Based in Teesside, Annie is a Freelance Artist with over 10 years commercial experience in retail and industry (publishing and giftware).
She is mum to 2 gorgeous wee kittens and Aunt to 2 adorable boys.
And also one of my best friends!
Ann began selling high end wedding stationery to design conscious couples worldwide, then moving into mainstream design as a freelance artist. She has secured several licenses with a leading publishing house. Annie, offers an eclectic design and illustration service, catering for commercial markets as well as bespoke, individual commissions.
This lady has an amazing talent (she designed and made all of my wedding stationary), however she was struck down with illness after illness a few years ago, which lead to her struggling to continue to design. But with shear determination, will power, and a hell of a lot of research, Annie has amazingly fought the battle - WON - and made a complete recovery!!
I had coffee with her to find out more:
How did Ann
Ross Design begin?
Ann Ross Design began in 2000
when I set out as a wedding stationery designer and manufacturer. I then came up with other greetings card ideas
and sent off some speculative letters with samples. I was lucky enough to have several ideas
turned into brands for the international card market, each going on to gain
merchandise licenses. Trained in graphic
design and a self-confessed font geek, I also enjoyed working on numerous promotional
briefs during this time.
Talk us
through a typical day in the life of Ann Ross
Things are a bit different at
the moment as I’m taking a sabbatical from my usual freelance illustration and design
to work on a self-initiated project. To cut a very long story short, gluten has
caused me no end of grief and I didn’t even realise it was the culprit! Having overcome such annoying health gremlins,
I’m now developing a support website for those suffering from similar
debilitating gluten-related disorders, with my own arty spin on things of course!
Currently my typical day consists of
baking and cooking from scratch (as I can’t even tolerate shop-bought GF food!)
between happily slogging away on my new website that I hope to launch later
this year.
What keeps
you inspired every day?
In truth some days I’m not the
least bit inspired! However, I think
uninspired days are very important as they allow you to switch off and come
back to an idea with renewed perspective, a sequence vital to developing good
work. Even the most nondescript notion can eventually grow into something exciting.
Such thoughts are born from anything at anytime, so I keep a journal at the
side of my bed as my brain is usually at its best when I’m asleep! Go figure!!
:D
Where do see
your future and Ann Ross Design heading?
I’m in a very privileged
position in that I’ve achieved what I set out to do business-wise. As long as I
keep coming up with ideas that have commercial potential I’m more than happy to
continue like this for as long as the art and design industry will allow.
Over the past couple of years
I’ve been experimenting with paper engineering, and am fortunate enough to have
had my first idea for a new concept in children’s book packaging picked up by
Egmont UK. The product is due to be launched in October and I’ve since been
asked if I’d be interested in future project work with the company.
I still have many ideas I’d like
to approach publishing houses and retailers with, but it’s a matter of finding
the time to develop each and every one to presentation standard. An individual can only do so much; therefore
it would be very helpful if someone out there would be so kind as to make a
cloning machine. Thanking you in advance.
Do you have
an inspirational word of advice for small businesses starting out?
As long as you love what you do
and create truly original work, you’re already a success.
What is your
favourite colour?
Pantone 624
If you had to
choose, which would you pick? Fabric/Buttons/Ribbons
I’m not the most proficient
sewer so I don’t have many supplies, but must admit I’ve raided my mum’s button
tins a fair few times for crafty projects, so I think I must be a button gal at
heart!!
Finally, tell
us a joke?
Comic Sans
(One for all you typeface nerds out there!)
Thanks so much for joining me for coffee, however I can no longer drink it - hot water and a slice of lemon for me now a days :), but I hope you enjoyed yours.
Annie x
An inspirational story there from Annie, thank you so much to her for agreeing to share her story. I'm sure her new website will do well, and we wish her lots of luck for her future xx
Thank you for reading
Happy Stitching
Michelle xx
And introducing
And introducing
