Brand Series - Hand and Palm
1.Could you tell us a bit about why you started H&P and your background beforehand?
Before Hand and Palm I was working as a senior graphic designer for a high street retailer. I was in charge of creating wall art as well as all brand visuals. When Covid hit and we went into lockdown I was furloughed from my job so decided to take this time to really discover my personal style. As a graphic designer I was always designing for a client or customer in mind, not having full freedom to just create what I wanted. One evening I filled a bunch of sketchbooks with designs and decided to create an instagram account as a place to put them all, with no intention of selling. After a few weeks of posting and experimenting with putting designs onto tote bags and wall hangings, I received a message from someone (an influencer too!) asking if they could buy one of my wall hangings. I decided at that moment that I should give selling my lovely things a go and made my own website. A week later I had sales coming in and over 3k followers.
2. Where do you get your inspiration from for new designs and products?
A lot of my designs are inspired by the positive feelings caused by nature and human nature. My inspiration can come from anywhere at any time! A quote or a design idea will pop into my head and I will add it to my quote list on my phone, when I'm ready to create a new collection of designs I will go back to that list and start creating. I design what I relate to, find funny or would want to have in my home, it's a great feeling to then see others relate to my designs.
3.Tell us about your decision to brand out into a physical shop as well as selling online?
I had the idea of eventually having a shop but didn't know where or what that would look like. I moved to Cornwall in May 2021, I knew that selling at markets would be a good place to start and Cornwall has plenty! The Shipyard Market was opening in July that year, a dedicated place for independents to hire a stall and sell their products and just down the road from my house! I applied to trade and for the rest of the year I did a few market days and got involved with events and workshops. I really loved interacting with customers face to face and getting to know local makers and traders. The Shipyard Market already had a few permanent traders so I started to think if it would work to have my first little shop within the market. After discussing and showing the plans to the owner we went ahead with building the shop in January ready to open in Feb. If I'm honest it wasn't a long thought out decision, it just felt right and I went with it! Having a place that isn't the full responsibility of a shop but is still my own space was the perfect next step for growing Hand and Palm.
4. What would you say is the main decision or thing you have implemented in your business to drive growth?
The shop and doing markets was a big one for growth, not just relying on instagram for exposure, actually getting my products physically in front of people. Offering wholesale of my products was a big one too. I was so afraid to do it for so long but last year I just dived in and went for it. It has been great for growth financially and also for brand awareness as I have wholesalers all over the UK.
5. Sales have been so up and down since COVID with many brands - how do you deal with down days?
They really have been up and down! It is what it is at the moment, starting a brand during lockdown means that I've never had trends in customer spending as it's been all over the place! I can only do my best and keep showing the world my lovely things. I use the down days to work on new designs, plan products and look over my online presence, whether it's social media or my website and see if there's anything I can improve on.
6. And finally, for anyone thinking about starting their own creative business or anyone earlier in their journey - what would be the most valuable piece of advice you could give them?
Never compare! We're all on our own journey and the path looks different for everyone. As long as you are creating what you love, that's completely your own and you are passionate about, it will show and others will gravitate to that energy. Don't give up during the quiet times, keep showing your work over and over, don't be afraid to branch out, try new things or meet new people, you never know what it will lead to!
To follow Hand and Palm over on Instagram or to learn more click here.