Get To Know Sponge: Supplier Edition with Emma Bailey

Get to know Sponge: supplier edition with Freelance Designer, Emma Bailey, as she tells all about her creative process, likes and dislikes and, of course, her favourite cake! Emma has worked with us recently to design a greetings card and our summer Baby Sponge Beach Huts.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your creative journey. How did you get into designing?

Hi! My name's Emma. I am originally from Norfolk, where I chose Textiles as one of my A-Levels - this is where my design passion started! I loved collage, exploring innovative trends and filling my sketchbook until it was chunky! Having pursued Textiles at degree level, I moved to the big smoke (London) to chase a creative career in children's fashion. I love the naive and playful nature of kids graphics and prints, and how expressive and free you can be with colour. Seeing a project through from start to finish is super rewarding.

Where do you find inspiration for your designs?

Trend forecasting sites and Pinterest are always a solid foundation when seeking inspiration. However, I like to draw inspo from the world around me too; trips abroad, galleries & exhibitions & independent shops. Social media is a blessing when it comes to inspiration, as it's a never-ending treasure trove of colour, print and product ideas. 

What does your creative process look like, from first idea to finished design?

I would say the design process I follow is fairly regimented, as I find flying into a project with no inspiration and little thought often creates an unsatisfactory outcome. 

The usual process tends to look something like this:

Gathering inspiration: Getting inspired, collecting imagery, trawling Pinterest, trend forecast sites & social media. 

Creating a clear moodboard: Sifting through collected images & choosing the most influential, confirming a colour palette & then formatting a moodboard which aligns coherently with the brief. 

Draft 1 (of 4349254!!): Putting pen to paper (or finger to laptop, in my case!) When getting started I like to spend a large chunk of time drawing, trialling techniques and getting a feel for what's working. On this project, I wanted to trial using my new iPad for some of the drawing - this was a cool new process to test & meant a lot of learning on the job!!

Tweaks: Once I have an artwork I'm semi-happy with, I like to speak to people, get opinions & check my concept is on the right track. As a result, there are usually amends & adjustments. This usually happens a couple of times, with me making my own adjustments in the meantime too...

Final draft: I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so it takes a minute to actually get to the final draft. Once I'm there, I'm generally happy with the outcome and just add in final details before printing.

Trip to the printers: I can only cross my fingers at this point...!!

How do you know when a design is finished?

To be honest, I think it’s a gut feeling thing. If I’m not happy with a design, I just won’t hit send. If I’m anxious to show people or don’t want to submit it, I just know it’s not right. It’s also worth noting that I have some extremely creative friends, who will give me an honest opinion. So, if they tell me somethings not quite right, that’s gospel for me! 

What has been your proudest creative achievement so far? 

I think it’s a tie between my final year project at uni & seeing pieces I have designed being sold. When you pour so much effort into something & you see it materialise at the end, I find that very rewarding. 

What was your first impression of Sponge & our brand? 

In three words: contemporary, eye-catching & innovative. Design-wise I love the use of bright colours & the graphic ‘S’ – this is striking & impactful. Concept wise, I think the cake cards & brownie boxes are fantastic gifting ideas; in a world of samey gifting options, Sponge offers something which is convenient yet classy. 

What was it like designing cards that will be sent alongside cakes and gifts?

An honour to be asked, first of all. But as someone who loves cards, notebooks & all things stationery, it was such a pleasure to dip my toe into this field. 

Which Sponge cake do you think best matches your creative style and why?

I’m going to go with the pinata cake… The pinata cake has 4 layers which mimics the layers to my design process. The chocolate flavour is a classic – hopefully my designs are classic! But I also like to add an element of unpredictability to my designs which is represented by the chocolate bean surprise in the centre.

What’s your perfect Norfolk day out? 

I like to cram a lot in when I’m back in Norfolk for the weekend. But I think for me a dream day would be: coffee with friends in the morning (‘Nothing fancy’ café in Norwich is my current fave spot!), beach walk in the afternoon with family (Blakeney & Holkham take top spots!), drop in to see my grandma on the way home, family BBQ in the evening accompanied by an Aperol spritz & football match on the tv. 

Which three things are always on your desk when you’re creating? 

I like a clean desk policy if I’m honest – tidy desk, tidy mind! But there’s got to be some sort of drink, on a good day it’ll be a fun smoothie. Notebook is key – I like to have the brief written down so I can keep referring back to it. And then maybe a candle, to keep the vibes calm…

What’s the best thing you’ve ever baked?

Chocolate cornflake easter nests. Simple, yummy & always a crowd pleaser.

Quick fire questions!

Tea or coffee?

Coffee. Decaf iced latte to be precise, or a chai latte if I feel like switching it up!

Physical or digital art? 

Definitely physical. There’s nothing quite like buying a piece that you love & walking past it everyday. 

Sweet or savoury?

I am very on the fence here… I think savoury. 

And finally, an important question from us... what's your favourite cake flavour?

Controversial answer incoming!! It’s carrot cake… Love the cream cheese frosting & it reminds me of happy times when my Mum used to make a massive slab for our yearly trip to Cornwall.