From The Desk Of: The Good Twin, Katie Wilson

Aug 05, 2015

llustrator and paper entrepreneur, Katie Wilson is a hands-on type of girl with a passion for delicate details. From invitations to thank you notes, her company The Good Twin adds an extra dose of Californian charm to all of her creations.

We chatted with Katie about what drives her to continue her creative evolution. 

What is your favorite part of the job you do?

"I really love the start-to-finish process of making cards, prints, and products for my line. Getting to make an illustration, lay it out, select colors, finishes, and extras - all of those little details are really exciting to me. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a little project all the way to completion, and being involved in every part it, from the initial concept to the packaging and shipping to a customer."

Branding is... "the distilled flavor of a company that makes you unique and recognizable in any application"

How does your brand convey its unique personality?

"I think stationery and greeting cards offer a better insight into a brand than many other products, because a line is able to present a full personality through copy and sentiments, as well as design. The Good Twin is clever, occasionally witty, and fun, and I try to make sure that comes through in every part of the brand, whether it’s my wholesale catalog or a custom wedding suite.

What do you love about what your company brings to its customers?

"I love that people who buy my cards are sending them to people they care about. I’ve always appreciated well-designed greeting cards for that reason - they are a little, affordable piece of art that you send to a friend or your family to remind them that you care. It’s cheesy, but it feels really nice to be a part of that expression."

As a small business owner you find yourself wearing lots of hats: "illustrator/designer, production manager, fulfillment and shipping maven."

Do you have a favorite?

"I really love the variety of my job. It’s not always easy to do every part of a business, from accounting to sleeving cards, but honestly, I enjoy the monotony of menial labor sometimes! Pulling wholesale orders and assembling boxed sets allows me time to rest my brain a bit, and often that’s when the best ideas pop into my head. However, if I had to pick one part of my job that I’d never give up, it would definitely be designing and illustrating for my line - that’s where my heart is."

What career moves and/or aspirations brought you to your current role?

"I went to school for illustration, and ended up interning at a greeting card company my last year of college. I loved it, but craved a less corporate atmosphere, so I took a part time job working at a little letterpress shop, where I learned how to letterpress print and really got to know the ins and outs of a smaller stationery business. In 2008, I started Dude and Chick with my friend John, and I worked at a coffee shop and did odd design jobs while we built up our greeting card line. We both began working full time at Dude and Chick in 2011, which was the same year I moved to Los Angeles. Eventually, I decided to strike out on my own, and after a lot of nights and weekends, I finally launched The Good Twin in May of 2014. I continued as managing sales and fulfillment at Dude and Chick until April of this year, and now I’m running The Good Twin full time. It’s been kind of a long and winding road to get here, but that time allowed me to grow a lot as an artist and really solidify my goals for my own company."

Describe your personal aesthetic in three words:

"Warm, Graphic, Bold"

The old fashioned charms you’ll never give up are:

"A handwritten note. There’s nothing like taking the time to write and mail a card, and people’s handwriting is such a unique reflection of personality."

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