

*Final design of the ‘Yeti’ birthday card.*

Once I’m pretty happy with the designs, I’ll do a test print to see what they look like when printed. I may notice that some colours may need to change for more contrast, or perhaps that the text sizes are too small, and make further revisions. By the end of the month, I have the cards I want to move forward with. For any cards that I’m unsure about, or cards that I don’t have the design quite figured out, I may decide to put it aside for a future release.

MONTH 4: LAUNCH PREP

It’s usually such a relief once the designs are completed and I’m so excited to get them out into the world. But there’s a lot of steps in the last month in preparing for the release. I set each design up for print and send them off to the printer and then package them. I create images of each card, then include them in my catalog. If time permits, I’ll also do a little photoshoot at home to take photos of the new cards and include those images in any promotion I’ll do. I prepare new kits for my sales reps which include samples of the new cards and sheets that show the new designs (or full catalogs if it is for the January release). The new designs are also uploaded to my wholesale shop and Etsy shop. I then prepare
e-newsletters to announce the new release, and also package printed catalogs for any retail partners that request them.

Whew! And that wraps up one release, then I start the cycle all over again for the next release. Creating a standard process helps me get into the rhythm of what I should be focusing on each month, and gives me a chance to dive into creating then take a break.

Any questions about my design process, or want to share what works for you? I’d love to hear from you!

Dessert is Always Mandatory: A Sweet Collaboration with Soirette!

Cheryl Loh February 26, 2019

Last season, I was presented with the unique opportunity to work with Shobna Kannusamy of Soirette Pastry Boutique. We had been following each other’s work for a while, and I am such a fan of her wonderful pastries. I absolutely have to stock up on a variety of macarons every time I visit, and there are always new flavours to try.

Shobna had the really fun idea to collaborate on a custom set of enamel pins for Soirette, and I immediately jumped at the opportunity because I knew it would be so much fun to work with her, and illustrating desserts is pretty much my favourite thing to do!

We had an initial call to bounce off ideas, and discussed having a set of three enamel pins: a set of macarons, a cake, and a cake slice. Shobna was interested in seeing how the macaron pin could have several macarons stacked in an interesting way, or if they could be in a box. She wanted the cake pin to have layers to create an ombré effect, and we could feature their popular Cherry White Chocolate Cake for the cake slice pin.

After the call, I got to work collecting images of Soirette’s pastries which I could reference, and then sketched out some ideas. I wanted to find a way to capture the fun and elegance of Shobna’s pastries in a design that needed to work as an enamel pin. Due to the size of enamel pins, I needed to ensure that the shapes were simple enough to be recognizable at a small size. My approach to this was to make sure the overall silhouettes of her pastries were as clear as possible. Shobna wanted to use rose gold as the metal colour, and I was really excited about the possibilities to use the metal colour in a unique way and bring out special details in each pin.
Reference images below are courtesy of Soirette.

For the set of macarons, after sketching out different ideas, the shape seemed to work best was when they were stacked and then contained in Soirette’s signature blue box, with a bow in the rose gold metal as an added detail on top.

For the cake, I thought it would be really fun to combine aspects of two different cakes. The first, the Honey Lavender Cake, with different layers of varying shades of purple for an ombré effect on the side, combined with the thick chocolate drizzle (yummm) of the Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, and with a rose gold highlight swoosh and embellishments on the top, to reflect the gold highlights that appear on many of Shobna’s cakes.

For the cake slice, I referenced Soirette’s Cherry White Chocolate cake, adding rose gold highlights to the layers and cherries.

Once the design was finalized, we worked on creating the pin backing, and created cute quotes to go along with each pin. Here’s how the final pins turned out!

This was such a dream project because Shobna gave me complete creative freedom - she had so many great ideas that I loved exploring in my personal style, and it felt like a true collaboration.

This is what Shobna had to say about the project:

“Cheryl was so much fun to work with. Her ideas and originality shines through her work. She is easy to get along with and will always do her best for you. We are proud to be carrying her products in our store!”

