Dear Prudence Studio

My name is Laura, and I am an illustrator and surface print designer living and working in Yorkshire, UK. I am Scottish born and bred, and studied printed textiles at The Glasgow School of Art.

I started Dear Prudence in the summer months of 2010 when I realized that the fashion industry just wasn’t for me; paper and stationery were my bag, and I just knew that I had to follow it through. Within 6 months, I pulled together a strong collection of greetings cards and booked my first trade show. Dear Prudence now has more than 100 stockists around the world, including Liberty, Fenwick's of London and the V&A! I have big plans to eventually open a design-led stationery shop, and to continue my journey growing Dear Prudence studio and my online presence.

In particular, I love drawing and painting landscapes, animals and intricate patterns. The world of Dear Prudence is deeply entwined with nature and folklore - animals, each their own character, plants, trees, birds, the trappings and comforts of home and storytelling. I know that if didn’t draw every day I would be very unhappy! It’s in my blood, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Branding is very important to me; it’s such a crowded marketplace that you really have to go that extra mile to stand out. Last year, I invested a lot of money in a professional branding designer. It was amazing to allow someone else to take the reins, and see what needs to be seen. To me, being consistent in color and your story is what successful branding is about. Having a strong identity is also important, otherwise you will just fade away.

I just loved noissue’s whole ethos, brand and website, especially the freedom of being able to order small amounts. People love the packaging, and go that extra mile to share it on social media and re-use it!

Sustainability is a number one priority for us; all of our paper and card is sourced from sustainable forests. We don’t use any plastic. Tapes, packaging and copy paper is all recycled. I think paper-based companies get a hard time, so we need to be as responsible as we can in making sure we are eco-aware.