A Q&A with Kate & The Ink

Here is Kate in her own words: 

I grew up in rural Aberdeenshire but all of my Mum’s family are from Linlithgow. We came to Linlithgow a lot to visit my Gran, Auntie, Uncle and cousins so my earliest memories of Edinburgh are visiting the Chambers Street Museum. The bright lights of Edinburgh were pretty awe inspiring for a wee lassie from Alford!!

First memories of Paper Tiger 

From about the age of 25 until 27, I worked as a graphic designer for a marketing agency who were based on Alva Street! I spent many a lunchtime perusing the beautiful cards at Paper Tiger and gifts in Studio One. I think it was around then that I started designing my own greeting cards for friends (I was quite possibly influenced by Paper Tiger!)

Favourite places in the city?

The Cameo for films, The Hermitage for walks, Twelve Triangles for pastries!, The West End Village for shopping, we’ve just discovered Taco Libre for delicious Mexican food on Shandwick Place and anywhere serving Pilot Beer for a drink (I’m biased – my partner co-owns the brewery!)

What drew you to your current career?

I’ve always been creative and had a dream to create my own brand. I genuinely love sending letters and cards to people and it wasn’t necessarily a plan to start my own business. I started designing cards for friends, started an Etsy shop and then when my son was born I was looking for more flexible employment (previously I had been a graphic / service designer) to fit around around childcare.

What inspires your work?

I love retro design eras, bold colours and thoughtful messaging.

How do you record your ideas/sketches/designs?

I work on paper initially, take a lot of pictures and gather inspiration on Pinterest boards. Some of my designs start as paintings and others are pencil sketches which I then take into Adobe Illustrator.

What is your favourite part of your job?

The best part is definitely the designing! People think I do this all day, every day but I wish I could do more – there are so many moving parts when you’re running a business!

If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?

I’ve always been a worrier which gets me nowhere… I heard about the 5x5 rule recently and really like it;

“Pause and ask yourself if what you’re worried about will matter in five years. If the answer is yes, carry on. But if the answer is no, give yourself five minutes to fret, then move on.”

I’d tell my younger self that!

 What are you working on next? 

I am beginning to think about designs which I’ll be launching for Spring/Summer 2022 – is there anything you’d like to see from Kate & The Ink?!