Indie Designers Q&A: Gobby Gifts

Here at Funky Pigeon we love to show off the incredible independent designers that we work with, and so we’re excited to continue our series of indie designer Q&As by introducing you to Sherene from Gobby Gifts! Based out of Bedfordshire, Sherene creates a brilliantly funny and creative range of card designs which you can find right here on the Funky Piegon site! Don’t forget to stay peeled until the end of the article to explore some of her amazing designs.

Introduce yourself…

I’m Sherene, a Bedfordshire based creative Mum of two active boys. One of my biggest life goals is to be happy and make others happy too! So, following the gloom of lockdown, I decided to leave my Housing job and create funny, cheeky greetings cards and gifts instead. I have a background in art and design, so this is not all new to me. But I’ve never done this as a ‘real’ job. Fast forward one year, I now juggle mum life, design creation, order fulfilment and endless admin. I recently moved my business out of my home into a small, cosy office. The aim is a little more ‘work-life balance’, but I always seem to work every hour possible!

What are the challenges you face as an independent artist? And the joys?

When I worked in the corporate world, I had much more of a structure to my work life. Now I take each day as it comes, because you never know if it’s going to be crazy busy or super quiet. So, I tend to plan each day based on how many orders I need to fulfil in the short amount of kid-free time. I pick up any other outstanding tasks in the evenings. During the school holidays, I usually drag the kids to the office so I can keep up! But fulfilling orders whilst tripping over building blocks and toy trains can be a bit of a pain.

When I started out, there were two in the team, but now I work alone. Being a one-woman operation can be lonely, but I’ve made some amazing friends online and reading the great reviews from customers also gives me the boost I need to keep going.

Describe your typical work day…

My day usually starts by deciding whether to have a cup of wine or coffee (only joking)! My 8-year-old son is a really early riser and often wakes me up, so I get the kids ready for school and nursery, then head to my little office. Depending on how busy I am, I typically start the day with getting all orders out of the way then focus on other business tasks. I create most of my designs in the evening, usually into the early hours of the morning when the house is at its quietest.

What sort of cards do you love to design?

I absolutely love designing cards that are topical, funny and a bit cheeky! I always share rude/cheeky banter memes with friends and family, so funny concepts come quite naturally to me. When something funny happens, I usually write it down and think about how I can spin this into a greetings card design. However, I’m versatile and have created heartfelt, cute designs too, which I also enjoy.

What are your favourite cards that you’ve designed & why?

1. You’ve tested positive for being the best mum: I like the bold pink background colour and hearts. I gave my mum this card and she loved it!
2. Dog Dad not from your sack: This design is cheeky and a weird concept, but well received!
3. Unfortunately my birthday budget: I think this card is cheeky but straight to the point – quite frankly we’re all strapped for cash!
4. Favourite child: There’s only one right to be quite honest! People have found this card very funny.

How did you get into greeting card design?

Art and design has always come very natural to me from a very young age. Over the years, I’ve designed cards and gifts for friends and family as a side hobby. During lockdown, I started to pop some of my designs online and thankfully, made a few sales. Since then, I’ve been creating more and more designs, testing different techniques, and continually carving out my own design style.

What’s your creative process?

My creative process usually starts with an idea that comes to me at the most random times, such as in the shower! I always write my ideas down, even if I sit on them for a while. When I get a quiet moment, I work through my list of ideas and use my iPad to make a basic sketch of how I think the design could work. I use Adobe Fresco to draw out the design, add colour, shadows and then add final touches using Affinity Designer.

What or who inspires your work?

I take a lot of inspiration from the world around me and current issues. I usually try and find a way to create a funny, colourful spin on situations that catch my attention. To be quite honest, I had a rather difficult childhood, which is one of my main motivations to create designs which bring happiness and make people laugh.

What do you like to do outside of work?

Being a parent means that there is not much free time to do personal hobbies, but when I do get a minute to myself, I like to sit in silence! Jokes aside, I enjoy travelling, running, personal development, meeting up with friends and family. I really enjoy being a mum, so most weekends are usually filled with kid friendly activities.