Be sure to stop by Soirette at 1433 W Pender Street in Vancouver to see all the custom enamel pins in person. They’ll be a perfect “sweet” accessory added to bags, clothing and more. You’ll also spot a selection of Quirky Paper Co. cards alongside the amazing pastries. Soirette specializes in delicious cakes, desserts and Parisian macarons, and you can take a peek at the magical pastries they have in store by following them on Instagram @lovesoirette.

Soirette | 1433 W Pender Street, Vancouver, BC
www.soirette.com | Instagram | Facebook | 604-558-3308

Have a custom project in mind?

Past custom projects I have worked on include: custom greeting card designs, wedding invitation design, and enamel pin projects like the one above, and I am always open to new and interesting projects. If you think my design approach will be a good fit, I would love to collaborate with you!

Feel free to get in touch at hello@quirkypaperco.com, or fill in the contact form here.

10 lessons from my past year

Cheryl Loh July 4, 2018

I can’t really believe it.
I’m just about to wrap up my first full year being self-employed and working on my business.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, from 2014-June 2017, Quirky Paper Co. had always been a side hustle, and it was only in the last year that I made the transition to leave my full-time design job to focus on growing the business. The past year has been filled with so many new adventures and milestones, as well as learning lessons. I took some time to look back on the past year and reflect on what I've learned on my journey so far...

1. It’s not just about designing a business, but designing a lifestyle you want to have.

Over the year, I met with a few other entrepreneurs in the stationery & greeting card industry and it was so interesting to hear their perspectives and how they chose to run their businesses. I met one business owner who mentioned that travel was her main priority, and that she had a trip planned almost every month. I met another business owner who blatantly told me that I can’t go on vacation now, and that she will still work while on vacation. Both of them had very different perspectives on how their businesses and lives should be run. Each person has their own set of priorities and definition of success for themselves. While listening to others can broaden your perspective and there’s something to learn from everyone, at the end of the day, you will need to choose what’s right for you and that will require you to figure out on your own.

2. The better you know yourself, the better you’ll be able to run your business and life.

The more you know about how you work best, the more you can set yourself up for being the most productive and happy while you work. Some people need their workspace to be quiet, some work better at night, some need lots of breaks….it’s all about what works for you. In the first few months, I really enjoyed the freedom of running my own schedule. But I started to feel like I didn’t have clear boundaries of “work time” and “personal time” - it all started to blend together, and I didn’t yet know how I wanted to run my days. It took me a while to realize that I worked best when I had a consistent schedule and daily routine - that structure gave me peace of mind knowing what I should be doing at each time of day, giving me the energy to focus on the important tasks at hand. Understanding this about myself, I continually try to set up systems and streamline routines and processes as that’s how I work best. So besides my daily routine, I block out time for recurring tasks weekly and monthly, and I also have a release schedule for my new collections.

3. Having the right tools, systems and processes will save your butt every time, but keep in mind that these tools and systems may change as your business evolves and grows.

In my past design job, our studio was always paying attention to the tools and systems we were using, and then checking in and adjusting as our needs changed. In my business, there were definitely some key shifts. At first, I was taking wholesale orders by email, sending Square invoices, keeping track of inventory in another program, making a Canada Post shipping label for the order...there were so many steps and it was quite inefficient. It was a big step for me to streamline this process and launch a wholesale shop on Shopify for my retail partners, where they would be able to order and pay in one step, and where I would be able to view orders, keep track of inventory, and print shipping labels on one platform. Getting the right systems and tools definitely does involve a big investment of time and energy to research what works best for you, then to actually implement and use the system, and communicate any changes to the people who will be using it. But if you choose the right system for where you’re at in your business, the investment will be well worth it, as it will truly help to streamline your processes, making your workflow much more efficient.

