Eyes on the Industry

Question: What I love about CTMH is how innovative the company is (example: transition from wood-mounted to My Acrylix stamps). My question is this: since you're on the leading edge of many things in the papercrafting industry, what other industries do you benchmark for upcoming trends/ideas? --submitted by Colette, August 26, 5:37 pm.

Answer: Thanks, Colette! We do strive to be innovative, and much of that comes from looking at many industries, then adapting and being inspired by their products to make a wholly new product that's just right for Close To My Heart. Other industries that are also very trend based and tend to "lead out" in design are fashion and home décor. These two industries are great resources to look at for upcoming color and texture. If you're looking for a "hot" color or a great texture for the season—is it velvet? Tweed? Tulle? You'll find it here!

Magazine publishing is a great place to look for current composition, design elements, and of course hot typography; jewelry is another great source for color as well as "weight"--are chunky clusters in? Or simpler, metallic lines? Are pearls the big thing or is everyone dripping in colorful gemstones? Obviously, we aren't in either furniture or fashion, publishing or jewelry, but that's what makes Close To My Heart artwork and products interesting and relevant—we're always looking at everything "happening" in design, and then we have our amazing team of developers, designers and artists translate it into something perfect and well-watched by trendseekers. That's why we have our eyes on the industry…because we know the industry has its eyes on us!