Success for Snowtap x The Art File’s range of greetings cards

KJG Ltd has signed a deal for graphic design and illustration property Snowtap with The Art File, to offer a range of greetings cards based on Snowtap’s natural world-inspired designs.

The collection of 16 cards to celebrate a range of occasions was launched in late July at Harrogate Gift Fair and PG Live, and has already received a fantastic response from The Art Files customer base. The licensee reports that 10 to 12 of the designs are very close in terms of sales, showing customers are buying into the entire range and then re-ordering, meaning the collection is a real winner with retailers.

Designs in The Art Files offering include the best-selling Happy birthday you old grumpdesign with a polar bear in glasses, as well as Bear hugs, Youre one in a chameleon, To a deer friendand more, including birthday cards for mama and papa bear, and more general occasion cards including the giraffe message Youre head and shoulders above the rest.

Snowtap was founded in 2016 by Susy Snow and Gracie Tapner, who studied Illustration and Visual Communication together at university. The company now has over 60 designs combining the instantly recognisable artwork bought to life with witty puns, and featuring illustrations in watercolour, line drawing and hand-drawn typography.

The Art File created its business in 1997 and exhibited at Spring Fair for the first time the following year. Since then, the company has grown to establish itself as a leading independent publisher of greeting cards, stationery and more recently gifts.

Gracie and Susy commented: We’re absolutely over the moon to have launched our exclusive range of designs in partnership with The Art File and to bring our humorous and extraordinary animal characters to their collection. We’re really looking forward to sharing our playful, illustrative world with big and small retailers alike, and to be part of this exciting new venture.”

James Mace, Sales and Marketing Manager for The Art File, added: We have been absolutely delighted with the launch of Snowtap to our customers. We launched the collection at PG Live, and Harrogate Home and Gift in July this year, and the uptake has been extremely positive and encouraging. Customers have commented on how much they love the illustrations from Susy and Gracie, tied in with the light and airy humour, this makes a real show stopping collection, we cant wait to be a part of the no doubt very exciting future for Snowtap, and would encourage any company looking to license these designs to sign them up.

“I am thrilled to have appointed The Art File as Snowtap’s leading greeting card publisher,” says Kirsty Guthrie, KJG Ltd. “They have taken the essence of Snowtap and have designed a stunning range of greeting cards, which only eight weeks after launch, are already performing over and above all of our expectations.”

Art and design brand Snowtap to make licensing debut at BLE

Set to appear for the first time at Brand Licensing Europe, Design studio Snowtap has partnered with licensing agent Kirsty Guthrie from KJG to create a range of consumer products based around its beautiful, playful designs.

Established in 2016 by two university friends, Snowtap is the design studio of graphic designer Susy Snow and illustrator Gracie Tapner. The pair met at the University of Westminster in 2011 while studying for degrees in Illustration and Visual Communication.

After graduating, the founders were both working in the industry, when a catch-up over coffee sparked the idea of setting up a studio together. Less than a month later, the pair had launched Snowtap and the initial two greeting card designs had been stocked in their hometown of Newmarket.

The company now boasts over 70 card designs. Featuring witty puns, the cards cover all occasions, with a range of instantly recognisable designs and illustrations created collaboratively using watercolour, line drawing and hand-drawn typography.

Snowtap is now working with Kirsty Guthrie from KJG to build a licensing portfolio around the brand and extend the illustrations to a range of products covering greetings, homewares, stationery, gifts and more.

Susy commented: “We’re really excited to be working alongside Kirsty and for our range of illustrations to have had such a positive reception already from industry leaders. Working as a duo, our designs have double the creative input, resulting in illustrations that are the best of both worlds. Add to this mix some new opportunities to expand our range and the result is a very exciting future for Snowtap with unlimited potential.”

Kirsty Guthrie added: “Snowtap’s designs are absolutely gorgeous, and their clever, funny puns make the artwork ideal for creating a wide range of lifestyle products. Susy and Gracie are incredibly talented and can create illustrations for any purpose and I’m really looking forward to discussing this brand with potential licensees at BLE and building a consumer product portfolio. Our initial conversations have already resulted in a few deals – more to be revealed shortly – and the brand is being incredibly well received over all manner of product categories. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Snowtap.”