‘Wilde Grey’. Coulson Macleod’s handmade typographic art on reclaimed wood.

‘Wilde Blue’. Coulson Macleod’s handmade typographic art on reclaimed wood.

‘Wilde Red’. Coulson Macleod’s handmade typographic art on reclaimed wood.

‘Napkin Not Serviette’. Coulson Macleod’s handmade typographic art.

‘Lunch Not Dinner’. Coulson Macleod’s handmade typographic art.

‘Pudding Not Dessert’. Coulson Macleod’s handmade typographic art.

‘Helvetica’. Coulson Macleod’s typographic art on Victorian roof timbers.

‘Futura’. Coulson Macleod’s typographic art on Victorian roof timbers.

‘Times’. Coulson Macleod’s typographic art on Victorian roof timbers.

‘John Lennon’. Coulson Macleod’s handmade solid oak framed art.

‘Bob Dylan’. Coulson Macleod’s handmade solid oak framed art.

‘Keith Richards’. Coulson Macleod’s handmade solid oak framed art.

]]> http://www.blog.coulsonmacleod.com/2010/09/03/two-twos-are/feed/ 1 http://www.blog.coulsonmacleod.com/2010/08/17/success-is-a-journey-not-a-destination/ http://www.blog.coulsonmacleod.com/2010/08/17/success-is-a-journey-not-a-destination/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:13:15 +0000 Macleod http://www.blog.coulsonmacleod.com/?p=1681 Today is a good day. Why? I hear you cry.

Well folks, we have beaten our sales record. We have sold more prints in August than in any other month in the entire history of Coulson Macleod. And we’ve been up and running for almost eighteen months.

We have a whiteboard on our office wall. Every time we make a sale we wipe off the old number and write up the new one. I say we, but actually I usually do this, partly because my handwriting is neater, but mainly because it gives me a huge amount of pleasure. Every month we write down how many we’ve sold, whether they’ve been sold via Not On The High Street or through shops or if they’re bespoke and how many came via one of our adverts in Elle Decoration or Livingetc.

We love our whiteboard. We quite often catch each other staring at it fondly. Because every month the figures go up. And that is super exciting.

And this month, only half way through August I might point out, we’ve notched up the biggest number since our records began. To let you into a secret, we only started recording this on the board since November, which was when we started selling in serious numbers and the idea of a whiteboard sprang into our heads.

So ladies and gentlemen, tonight we may clink our glasses and say a little toast to our little booming business that we love so much.

Coulson Macleod HQ has been trying to buy shredded newspaper.

Why?

Well firstly by its very nature it’s recycled. Which is good. And it’s in keeping with what we do. Typographic packaging. Perfect.

But can I find a company that does it? No.

We recently ordered some plants from a nursery in Cornwall. Inside the box was shredded newspaper. And we thought how much better that would be than using bubble wrap to keep our art safe on its journey.

So I Googled. And Googled. But could not find anyone that sells it. I contacted our local council. They didn’t provide a solution. So I contacted the nursery and they buy it as animal bedding. But the company they buy from only supplies Cornwall. Then I found a company in Scotland. But their minimum order was 20 x 20kg bales. Yikes! We’re not farmers and we don’t have a spare barn.

So if anyone reading this knows of a company, preferably within the Midlands, that sells clean shredded newspaper, please let us know.

Coulson Macleod is a teeny weeny company.

There’s Mark, he’s the Coulson half. And there’s me, Hannah, the Macleod half.

The business is built on love and driven by passion. This is true. This is not some made-up marketing spiel.

Mark and I met, fell in love, moved in together and then got bored of staring at blank walls. We knew what we liked. But couldn’t find it to buy. Or if we did, we couldn’t afford it.

Then we said, “I bet there are other people out there just like us,” (or words to that effect).

Coulson Macleod is our baby. We love it and nurture it. We wake in the night to think about it. We proudly tell others about it. We glow with pride when it does well. It is ours. And we’re on a wonderful journey.

Perhaps Mark and I are building big castles way on high. Just the two of us. You and I.

Limited edition vintage-style art print by Coulson Macleod

Coulson Macleod’s oak-framed typographic art. £125

Coulson Macleod’s oak-framed typographic art. £125

Coulson Macleod’s oak-framed typographic art. £125

Our ‘Words’ collection is made in the exactly same way as our hugely popular ‘Love’ collection. Gorgeous chunky handmade prints. But only half the size, just 29cm x 29cm x 8cm.

