Charlotte Gaisford a multi-talented artist and craft expert, who cornered the market with her own business Crafty Computer Paper Ltd. After Charlotte left university she went on to paint airplanes for a little film called ‘Empire of the Sun’ by Steven Spielberg. She then established her own paint effects business. Her breakthrough came when she had an inspired idea to supply artistic paper specifically designed for use with domestic printers. So we are proud to bring you the Designer Insights of Charlotte Gaisford.
Image Credit: 1) F Schumacher 2) David Linley 3) Conran Shop 4) Divertimenti 5) OKA Direct
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1) In your own words describe your unique style and creative aesthetic?
I come from an old British family who travelled a great deal as British diplomats. My style is old England mixed in with British Empire.
2) When starting a new project, what is your creative process?
I get a feeling when I look at objects and pictures, they must have a history or a story to tell, I wait for shapes to present themselves from these items which sparks an idea for a repeat pattern.
3) Out of the creative people you have worked with, who is it that you respect and admire the most?
I very much work on my own and I have never worked in collaboration with any other pattern designer. Designing a collection can be a long process but is very enjoyable, putting it into production is saying goodbye and then the promotion starts to sell that collection.
4) When looking for inspiration is there a particular thing you do to get inspired?
I take a lot of photographs if I am visiting a museum or a place of interest. I am recording what I see quite quickly as I walk around. I can look at my photos in more detail at a later time and often spot something I didn’t see before I took the photograph.
5) What has brought you to this point in your career? And what is your advice for people looking to follow in your footsteps?
I finished my textile degree last year so things have gone very quickly for me in a year and I now have 50 stockists around the UK and 2 in the US. You have to accept the good and the bad, not everybody will like your work so you have to be prepared for disappointments but be lifted by enthusiasm of others who will love it. My advice to others, is to invest money in their practise and promote as much as possible.
