Gold Nuggets from Katie Treggiden

This week we caught up with Katie Treggiden who has written for many of your favourite design publications. Katie shares her story, from quitting her job in advertising to follow her lifelong passion and making her five-year-old self proud.

Image by Yeshen Venema

Tell us about yourself

I have wanted to be a writer since I was five years old, but it took me until my 30s to pursue my dream. I started writing a blog called confessions of a design geek, which was a place to document my growing interest in design, making and sustainability. To my absolute shock, it was nominated for mydeco’s Best Interior Design Blog in Great Britain within five weeks of launch, an award it went on to win. That gave me the confidence to make the leap into writing full time and I haven’t looked back since. I have written for all the titles I grew up reading (The Guardian, Elle Decoration, Design Milk, Crafts Magazine, Viewpoint), I have crowdfunded, launched and edited an independent magazine called Fiera and I am currently working on my fifth book. I also work with craft and design brands to help them tell their stories. I think I am finally doing my five-year-old self proud!

Image by Yeshen Venema

What’s the one thing you wish you knew in your first year as a writer?

That I would make it, that it would all be okay – that ten years on, I would be doing a Gold Nuggets interview to share my story! Most of the people in my life thought I was absolutely mad to walk away from a lucrative career in advertising to follow this ‘pipe dream’ and sometimes mine was the only voice of encouragement and belief – even that got pretty quiet at times. It would have been wonderful to know for sure that I would one day be able to make a living doing what I love.

What are your top tips for working from home?

1. Get up and get dressed just as if you were going into an office. It puts you in the right mindset for the day. Wear something comfy, sure, but something that also makes you feel confident and ready to take on the day. Paint your nails or polish your shoes – whatever gets you in the zone.

2. Get comfortable in your own company. I moved from the buzzy atmosphere of an advertising agency to a studio at the bottom of my garden and it took a lot of getting used to. Having a dog helps – I chat away to him all day!

3. Invest in a proper office chair and desk set up. Your knees and elbows should be at right angles and the top of your screen at eye-level. I did my back untold damage in my first few years of working from home by sitting on a dining chair hunched over a laptop.

Image by Yeshen Venema

What was the best bit of advice you were given and who gave it to you?

Before I set off backpacking as a teenager, my step-father told me that if I was half-excited and half-terrified, it would turn out to be one of the best things I ever did. He was absolutely right, and I have taken that as life advice ever since. Today, I rarely embark on a new adventure if it doesn’t deliver those two emotions in equal measure.

What’s your ambition as a writer?

That’s a big question! When I started out, my ambitions were to write for the Guardian and to write a book, so part of me thinks I should be happy with that and kick back and enjoy it. The other part of me (the part that is in charge!) is looking for the next half-exciting/half-terrifying adventure, which might be a TED Talk, a Sunday Times Bestseller or a column in the Guardian. Those are my big hairy audacious goals, but they are really all just ways to use writing to bring about positive social change – words that make a difference – that’s what motivates me.

What song motivates you and why?

I get easily distracted by music with lyrics so I tend to listen to jazz or electronica when I’m writing, but if I really need to get into the zone, it’s got to be classical cello. I have recently completed a part-time Masters (History of Design, University of Oxford) and it was Yoyo Ma that got me through. His rendition of Bach’s Cello Suite 1 in G Major is just perfect.

Thank you Katie! If you have questions take a look at Katie’s website as well as her Ask Me (Almost!) Anything 20 minute consultancy sessions with the money raised going to FareShare, a charity that delivers surplus food to vulnerable people.

Gold Nuggets from Noah Bier

Noah is one of the founders of Makers Cabinet, who design unique analogue drawing tools that are made to last. We worked with Makers Cabinet as part of the Central Research Laboratory accelerator programme where we are mentors.

We caught up with Noah to find out what the team had learnt on the way to shipping their second product.

Tell us about yourself and Makers Cabinet

My name is Noah Bier, I am one-third of Makers Cabinet. Makers Cabinet design beautiful analogue drawing and writing tools that last a lifetime or more. Currently, we have two products on the market, the Høvel pencil plane and Iris drawing compass. Both are inspired by age-old mechanisms and are machined from the highest quality materials.

What’s the one thing you wish you knew in your first year of business?

In our first year of business, I wish I knew how to vet and seek out manufacturers better.

