Fashionbride Interview with Kimi Weart from Printable Press

Art is made to be admired and that’s one of the many reasons why we should surround us with beautiful designs and pieces. Wedding preparations are a great way to include art and its multiple forms in your everyday life. Today I’m gonna recommend graphic design and the team that know all about making the best wedding prints ever: Kimi Weart and Paul Galloway from Printable Press.

I’ve had a small talk with Kimi and found out more about her work and her passion. Read all about it right now! (ps. don’t you just love her wedding gown? note to FashionBride – must make a post only ’bout Kimi’s gown 😉  ).

1. When did you decide to become a designer and why did you find this domain interesting?

I entered the design world way back in 1997, when I got a job as an assistant at a children’s book publishing company. And don’t tell my old boss, but I knew nothing about design at the time, I just loved children’s books.

2. Talk us through the first years of you work. Maybe you could tell us what did change in time?

Design at first seemed like it was only about learning computer programs, but my boss had been an art director for over 30 years (long before computers were introduced into publishing) and taught me about the long and wonderful tradition of design. Eventually I decided I didn’t want a typical 9 to 5 job, and left to become a freelancer. I have continued to design children’s books, but two years ago I got married and suddenly the idea of designing for one of the biggest celebrations in life became very attractive. Just six months later I opened A Printable Press, doing print-ready wedding stationery, so people could have the option of gorgeous stationery at any price.

Are your designs different from the very beginning?

I began A Printable Press sort of as an experiment, and I think my early stationery designs are pretty rough. Over the past year and a half I have refined my sensibility so that now they are much more original—the early ones feel very generic to me (I knew very little about the field).

3. Why should a bride-to-be choose one of your designs?

They should only choose one of our designs if it resonates in their heart! It isn’t our low price-point that attracts people the most—it is actually the uniqueness of the designs. Your stationery should be an expression of yourself and your idea of love, not of wedding trends.

4. Do tell us a bit more about your inspiration sources.

I am in love with old engravings, their attention to detail and the fact that they were originally made to bring artwork to people who couldn’t afford paintings. I also collect vintage food labels and tins, and have filled our home with branches and feathers and leaves. I’m a little obsessed with the woods. But I am probably most inspired by stories—if I read a Victorian novel, I’m inspired to make an invitation that Jane Austen may have used for her wedding.

5. Have you got any piece you’ve created and that has a very special meaning for you? Can you describe it or can show us a picture?

Probably my favorite piece is one called “Starry Night”, that shows falling stars. It is from a 19th century woodcut of a spectacular meteor shower, and the artwork felt so magical to me that I had to use it. I created a contemporary feel with an off-center frame and strong colors, and to me epitomizes that starry-eyed feeling you have when you get married. I wish I had designed this for our own wedding!

6. From your point of view, how should a perfect wedding should be like?

A perfect wedding should be one where you feel perfectly yourself—it should not cater to anyone else’s idea of a wedding (except be sure to have comfy seating for Grandma, that’s just polite). It is your own story, your own fairytale. Don’t worry about tradition, don’t worry about what a bride should look like, concentrate only on feeling like YOU.

7. And tell us what would you offer and, maybe, other brands can’t.

There are two things we offer—a variety of truly unique designs, and a way to have professionally designed stationery at a fraction of the cost. Because we let you choose how you want to print your cards, whether at home or with a professional shop, your stationery can be made to suit your budget. But these are not your typical budget-looking cards, they have beautiful details and each one is customized so that your wording looks perfect.

8. Last but not least, do you have any advice for FashionBride readers?

My best advice is to remember that the most important thing about a wedding is not how it looks, but instead that every detail feels true to your deepest self. You are two individuals coming together and celebrating the start of a new adventure, an adventure that will be utterly unique to you.