We’ve kept the lovely vintage-style, with a rough-sawn solid oak frame surrounding a white-washed oak panel printed with distressed typography. All handmade with love in the UK.

Our ‘Words’ collection is unlimited in print quantity.

For anyone interested in knowing just what goes into a Coulson Macleod wooden art piece… the oak panel is cut and sanded by hand before being covered with a coat of diluted white lacquer wash to fill the grain, and then sanded and re-washed with the lacquer a second time. The panel is then over-printed with UV ink. The mitred frame is handmade using rough-sawn solid oak with a shadow rebate on the groove. We purposefully retain any defects in the oak to add to the charm and character of the piece. These can include knot holes, warps and water marks, so each frame is totally unique. The printed panel is then encased into the frame which is then glued and pinned, ready for hanging.

Inspired by a customer who wanted a ‘Love’ print, but just half the size. And we loved it so much, we just had to create some more. Let us know if you like them!

All you need to do is give us a list of words (we use roughly 70 words to make up the ones in our ‘Landmarks’ collection pictured below).

You could create one that was based on their honeymoon destination. Or create one that focuses on places in their lives together, such as where the couple met, the pub they hang out in — you get the idea.

And we at Coulson Macleod HQ do the rest. We’ll find an image that suits the artwork. The result is a one-off piece of bespoke artwork. A totally personal gift. And you’d be loved by the couple forever!

Personalized typographic artwork (£149) based on the above ‘Landmarks’ print (£99)

Personalized typographic artwork (£149) based on the above ‘Landmarks’ print (£99)

Personalized typographic artwork (£149) based on the above ‘Landmarks’ print (£99)

Your personalized artwork based on our ‘Landmarks’ collection features a handmade frame and panelled backboard made from reclaimed antique Victorian roof timbers. The planks used to make the backboard vary in size for each print and we retain all those lovely defects in the wood to add to the charm and character of the piece. These can include knot holes, nail holes, warps and water marks, so each artwork is totally unique.

The finished item is then over-printed with distressed image and typography in UV ink.

Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, and of course from the east to west coast of the USA.

How very, very cool!

]]> http://www.blog.coulsonmacleod.com/2010/04/05/coulson-macleod-is-hot-in-the-uae/feed/ 0 http://www.blog.coulsonmacleod.com/2010/03/05/coulson-macleod-a-simple-little-love-story/ http://www.blog.coulsonmacleod.com/2010/03/05/coulson-macleod-a-simple-little-love-story/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:05:14 +0000 Macleod http://www.blog.coulsonmacleod.com/?p=1111

Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide wrote this lovely piece about us on his blog KR Connect,

“A few weeks ago, I discovered Coulson Macleod, an art business making waves from Northamptonshire. It’s the creation of Mark Coulson and Hannah Macleod, a couple who share a striking design aesthetic, radically positive ambition, and, most importantly, love.

I’ve bought several of their pieces, which are all hand-finished in limited editions. The works in the Love Collection are favorites of mine – bold typographic designs featuring declarations of feeling and famous romantic lines from classic movies. Other collections celebrate the pop culture of decades past, the icons of music history and the spirit of Cool Britannia – all topics close to the heart.

After I sent the team a note of encouragement, Hannah Macleod shared the company’s “simple little love story” with me. It’s also a story of smart, down-to-earth entrepreneurship. After falling in love, the couple began working together. Wanting new art for their home, but not able to afford high-end prices, they decided to design their own rather than deign to buy mass-produced prints, and thus Coulson Macleod was born.

Starting small in March 2009, Hannah and Mark didn’t have big dollars for promotion, but built their own website and showcased their designs online. The work spoke for itself, and with growing sales they could soon begin advertising in top interiors magazines. Now, Coulson Macleod fields orders from all over the world, and tracks the buzz on their blog. Brides-to-be have contacted them to ask if they can read out the quote from the “What Is Love?” piece at their wedding – a special request as this was written by Mark.

As Hannah described it to me, the company is “built on love and driven by passion”. The world needs more entrepreneurs like this. Here’s to spreading the Love.”