Friday Feature: Dodeline Design

I recently had a few minutes to chat with Sarah Reed, owner of Dodeline Design.  Sarah has been one of our vendors since the first Lowcountry Artist Market and it has been amazing to watch her company grow.  

AM:  Tell me a little about Dodeline Design.

Dodeline:  Dodeline Design is a small graphic design studio in Charleston, SC offering a wide range of graphics related products and services, including:

:: unique greeting cards & stationery products
:: wedding invitations, favors, etc.
:: web design/development
:: branding & print graphics
:: social media consultation

AM:  Creating catchy cards must require a lot of creative thinking.  What's your process?


Dodeline:  I usually start by drawing.  I always have a notebook around where I’ll doodle and try to work out my ideas on paper – it’s so much easier than a computer.  Then once I have a clearer idea of what I want / will work, I head to the computer and get started in Illustrator.

 
AM:  What inspires you?


Dodeline:  So many things! I get ideas all the time…if life were a cartoon, I would totally have lightbulbs switching on over my head rather frequently.  Interesting spaces, good food, great company, and quiet time in nature are all rich sources of inspiration.

AM:  Well, you clearly have a gift.  How long have you been designing?


Dodeline:  Hard to say! I was a designer before I knew it.  My mom gave me a scrapbook when I was 12 years old and I fell in love with laying out each page.  It was my creative outlet all the way through high school.  When I was struggling over what direction I wanted to take my college career in, I saw design listed on a pamphlet of majors, and another one of those lightbulbs went off.  It finally clicked that that was the thing I enjoyed the most, so it was my major from day one of college and I have never looked back.

AM:  What do you find yourself doing more - custom work or retail card design?

Dodeline:  On a day to day basis, I tend to do more custom work.  I don’t pressure myself with my retail lines – when I’m inspired, I work on it, and when I’m not, I don’t.  The hardest part about being a designer is having to be creative on command, so I think my retail line is stronger by giving myself freedom.  It is a collection of my best moments of inspiration.

AM:  So, you already have a great website, a successful Etsy page, placement in several retail stores.  What's next for Dodeline Design?

Dodeline:  Don’t I wish I knew!  In all seriousness, I have high hopes for this year to refine the foundation I laid in the previous year and a half – better packaging, more defined collections, and some new product launches.  Speaking of which, be on the lookout for the next big thing….hint: we’re heading to the wall!

AM:  I have a little bit of Valentine's Day fever right now.  You had a great Valentine’s Day package last year.  Is that happening again?

Dodeline:  Lowcountry Valentine was great fun last year!  It was a great partnership that I really enjoyed.  I was lucky enough to get married recently and between that and the ever growing business that Dodeline has become, Valentine’s Day snuck up on me too quickly to organize it again this year.  We do of course have the Valentine’s line of cards out, as well as a monthly free printable on my blog (Valentine’s cards for the classroom!).

You can pick up Sarah's cards at these great stores.  And hopefully see her at the Spring Lowcountry Artist Market!