In celebration of Valentine’s Day, we thought we’d introduce you to design duo – and life partners – Crispin Finn!
Crispin Finn is the pseudonym for UK based creative duo Anna Fidalgo and Roger Kelly. Founded in 2007 after they realised they shared a love of screen printing, design and collecting ephemera, they create a range of products that include stationery, hand printed editions and homeware.
All of their wares appear in the colours red, white and blue – a reference back to some of the historical stationery they love, as well as a practical consideration that originally led them to purchase a limited range of high quality screen printing ink in large amounts in just three colours. They hand make much of their own work and use carefully sourced UK manufacturers for other items. Let’s see what they have to say about building a brand with your lover…
How did you meet?
At a summer picnic party on Primrose Hill – we were the last to leave. It took another 4 months to get together from that fated moment.
What does romance mean to you?
A perfect combination of effort, thoughtfulness, magic and je ne se quoi.
What is the best relationship advice you’ve ever gotten or would give to someone else?
People are ex’s for a reason, what worked for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another.
How did your company come about?
We found we worked really well together after collaborating on some self-initiated projects for fun – there was never an agenda, it was just a shared desire to make things we wanted to use ourselves and exist in the world.
What’s it like to work together?
Easy, it’s never a chore – we communicate almost telepathically, we’re just on the same wavelength for everything and we genuinely value each others skill set.
Who or what inspires you?
Workaholic introverts, people that make because they want to not because it might get seen, make them money or be talked about. People whose life and work are intertwined.
What was the inspiration behind your latest collection?
Everyday life pretty much inspires everything we make – the fun, the mundane, the often overlooked.
In your opinion, what makes the perfect Valentines gift?
Something that has thought behind it. Price is irrelevant, although Finn did receive an Olivetti Valentine typewriter from Crispin one year and is pretty sure that didn’t come cheap. And a card – always a card
What’s next for your brand?
New website coming soon, we have a whole new range of cards about to be released, an exhibition and launch of a collaborative project in April, and we are expanding our stationery range and shop and delving further into the world of trade shows – we’re very excited for 2019!