Zazzle Blog

Jess, from the Zazzle store berryberrysweet, talks with us about her design inspirations and her time at Zazzle.  Check out the interview below and don’t forget to check out her store berryberrysweet!

Zazzle: To start, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Jess: I’m Jess and I run Berry Berry Sweet^TM, Orange Pulp^TM, and a few other shops on Zazzle. My passion for art and design goes way back to my childhood, when my mom, who was an event organizer at the time, let me help design floral arrangements for one of the weddings she was working on. I have always loved weddings and designing wedding invitations never feels like work to me. My dad also works in the artistic field. He’s an interior designer and is the person who taught me how to draw.

I married my best friend (and a fellow graphic designer) seven years ago, and am blessed with two beautiful twin girls.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication Design and Agricultural Science. It may seem like an odd combination of majors. But I’ve always had this constant curiosity to try different things, something that I think I have passed on to my children.

 Zazzle: What was the very first thing you made on Zazzle?

Jess: A birthday invitation.

Zazzle: What got you interested in selling your art on Zazzle?

Jess: I designed a birthday invitation as well as matching party tags and decorations for my girls’ luau birthday party, and received compliments from everyone. With the support and encouragement of my friends and family, I created Berry Berry Sweet^TM, which goal was to celebrate all the sweet moments in life in a modern, stylish way. I stumbled upon Zazzle and another POD, and tried them both. In the end, Zazzle’s features and product quality continued to amaze me and Zazzle has become home to Berry Berry Sweet^TM ever since.

Zazzle: How would you describe your aesthetic?

Jess: I love things fresh, colorful, and modern. As you can probably see throughout my store, especially on my wedding collections, I am greatly inspired by nature and whimsical things. Details are important to me. For me, it’s the little details that make a design extra special.

Zazzle: How do you promote your store?

Jess: By social media and paid advertisements.

 Zazzle: Do you have any fun stories about being a seller on Zazzle?

Jess: I remember the day I left my day job as a scientist and decided to become a full-time designer on Zazzle. I told my kids I would be home when they get back from school every day and the look on their faces was priceless to me. I never regretted my decision.

 Zazzle: What tips can you give someone who is just starting out on Zazzle?

Jess: Be patient, be diligent, and be original! Develop your own, unique style that reflects who you are and your brand. Just because Zazzle has a ton of products to create, doesn’t mean you have to create them all! Pick the ones that are relevant to your store and constantly remind yourself what your goals are. Most importantly, enjoy what you’re doing and have fun!

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

 Zazzle: How do you get out of creative ruts?

Jess: A lot of times when I feel ‘stuck’, I remove myself from my workspace, silence my phone, and make myself a cup of tropical-flavored tea. I’d get my photo books out and look through pictures of my kids, well, being kids! They inspire me to embrace my inner child, to look at things with a fresh pair of eyes, to keep things simple, and to always enjoy life with wonder and excitement.

That, or I’d get my Wii out and do Zumba or Just Dance!

 Zazzle: Can you give us a sneak peek of future designs?

Jess: With my parents’ anniversary coming up, I am so in the mood for champagne and for celebrating love! You will see a few more anniversary designs on my store such as the ones shown here:

Thanks for sharing Jess!

This entry was posted on March 15, 2012 at 6:00 am and is filed under Seller Spotlights. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.