4. Ask for feedback often, especially when you work by yourself.

My husband and I started a bi-monthly group, Crit Club, to share our work and get feedback from our peers. It was a great way to get together and see what everyone was working on, and get honest critiques. It was great for me to bring my in-progress concepts and designs each time, I loved getting honest feedback from fresh eyes, and it really helped to improve each new release. I also gained feedback from some amazing store buyers and sales reps that I work with, who offered suggestions on new designs to create and what their customers are looking for. Oftentimes when we work by ourselves, we can get stuck easily, or create work that perhaps we “get” but everyone else doesn’t understand (I’ve totally made cards in the past that I thought were funny but no one understood…) so it’s great to get feedback often from people whose opinions you value.

*Each design goes through several rounds of revisions based on feedback I receive from friends and peers. I love getting honest feedback and their suggestions always help to improve my work.*

*So grateful to have Makiko helping me with packaging and photography throughout the year!*

5. Getting help is AWESOME. It’s fun to invite others to join you, and they want to help you.

Prior to this year, I pretty much took care of every aspect of the business. It can really be overwhelming. I knew that the first thing I wanted to get help with was packaging my cards. It was something that was time consuming, and I knew that time could be better spent growing the business. I reached out to my friend Makiko to see if she would be interested in helping. It has been a great partnership and Makiko has also helped me with photography as well. Most recently, I’ve reached out to my former co-worker, Maddie, to assist with copywriting and brainstorming new card ideas. I realized that with each person I reached out to, they were so enthusiastic about helping, and I realized that inviting people to join you on your journey is incredibly fun.

6. There is no magic course, magic partnership, or big break - it’s all about continued hard work.

In the beginning of the year, I kept thinking... once I did that course, once I got that partnership, I’d be set. Ha! I look back now and smile at how naive that was! Like everything else in life, you have to keep putting in the work to keep it moving forward. Just like how signing up for a gym membership doesn’t mean that you’ll be fit, and you need to continually put in the effort, running a business means you consistently need to show up and put in the hard work.

7. If you’re going to be disciplined about working hard, you should be disciplined about taking a break.

As creatives who build businesses we love, it can be hard to stop working, because we absolutely love what we do. I realized that if I didn’t set boundaries, I was going to get burnt out pretty quickly. I tried my best to be really conscious about how I felt each day and would make adjustments. While I had a schedule for myself, I was also very flexible about it—some days I could feel that I hadn’t gotten enough rest...and needed a nap. So I would take a nap. Revolutionary, I know. It was really important for me to give myself the rest I needed, because I wasn’t going to be productive if I was exhausted. What’s the point of a flexible schedule if you can’t take a nap?

8. You might get disappointed. You might have bad days. Allow yourself to feel whatever you feel, take a break, and then get back to it when you’re ready and have the energy to move forward.

Over the year, there were plenty of times that I was disappointed. Some things just didn’t go the way I would have wanted them to. There were definitely a few days that were especially rough. During those days, I would just take a break, call a friend, and allow myself to just feel disappointed. I found that for myself, if I allowed myself to go through the feeling rather than brushing it off and continuing to work, I could process it a lot better, then allow myself to see it from a new perspective (could there have been something I could have done differently? Am I taking this too hard? Am I overreacting?). I started to be more conscious about how I was reacting to the situations I was faced with each day, and to take things with stride.

9. People can relate to you. Share your successes and failures and learn and grow together.

I’ve found that as business owners, we may sometimes feel like other people who aren’t entrepreneurs themselves won’t be able to relate to what we’re going through. The truth is that we usually aren't the only ones dealing with the problem at hand. After chatting with two friends who work in the clothing industry, I started to realize that the companies they worked for operated on pretty much the exact same business model as mine. There were a lot of issues I was going through that they understood because of their role or by observing other team members. When my parents-in-law asked me how things were going in my business, I commented about my challenges, and they immediately mentioned that they go through the same challenges (even though they are in completely different industries), and it was to be expected for any business. It really started to click for me that my challenges weren't something I struggled with alone, and there was a lot of relief knowing that actually this was completely normal. The more you can be open and chat to others who are open and supportive, the more you’ll realize that they can usually relate to your struggles and you are totally not alone.

