Member Spotlight – Offensive & Delightful
An interview with Olga Krigman
What inspired you to get involved in cards?
I got very tired of working for clients doing design work, identity, branding, etc. I wanted to sell a product that I got to design and no one had a say in it. The cards came naturally.
Could you tell us a little bit about your background and your company?
I started the company back in 2003 at a street fair when I was still running my boutique design firm out of a store front in the East Village… I should stay I started the idea… I only dove head first when I did my first NSS in 2005. We did 9k in sales, and I sat back and watched other starting companies not even make their money back on the booth, so I thought this might be something that works. Later that year, or the next, I was written up first in Daily Candy, and then Design Sponge, so the company took off, and I never worked for another client again.
What was the inspiration behind the Noted logo? Could you walk us through your design process?
Since this was a pro-bono job, and I am a single mom and a small business owner, I could not devote as much love and time to the development of the identity that I thought it deserved, but I did the usual process just sped up as if on steroids. I thought about using some humor, where the asterisk comes in, and the unique properties of the font that I decided on for the final design.
Why did you choose the font and colors that you did?
There needed to be a level of sophistication to show the seriousness and the experience level of the people involved, and still something fun and contemporary. I thought that using colors more muted and earthy would also allow for the designs of the cards used for advertising or marketing shine. The font is amazing because it’s a family that you can use to create all the materials needed for web, print, or pos.
We have been made aware that the Noted logo has just been officially trademarked! Congratulations! How does it feel to have something that you developed as a volunteer recognized in this way?
It’s really wonderful to see something new come to life, and hopefully my work will serve the organization well!
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I am grateful for the opportunity, and hope to do more work with GCA.
Why did you become a GCA member?
I wanted to be a part of the larger greeting card community.
Why should people attend Noted 2020?
Everyone has to have their own reasons. Whether you are starting in the industry and need to get a foothold on the contacts and processes which will allow you to grow a new business, or if you are sick of working alone at a computer and need your peers to have shoptalk with, or if you are looking to expand your network, see the response to a new line you are bringing in, connect with old buyers and hopefully meet new ones… the list goes on.
Thanks, Olga. See you at Noted 2020 (www.notedexpo.org)!