IN THE STUDIO WITH DESIGNER SAMANTHA DORRI

British graphic designer Samantha Dorri is the creative force behind Sammyeve, a collection of gorgeous custom made art prints that she designs and personalises for children and parents. She has years of experience in the design world, but it wasn’t until the birth of her daughter that she decided to create her own business. We had a chat with this savvy Singapore-based creative entrepreneur to find out how she got to where she is today and what the future holds for her.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what inspired you to start Sammyeve?

I was born and grew up in London and from an early age always had a natural passion for art and design. However, it wasn’t until I had gone to University College London to study Anthropology that I decided that I wanted this to be my chosen career path. I left UCL and secured a place at Chelsea College of Art to study graphic design before completing my BA at Nottingham University. Upon graduating, I enjoyed working in a couple of boutique design agencies in London and then chose to pursue an international career path which started in Bahrain.

I spent the next 5 years leading design teams with a boutique agency and then with Ogilvy and Mather before moving to Singapore with my partner. I arrived in Singapore just as the Global Financial Crisis occurred so I decided to set up a freelance company which enabled me to work in various branding agencies around Singapore and then secure a full-time job in an investment company working in the private in-house design team.

I absolutely loved my job but it wasn’t until I had my daughter that my desire for professional change came. I was spending long hours at work and would only be able to see my then 1-year-old daughter briefly in the morning and at night if at all. I became resentful about being away from her too much and explored options of how I could work from home, be my own boss and be closer to her.

At first, I planned to freelance from home but one day I went to a friend’s house and saw some personalised typographic art on the wall which inspired me to start making personalised gifts for friends children. I set up Sammyeve, which is derived from my first name and middle name Eve, and began creating my portfolio of illustrations and building a website to showcase them.

 

Your artwork is absolutely beautiful and we love that it is personalised for children. What do you think other creative entrepreneurs can learn from the trend of personalised items?

In a world of mass consumerism where there are so many choices of products to buy, personalisation immediately brings a sense of sentimental value to a product which I believe is priceless. What is readily available all over the world to anyone who can afford it, suddenly becomes unique to that individual consumer. They are given creative control over the finished product making the gift giving so much more special.

Personalisation is extremely popular nowadays with many retailers offering this service for their products. My advice would be to be cautious about the quality of execution. Poor quality typefaces set in inappropriate sizes and positioned badly can have a highly detrimental impact on the quality and beauty of a product.

 

Are you currently only selling through your website or do you sell across a selection of sites and retailers?

My own website is definitely the most popular site with my customers but I have complemented this with also listing my prints on Gifts Less Ordinary.

 

How do you get your artwork out in front of potential customers?

For me, the best way to engage with customers are the wonderful array of fairs around Singapore. Boutiques at the Pit Building has always been successful and extremely popular with my clients and I spent 6 months co-operating a short term pop-up at Pasarbella which was excellent for publicity. Social media also obviously plays a significant part in advertising new designs and I also send out newsletters from time to time. I also showcase my artwork at Mother & Child at Tanglin Mall, which is a pre and postnatal centre.

 

You were one of the finalists in the Singapore Mumpreneur Awards in 2014. How do you manage to run your business and make time for your family?

I’m not going to lie, it’s been difficult but only because I put so much pressure on myself to be 100% present in all aspects of my life which of course is a hard task to master, needless to say, I don’t always get the balance right. I have to be very disciplined and organised with my time so that I can give my children the attention they need, my work the time it needs plus a little time for myself to recharge. My best work comes out at night when it’s quiet and the little ones are asleep and I don’t feel guilty because I’m hiding in my office working.

 

What online tools do you use to help you manage your business more efficiently?

I use a fantastic online booking system called Zoho Books which helps with all my invoicing and expenses. It provides me with a comprehensive overview of my business performance and allows me to observe trends in the seasonality of sales and product preferences.

 

What is your biggest business frustration at the moment and where would you like additional support?

It is a constant challenge to manage all the different components of the business at the same time. From completing orders, managing logistics, social media, accounting and most importantly my design work, it can be quite overwhelming at times.
I chose to work from home and whilst I enjoy being able to spend time with my children, it can be distracting and I have to be disciplined to ensure I have time dedicated to focusing on my business. Ideally, in the future, I would outsource all my social media and logistics so that I have more time to design, which is the part that I am most passionate about.

 

How do you hope to see your business evolve over the next few years and what can we expect to see from Sammyeve in the future?

I have a new General Manager who is responsible for strategy and driving Sammyeve into its next exciting phase of development. My goal is for Sammyeve to be listed in a number of leading international retailers. On the creative side, I have a range of product designs that I am developing prototypes for and my newest creation, personalised Sammyeve height charts will be available at the next Boutiques fair in March, here in Singapore.

 

Finally, can you shine the spotlight on an inspiring Creative Founder in your community?

Oh wow, I’ve met so many amazing people over the past years on the fair scene in Singapore it’s hard to pin-point one. I’m in absolute admiration of anyone who embarks upon the journey of setting up their own business – it’s not easy and there is a lot of competition. I particularly admire people who design and create their own products, who have found a way to create with passion and from their heart, who love what they do and best of all, make a living out of it.

 

Check out more of Samantha’s work and please show your support!

www.sammyeve.com
www.instagram.com/hellosammyeve
www.facebook.com/hellosammyeve

 

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