10. We are ALL just figuring things out. You will never really “figure it all out”.

One of the awesome things I got to experience over the past year was attending Paper Camp in September 2017. It was a two day workshop focused on the stationery & greeting card industry. We had a great panel who shared lots of information and advice. While listening to one of the panelists explain how she was figuring something out in her business—it occurred to me—OMG! Even she (with a very established, successful business) is still figuring things out!

I realized that at every stage of our business, we learn and level up to a new stage which we don’t have any experience in—so while we have the knowledge and experience of our past, we still feel like a newbie or beginner in our new level. I started to realize that feeling like a beginner was actually a good thing, because it meant that I had grown and was willing to start embarking on the next chapter.

And so, I am still figuring things out. I am still a beginner.

But I’m excited to start entering Year 2 with a renewed sense of wanting to keep moving myself forward both creatively and as a business owner, while also making sure I’m building both a business and lifestyle that I love. Thank you so much for joining me on my journey so far!

Questions for me? I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out to me at: hello@quirkypaperco.com

A major fail, a detour, and a leap: The full story behind Quirky Paper Co.

Cheryl Loh June 6, 2018

THE BEGINNINGS

When I attended a local event last year, I started chatting with someone I just met and she asked how I started Quirky Paper Co. As I went on to tell the story, my friend who was also listening commented, “Oh, I didn’t even know that.”

And then I realized, perhaps no one really knew the whole story behind how my business was started.

As I approach one year of working on Quirky Paper Co. full-time (more on that later), I thought it would be fun to look back at how this business really got started, and how I got to where I am today. And for that, we have to go back…way back…

Growing up, I was naturally drawn to working with my hands and creating. I loved to colour, make beaded necklaces, construct Lego buildings, and get my hands on every crafty project out there.

My mom is the master of staying in touch. We moved to Canada around 2000 and I observed as she continued to stay in touch with friends and family. She would write Christmas cards and send an annual update to everyone. During the holidays, our countertop would be filled with cards she had received from her friends around the world. She was always really thoughtful and would remember to send birthday cards and acknowledge others with a thank you note.

And so, growing up, I started making cards to give out to friends and family. My parents actually kept all the cards I gave them over the years. Looking back on them now, I realize how much it’s a part of my identity, and how natural it is for me to make and give cards.

In high school, I pretty much spent most of my money hoarding crafting supplies, and one summer, I decided to make a handcrafted line of cards. I was pretty into scrapbooking at that time, so the cards had lots of stamps, paper layers and cutouts, and embellishments. My aunt worked at a post office and offered to let me display my cards there. The very first day they were displayed, she gave us a call to let us know that one card had sold! It was so exciting. This was the first time in my life that a REAL person paid REAL money for my work! It really was such a great feeling.

*An original Quirky Paper Co. card from back in the day, before I named my business Quirky Paper Co.!*

THE FIRST CHAPTER

After high school, I knew I wanted to pursue art & design, so I headed off to attend Emily Carr University. At this time, I was no longer making my handcrafted cards, but I started developing my design skills through my school projects and internships and volunteer positions. When I graduated, I travelled for a bit and then was lucky to find a full-time graphic design gig. It was a remote position, and so I spent most of my days in PJ’s, sipping tea, and working on fun projects. At this time, I realized that I had free time in the evenings and on the weekends - what did I want to do?

I had always wanted to participate in a craft sale, and realized I still had many supplies (like envelopes and clear sleeves) from the days of handcrafting cards, so I decided to sign up for an event about a month away, even though I hadn’t made anything yet. When I called to book my spot, the organizer asked, “What's your business name?” And then I realized...I didn’t even have a business name yet! “Uh…um…Cheryl Loh Designs?” Awkward.

Since the event was coming up quickly, I got busy making. As I worked into the evening creating new greeting cards, I realized that it gave me a huge burst of energy and excitement - it was so fun and rewarding to create! I am always chasing this feeling - it’s the reason I had decided to pursue a creative path in the first place.

I wish I could tell you that my first craft sale was incredibly successful and my life was perfect after.

Not quite.

