shop@postmarkonline.co.uk
At the heart of Ohh Deer is a commitment to creativity, inclusivity and community. The team works hard to ensure equality, diversity and belonging are embedded throughout the business, creating a welcoming and inspiring environment for both employees and artists alike. Their passion for supporting creative talent and fostering a positive culture is a big part of what makes Ohh Deer such a distinctive and much-loved brand.
How do you approach building a collection – is it carefully planned or does it evolve more organically?
It’s a lengthy process in all honesty. Our design team are often working 12 to 18 months ahead on new collections. We’ll review sales data of what has worked previously and what needs to be reviewed, and then start to build out ideas from this. We’re very collaborative and like to fully brief out projects so that we’re making the best commercially designed product possible.
Is there a particular range or product you’re especially proud of? Why?
This question is like choosing your favourite child! We have so many products that we’re incredibly proud of. Our tiny notebooks have been a runaway success for us over the last year (and they even picked up a Gift of the Year award recently), so we’re thrilled with them. We also adore our new ‘Picture This’ 3D cards because the colours pop so well, and the sheer amount of time and effort that goes into creating them makes them even more special.
Have you always worked in the greeting card industry? If not, what did you do before?
Jamie was studying architecture but decided he wanted out after completing a full year within the industry. Mark was working in academic and student support roles in universities before we both decided to set up Ohh Deer.
What motivated you to start your own publishing business?
It was more of a happy accident – we wanted to make some money to get Jamie out of architecture and because we both love illustration, we thought that making our own greeting cards could be a good starting point. Then it kind of stuck and our ambition got the better of us!
There’s a quote that we saw recently that we think lots of publishers will relate to: “We don’t do this because it’s easy, we do it because we thought it would be easy.”
What’s been the toughest challenge of running your business?
There have been many challenges throughout the years. Managing cash flow is always tough, but so is managing your personal life outside of work because it’s so easy to let the business absorb your life sometimes!
What do you enjoy most about owning and growing your business?
We absolutely LOVE popping into a random shop, wherever we might be in the world, and seeing our product in store. It really is a great feeling and doesn’t get old.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own card or stationery brand?
Just start. I think that’s the best advice for anyone wanting to start their own thing. So many people make excuses like: “I’ll do it when I’ve got more time”, ”It has to be perfect before I release it,” or “When I’ve got more money, I’ll do it…”. Well, you’ll never have more time, it’ll never be perfect, and you’ll always want more money. Stop making excuses and just do it. The best brands are constantly releasing updates and new products because they know their original launch wasn’t perfect.
Bonus Question!
When you’re working, you’re most likely to have…?
- Absolute silence?
- A podcast on in the background?
- A carefully curated playlist?
- Whatever chaos happens to be around?
All of the above when you run your own business – but the bottom two are closer to home!