Top 3 tips on GROWING a SMALL business?

1. Find your niche. You don’t need to necessarily make a mass-market, ultra-competitive product. Create something that you are passionate about and proud of. Customers will respond to this.

2. Consider who you’re working with and work with other small businesses. Small businesses will understand your business better and be able to grow with you. It’s much better to use suppliers who really respect and understand your business rather than larger ones who may not be as interested. They also may be more forgiving of mistakes and can teach you a thing or two along the way.

3. Try out different routes to market. You may find that certain routes will fit better than others. We spent many months trying to wholesale products whereas we could have focussed that time on online marketing sales. However, if you’re selling digitally don’t stop the non-digital interactions completely because they can give you great feedback and insights immediately.

What was the best bit of advice you’ve been given and who gave it to you?

Your brand is vitally important even from the start. This is especially important if you are trying to carve out a bit of the market and creating a long term future. This advice was given to us by an established brand strategist (Satpaul Bhamra) who helped us transition into Makers Cabinet. Sat helped us to identify our strengths, values, and dreams, It was a long process but incredibly valuable!

What’s your ambition for Makers Cabinet?

Whilst at University we went on a trip to Milan to visit factories and designers. One manufacturer created White Goods (fridges, ovens, blenders etc.). Visiting this company inspired us greatly because they had no conception of designing sustainably for the future, all that drove them was their bottom line! From that day forward we knew that our ambition is to build a company that will compete with large manufacturers by empowering customers with the choice of products that last and do away with planned obsolescence.

What song motivates you and why?

The song is about taking opportunities and realising that life is all about using your freedom to lead a more happy and satisfying life.

Gold Nuggets from Maraid Design

Maraid Design works closely with arts and heritage organisations to help them build websites that are fully accessible while at the same time being really pretty. We also worked together on Glasgow Print Fair, so obviously we think they’re pretty ace. This week we’re speaking with Jane all about how to manage side projects alongside your every day business.

Tell us about yourself and Maraid Design?

Maraid Design is a web design studio run by myself and Richard Claxton, we are based in Glasgow and Leeds. We both come from a background of National Museum web teams before working together at Maraid. We like to work with like-minded organisations whose activities have a positive impact on society. We’re passionate about science, education, visual arts, not-for-profit, heritage and culture.

What’s the one thing you wish you knew in your first year?

Looking back I think innocence is bliss. If I’d realised how many skills it takes to run your own business I might not have done it. In reality, there is no rush and I’ve enjoyed slowly building my business and gaining those skills over the years. I’m still learning.

Alongside producing interesting work in your day job, you also work on brilliant side projects, how do you balance that?

In 2018 Neal Whittington (of Present & Correct fame) and I self-published our book Matchbloc. The book features Eastern Bloc matchbox labels from the 1950s to early 1980s, from Czechoslovakia, Poland, Russia and beyond. It features over 400 labels covering animals, food, war, sport, industry, architecture, the arts, outdoors, transport, children, household and space.  It took two years to put together.  A year on and I’m pleased to say the first run of a 1000 copies have sold out.

In 2019 and still quite new to Glasgow I was looking for a local side project. Kaye and I hosted the first Glasgow Print Fair. It was brilliant to see a bunch of printmakers that we love all in the same room. We’re starting to plan 2020 - corona permitting.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my side projects are involved with illustration and print. They complement our work and give me a break from digital life. It’s nice to work with other people too. They do take time but are fun as long as they are not year-round or have a completion date.

We do have one ongoing longterm project - although it doesn’t take much time from us! Over the past 5 years, we have been commissioning Maraid portraits. The illustrations started because we wanted to make our website about page more interesting, we also get to support and work with all the talented people we admire. Artists and illustrations include Drew Millward, Kristyna Baczynsk,  Hannah Warren, Adam Higton, Luke Drozd and Ben Javens.

What is the best bit of advice you have been given and who gave it to you?

I can’t remember where I heard it - but we use this on every project.  When someone gets in touch with work we weigh up three things; the niceness of the client, the budget and the brief. If two out of three work we are happy. If it’s one out of three then walk away. If it’s a three out of three then it’s a dream job!

We’d love to know what song motivates you while you’re working and why?

I love to listen to podcasts when I design and music when I code. One song!? For motivation, let’s go with sExpress although I might have a little dance first.