That first craft sale in November 2013 was a major flop. When I got there, I realized that I had absolutely no idea how to talk about my work and talk to customers. I was so shy that I could barely squeak out “hi” as they stopped by. In addition, my table was tucked away in the back in an awkward corner. By the end of the day, I had made only 4 sales - 2 of which were to friends who stopped by, one sale was to a sweet couple, and the last was to a guy who stopped by as I was packing up. He bought 6 holiday cards, which helped to cheer me up after that disappointing day.

Once I recovered from that sale, I realized that there were lots of things I could’ve done better and I was determined to keep moving forward. I set my sights on starting up my Etsy shop (another thing I’d always wanted to do), and on attending a different, larger craft sale that I felt was more geared towards the audience I was looking for. I worked on honing in on the type of cards I wanted to create, and realized that I wanted to bring my own cheeky humor to my work. I came up with lots of new ideas and excitedly started working on new designs.

My Etsy store launched in January of 2014, and a few months after, I received my first wholesale order request. Amazing! Except…I had no sales materials - I didn't have a catalogue, price sheet or wholesale policies in place. I honestly didn't know much about selling wholesale at that point. I scrambled over the weekend doing research, looking at examples, and preparing a catalogue, my wholesale policies and pricing. The theme of not knowing how to do something, and then learning how to do it on the fly is pretty common when it comes to running a business. Sometimes you just can’t prepare for every opportunity that’s presented to you. You may not always feel ready, but you just try to be resourceful and learn how to best approach it, and know that it doesn't have to be perfect and can always be improved.

SIDE HUSTLIN’

Now that I was more familiar with selling my work wholesale, I started reaching out to potential retail partners, and continued to attend local craft fairs. It was a great chance for me to meet more of the creative community, get experience selling my work, and gain feedback from customers.

A DETOUR

In the spring of 2015, I got engaged! Which meant that most of my free time was spent planning the upcoming wedding. With my full-time design job and wedding planning, I found that I barely had any energy left to grow the business. Unfortunately, it had to be put on pause as I went through the big life changes in 2016 of getting married and also buying our first property.

THE LEAP

In 2017, I had hit a point where I realized that I was pretty burnt out. I realized that we all have limited time in our day, and I could not keep adding more and more work on to my plate - something would have to give. For me, personally, I wanted to place a bigger priority on my health and well-being, and so I decided to let something go, in order to make room for something new.

With the support and encouragement of my husband, friends, and family, I decided to leave my full-time graphic design position and transition to working on a freelance basis, giving me the time and space to really focus on growing my business, while still having different streams of income.

THE NEXT CHAPTER

The very first day of me working on my business full-time was July 3, 2017. Woohoo! My days are very different now, but, yes, I’m still usually in my PJ's sipping tea. Okay, I do try to wear "real" clothes once in a while.

Since then, I’ve been hard at work creating new designs, refining the direction for Quirky Paper Co., focusing on selling wholesale and establishing partnerships with sales reps. It’s been a lot of work, it’s been challenging, and it’s also been a lot of fun.

Some highlights from the past year include:

Creating new products and designs for three releases, in August 2017, January 2018, and May 2018, growing the line to include 100+ greeting card designs
Getting a chance to connect and learn from the best in the business at Paper Camp
Growing my wholesale accounts from 20 stores to 80+ stores spanning across North America, and getting the chance to work with some truly amazing store owners
Launching an online wholesale shop to help make the ordering process easier for my retail partners (I thought this would be a huge undertaking, and it was! But I also enjoyed the process and though it was a big investment of time, it has made my workflow way more streamlined)
Establishing partnerships with 8 awesome sales reps, covering me in 16 states in the USA
Joining a mastermind group with fellow creatives and paper pals, where we meet online monthly to help support each other as we grow our businesses
Working on fun collaborative projects with local businesses (to be announced soon!)

So, what’s next for me?

I still have a lot more growing to do, and I hope to continue to improve upon many of the things I’ve learned over the past year, and to continue to explore new possibilities and growth for my business. And as always, I want to continue to create things that bring a little more joy and inspire connection in everyday life.

The end of my first full year is a great time for reflection, and I’ll be exploring the key things I learned over the past year in my next blog post, stay tuned!