We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katrin Queck. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katrin below.

Katrin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you take vacations? Why or why not?

Absolutely! I could not imagine a life without vacations. Traveling to foreign countries and experiencing a different culture, language, and food is so amazing. For me there is nothing better than getting a change in scenery and stepping into another world. Unplugging from work is a big part of what makes vacation feel like a vacation and a way to recharge my creative batteries.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Kat, short for Katrin, and I’m a graphic designer, illustrator, and co-owner of a design studio in San Diego. Born and raised in Berlin, Germany, I caught the travel bug early in life. Eventually, I put down my roots in San Diego.

First I worked full-time as a graphic designer at a local design studio. My illustration skills came in handy and I had fun creating cute characters and illustrations for Playtex bottles, cups, and bibs as well as soft toys for infants. After I had my first child I realized I needed more flexibility, the home office option was not a thing back then. I switched to freelance work and later co-founded emago media together with my husband.

My first big client was actually a one-person business in the beginning. A friend had just started a bicycle company and asked for my help creating illustrations for a few women’s specific cruiser bicycles. Every year I got more and more involved. The Electra Bicycle company grew its product line and I got to play an important part in its growth, creating most of the women’s and kids’ bicycle graphics. I’m especially proud of the many Fashion Cruiser designs I conceptualized, designed, and illustrated over the years.

Over time I have specialized in textile and surface design for clients in the fashion and sportswear industry and have worked with brands such as Giant Bicycles, Pearl Izumi, Benno Bikes, Clif Bars, Shebeest, and Swagman.

I love to illustrate. Seeing my artwork on products, from bicycles and apparel to home goods and kids products, is just amazing.

I believe illustrations have the ability to transform and simplify communications, add a depth of personality to a brand, and inspire people across cultures. Good collaboration is important and the key to success. I’ve come to learn that designing collaboratively means putting your ego aside to make something that transcends the sum of its creators. Yes, a collaborative design process can be challenging at times, but getting out of our own heads and incorporating collaboration into our design process is worth the effort and ultimately improves our work.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

My co-founder and business partner is also my husband and we met through friends in common. The first response I usually get when people find out that we share a business together is:” There is no way I could work with my husband. We would kill each other.”

I know it’s not for everybody, but it works for us. We are both designers but have different areas of expertise. He focuses on web design whereas my main focus is on illustration and design. Because we have the same profession we understand each other and we see each other’s contributions, both at the office and at home in a better way than couples who don’t work together.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

I’m currently working on supplementary revenue streams. I have a collection of mid-century modern-inspired architecture illustrations which I created over the years as well as print patterns. Some of my personal work can be found in my society6 store. Society 6, as well as Etsy, are great platforms to start with, but I don’t recommend them to be your sole e-commerce platforms.

Yes, it’s quick and easy to start an e-commerce store on both platforms. You don’t need to worry about domains, hosting, or hiring a web designer. Everything is already done for you. It’s also nice to know that your product is seen by a large audience, you can easily integrate drop shipping, and people generally trust these platforms and are willing to purchase goods from them. But there are also drawbacks. If you are selling on these platforms your product will be shown next to your competitors. This means that your competitor’s art likely will be shown to your potential customers on your own shop page. You also have less control for example your Etsy store, which you worked so hard to build, can be closed down. There are also high fees and your profit margin will reflect that.

I think both platforms are a good starting point to dip your tow into e-commerce. At this point, I’m in the process of setting up my own e-commerce website. This way I can promote my business and have full control over it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emago.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emago_collection/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrin-queck-82112613/

Image Credits
© Katrin Queck.