Postcrossing Blog

Over the years, we have received a lot of questions about Dick Bruna and his Miffy character. This little rabbit has been tugging at our heartstrings for some time now, so we wanted to find out more about who Bruna is and where Miffy comes from.

Dick Bruna is a Dutch artist who was born in the Dutch province of Utrecht in 1927. He came from a long line of publishers, as his great-grandfather started a publishing company called A.W. Bruna & Zoon in 1866, which was then passed down through the family for many generations. It grew to be one of the largest publishing companies in the Netherlands under the management of Bruna’s father, Albert Bruna. Bruna’s first job was as an artist, creating covers for books at his father’s publishing company.

In the late 1950s, the Miffy (Nijntje in Dutch) character was born. Bruna has said that his inspiration for the white, Hello Kitty-esque rabbit was from a rabbit that he observed hopping around his vacation home while he was with his children and his wife. Bruna wanted to take the image of the rabbit and turn him into cartoon form. From there, the image of Miffy was born. Of course, Miffy has gone through a number of subtle transformations throughout the years, yet Bruna has still stuck to the same basic, happy-go-lucky rabbit that so many people have fallen in love with.

Bruna went on to create more than 120 books, most of which are about the fluffy bunny that is Miffy. Readers have come to truly identify with this female rabbit because she is drawn in a very simplistic style. She is not complicated for children to identify with, and her sweet stories have inspired millions. Bruna’s style is defined by simple, clean lines and basic shapes that are very non-threatening for children.

Miffy is now a popular character, not only on books but on greeting cards and postcards as well, bringing cheer wherever she goes. For more about Bruna and Miffy, visit Miffy’s website. And if you’re ever in Utrecht, don’t miss the Dick Bruna museum!

I discovered these postcards on a random blog some months ago and their simple and sweet illustrations drew me in instantly. They’re made by Tasmanian designer Holly Webber. Holly spends her days doing freelance graphic design, and running the market, a popular seasonal market which gives local artists and designers the opportunity to showcase their wares.

Below are her answers to our interview about her lovely stationery line.

How did you get started doing stationery design?

For as long as I can remember (right from when I was a crafty kid!) I have always created my own cards. I officially started producing them in my second year of University when I began selling my photographic artworks in a local art gallery. As a graphic designer I spend a lot of time on the computer, constantly communicating via email. Email communication seems to have become the norm, but this always feels very impersonal when it’s with friends and loved ones. It’s very quick to send an email, but it’s just as easily gone, and yet it takes literally a few minutes to write a postcard, bring a smile to someone’s face and they can keep as a little piece of art on the fridge or wall. So early this year I started creating my range of illustrated postcards titled Letterbox Love – an easy way to say hello, without the formality of regular greeting card.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Baking! I love to bake and often deliver my baked goods in friend’s letterboxes which we refer to as 'letterbox love’. Cupcakes don’t tend to travel so well in the post, so I thought a whimsical illustration of one would be a good substitute. The heart balloon came about after I decided to actually call the collection letterbox love – I love the idea of post being delivered by a hot air balloon – how fun would that be to have a flying pig dropping a note into your letterbox! …Oh, and that’s my cat Coco peeping out from the basket of one of the balloons. As far as my design aesthetic goes – I love Scandinavian design for it’s clean lines and a good use of white space.

If you could define your style in 3 words, what would they be?

clean / whimsical / fun

Are you a postcard or letter writer yourself?

I had pen pals as a kid and do still write letters to some friends now, and I’ll always send postcards when I’m on holiday.

Can you show us a picture of your studio or workspace?

I thought I’d include a typical view from my desk…my cat Coco draped around my laptop – apparently iphones make good pillows, ha!

You can find Holly’s postcards at hollywebber.bigcartel.com.

For the second post of the Stationery makers series, we’ve talked with Liz, from dicky bird. We found her online shop by accident, but were immediately drawn to her fresh and eye-catching illustrations. Her collection of greeting cards put a big smile so big on our face, so we knew we had to feature her on the blog :)

Liz started her stationery business a year ago, but says that it was years in the planning in her head! She creates the illustrations on her Mac and then the cards are printed in heavy uncoated paper, for a muted and slightly textured feeling.

Below are her answers to our interview.

How did you get started doing stationery design?

I worked in Graphics for 10 years, so I knew a fair bit about print production, design and marketing. My love of bold colours and simple shapes led me to illustration and, later, the creation of ‘dicky bird’.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Oh, in so many things – nature, 50s and 60s patterns and textiles, Dick Bruna, Japanese life, Mid-century design and all things Scandinavian. I take a lot of photos and sometimes I get ideas that way. I also love living in London – there are so many interesting things to see and do – odd little museums, galleries (huge public ones and small independent ones), beautiful parks and quirky shops.

If you could define your style in 3 words, what would they be?

simple / graphic / positive

Are you a postcard or letter writer yourself?

I’m definitely a card writer. Not keen on the phone at all! I still love to send and receive things in the post – it’s so much nicer.

Can you show us a picture of your studio or workspace?

I work from home on a laptop, so my workplace can be the kitchen table or the sofa!

You can find dicky bird’s greeting cards at dicky-bird.co.uk. Liz also writes and shows bits of inspiration at dicky-bird.blogspot.com

Remember the World’s smallest postal service we wrote about two years ago? They make tiny customisable letters that you can send to your loved ones, and which look like this:

Cute, right? It’s impossible not to smile when you get one of these in the mail! :)

Lea Redmond, the Postmistress of the Word’s Smallest Post Service, has recently teamed up with Chronicle Books to make a do-it-yourself kit that allows anyone to do those amazing tiny letters and packages at home!

The World’s Smallest Post Service kit comes with paper, pen, minuscule stamps, stickers, packing material and even a little magnifying glass, so that you can write and send your own tiny letters and parcels.

The kit is available at Amazon.com.

Inge Löök (real name Ingeborg Lievonen) is a Finnish artist born in Helsinki in 1951. She was once a professional gardener, but today she is most famous for her Granny postcards which so many postcrossers love and collect.

When she was a child, Inge lived with her family in a 7-storey building in Helsinki. In the same building lived two older women, Alli and Fifi, who later became the inspiration for the characters in her postcards. She says the women look nearly the same as their real-life models… but they have a lot more fun!

Inge’s look on life is one of optimism and happiness, and it shows on the pictures she draws. The grannies are always happy and having fun, and their motto is “Time is not money and spending it isn’t a sin”.

She has drawn over 300 postcards on different topics, and has also illustrated several stamps and children’s books. Today she lives in Pernå, a village east of Helsinki.