Claire Nicholson

Tell us about yourself and a fun fact:
Hello! I’m Claire and I’m a designer and illustrator from North Yorkshire. Being Yorkshire born and bred, I feel incredibly fortunate to
live in such a beautiful part of the world! I’m a very proud Northerner as anyone who knows me will tell you. I work here, I live here and I
studied BA Graphic Design here at Leeds College of Art many moons ago!

My background is mainly in greetings card design, a sector I’ve worked in for over seven years now (where does the time go?!). As a result of
this I enjoy working in many different styles and I’m one of those weird folk you hear about that genuinely loves a challenge! I’ve designed for
lots of big companies including Sainsbury’s, Asda, Moonpig, Clinton’s Cards and Card Factory but adore working with small indie businesses as it tends to feel like you’re building something amazing together. I LOVE pattern and colour… on EVERYTHING. I have a wildly out of control addiction to homeware and so it’s fair to say I keep a close eye on developing design trends!

I’m also completely animal/ nature obsessed. My happy places are the zoo, or parked in front of a David Attenborough documentary… or anywhere in the company of something with 4 legs and a tail, really! Consequently, characters of both the four AND two-legged varieties
feature heavily in my work.

Hand lettering is another BIG part of my work, which I think stems from “personalising” all my exercise books at school with awful bubble
writing as was the style at the time…

Fun fact: I have a ‘pet’ wild squirrel called Max that steals peanuts from the bird feeder outside and buries them in the planters. Sometimes
she stares in through the window to check out what’s going on or if she feels the peanut supply is dwindling at a rate which displeases her.

What made you get into the world of artwork and creativity?
I have been drawing since I was very small, including once on the brand new wallpaper my dad had painstakingly put up – I was known as “Doodle” from that point on! When I was younger I either wanted to be a vet or an artist… so now I’m an illustrator who draws a LOT of animals which I think isn’t too far off! I feel like it was always a natural progression, and for me there is no better job. – I’m so very lucky to
have the opportunity to get paid for doing what I love. I’ve done quite a few different jobs in my life and nothing even comes remotely close to
this!

Where do you get your inspiration from when creating new artwork?
I’m inspired by everything – from the local scenery, nature and wildlife, galleries,TV fashion and packaging. Even just silly day to day conversations can trigger an idea! It’s writing them down before I forget that’s the problem!

What has been your favourite project to work on?
The Stationery Society obviously! 😉

Small indie business shout out! Please name your fave three small indie businesses.
My three favourite small indie businesses (aside from ‘For the Love of
the North’/’The Stationery Society’ obviously) are:
Steph Says Hello – @stephsayshello (Instagram)
Josephine Dellow Illustration – @josephinedellow (Instagram)
Moon Muse Vintage – @moonmusevintage (Instagram)

They’re all personal friends that I’ve met through the wonderful world of design and are incredibly talented, hard-working small business
owners who make and/or sell BEAUTIFUL things! Shop small, people!