In Conversation With…Stephanie Dyment

Full Circle

Below: The inaugural Paper Chain by Stephanie Dyment card collection from Woodmansterne spans 37 cards.

Inset: Stephanie with some of her Glick giftbags and cards she has designed. (Photo credit: Amy Esposito) Far left: Stephanie and husband Ashley Leatherland at The Henries 2005.

In what is a happy ‘full circle’ story for both parties, Stephanie Dyment has forged a significant licensing agreement with Woodmansterne Publications for her designs to now appear in dedicated ranges.

Having worked for the publisher before setting up her own eponymously named card company, PG caught up with the talented greeting card creative about her Woodmansterne homecoming.

“I feel rather emotional, in a good way, about my launch with Woodmansterne,” admitted Stephanie Dyment, referring to the inaugural Paper Chain by Stephanie Dyment greeting card collection. “I feel so fortunate that while we as individuals and businesses will invariably have problems to face, by looking at the bigger picture, drawing on your experiences and being true to yourself, good things can happen. This is one of those times, for me,” summed up Stephanie.

Prior to setting up her own greeting card company, Stephanie Dyment Card Company, with her husband (and popular sales agent) Ashley Leatherland in January 2015, Stephanie had worked as part of the Woodmansterne studio team for seven years.

“I loved working at Woodmansterne; I learned so much, and it was where I met Ashley, who was then working as a rep for the company,” explained Stephanie. Joining as a junior in-house designer, it was Stephanie’s first “proper” office job. “I remember it feeling rather daunting at first, going from a handson design degree followed by a period of freelancing into a computer-based studio, designing cards featuring top brands, such as the V&A as well as all manner of special occasions designs.”

Stephanie soon got into her stride and made the most of the opportunities she was given, including being taken on inspirational trips to Paris, Barcelona, India and Japan by the publisher.

“They were amazing trips and they really did inspire me,” said Stephanie. It was following the Japan trip that she developed the Stephanie Rose collection for Woodmansterne, which clinched the Best Trend Range award in The Henries 2005, with Stephanie winning the Most Promising Young Designer or Artist award in the same year.

With a young family in daughter Ella Rose and son Freddie, Stephanie left Woodmansterne, but continued to develop

Stephanie Rose designs under licence for a time before the couple decided to start their own card publishing company.

“We launched at Top Drawer in January 2015. Despite feeling that we were winging it, Ashley and I were so excited, laughing as we wheeled our trolley of brand new card designs onto our first stand. It was when the buyer from Fortnum & Mason came on the stand and liked our cards that I thought, hey we might be onto something,” revealed Stephanie.

Onto something they most definitely were, with Stephanie’s pretty designs striking a chord with those near and far.

“We started attracting attention from the export side. I had to pinch myself that despite being a very small company, that major distributors in America and Australia were interested in taking our cards. It was so special to forge bonds with people overseas, notably Eulinid Stevenson, ceo of Henderson who has always been so supportive,” said Stephanie.

Ironically it was the success of their own card publishing business that sparked Stephanie’s decision to return to working solely on a licensing basis.

“Covid gave me time to reflect and reassess how I was spending my time - largely looking at spreadsheets, organising print runs

and being involved in the admin of a growing business, leaving me very little time for the creative side,” reflected Stephanie.

So, having always kept in touch with Ian Blake, Woodmansterne’s art director, the two met up and the working relationship was rekindled.

“I trust Ian implicitly. He is so talented with a total commitment to design and production quality,” said Stephanie. “He has taught me so much about what makes a great card and to always consider what the retailer, consumer buyer and recipient each want from that card.”

Ian is equally delighted to be back working with Stephanie through the licensing relationship.

“It is so great to get the Dream Team back together, looking forwards together,” said Ian.

“I call Stephanie the Master Mixologist - I don’t think I have ever come across any designer who has such a talent in mixing colours and iconography in such an original way, but yet remaining true to what is needed from a greeting card,” he added.

Contrary to Woodmansterne’s usual practice of testing the water with a few designs, so assured was the publisher that Paper Chain by Stephanie Dyment will hit the spot that it launched with 37 cards (28 occasions and relations designs and nine blank and birthdays cards), all enhanced with copper foiling and accompanied by a distinctive patterned envelope.

“This is the first of many ranges with Stephanie. While I am very happy to be involved to guide and reinforce, the design drive will most definitely be coming from her,” assured Ian.

The new arrangement with Woodmansterne is in addition to an ongoing licensing relationship Stephanie has with Glick for giftwrappings.

“I am so happy that I can now concentrate my efforts on creating the best greeting card designs for Woodmansterne and giftwrap ranges for Glick,” said Stephanie. “I am also looking forward to getting messy and experimenting with new art techniques and styles.”

Having been on something of a circular journey, what advice would Stephanie give to someone just starting out in the greeting card industry?

“Don’t be influenced by what’s going on around you, as if your designs are authentic, you can keep it going. If you are creating what comes from you, then you can sustain it. If those designs are ‘you’ then you can really enjoy the process.”

While Stephanie accepts that few publishers today would lay on inspirational trips overseas, she also highlights how much easier it is to find inspiration today.

“Thanks to social media, inspiration is there in abundance, whether it is the latest trends in flowers or interiors, your mind can go into overdrive with the imagery you can access,” relayed Stephanie. “It is then up to you how you translate all that into your designs. That is what sets us creatives apart.”

In the beginning…

While revered for her experimental colour palettes, Stephanie Dyment’s experimental bent goes right back to her early days. “I owe a lot to the degree I took at DeMontford University. It was such a wonderful hands-on course. There were few rules, you just got creative. While my friends on other courses were busy writing dissertations, I was creating huge crazy sculptures,” recalled Stephanie. Although she had not given much thought to working in the greeting card industry when she graduated, Stephanie did include some abstract card designs she had created as part of her display at the New Designers show in 2001. These caught the eye of the Tigerprint team, the part of Hallmark that supplied Marks & Spencer with cards and other products, which is a longtime sponsor of New Designers. “As a result, I took up the offer of a two week placement in the Tigerprint studio, which was a terrifying experience, but it led to some freelance work afterwards. A highlight was that not only were some of my designs published on cards for Marks & Spencer, but one was even used on a flier by the retailer. What an amazing feeling that was and perhaps it was what confirmed greeting cards as a route for me.”

Above: One of Stephanie’s first card designs that was published by Tigerprint for M&S and used on a flier to promote its card selection.

Above: A branded Smart Seal clasp, embossed copper foiling and a patterned envelope features across the Paper Chain by Stephanie Dyment card collection from Woodmansterne. Left: Ian Blake, Woodmansterne’s art director with his favourite card in the latest range.