Bold Bunny

Meet the designer proving that nothing 
 beats a thoughtful card on your doormat

Graphic designer Ali Jones swapped corporate meetings for a career creating contemporary greeting cards. Fifteen years on, she reveals what makes Bold Bunny distinctive, why Christmas is crucial, and how a simple card can bring sparkle back to someone’s day.

In 2011, pregnant with her first daughter and seeking to reduce stress in her busy life as a graphic design consultant, Ali Jones made a simple observation that would change her career trajectory. “I was very busy with branding jobs from my corporate, construction and restaurant clients,” she recalls. “It was great, but there was a lot of hand holding and meetings, coupled with a realisation that at the time it was near impossible to find any cool or contemporary Irish greeting cards.”

With 16 years of graphic design experience behind her, Ali created a capsule collection of eight greeting cards and, as she puts it, “waddled into a few local shops” to test the waters. The response was immediate. “Very happy to say it worked! I opened accounts almost everywhere I visited.”

Cheeky Designs 

That initial collection has evolved into Bold Bunny, a business that designs cheeky greeting cards and prints on sustainable stock for sale online and through retail and wholesale outlets. Since taking the plunge, Ali has created hundreds of greeting cards across three distinct ranges, recently setting up the three collections on their 48-pocket spinners in her dining room for marketing photography.

“I definitely had a quiet moment of pride looking at my collections, spanning fourteen years as a card publisher and having the bravery to wind down my design consultancy for this career in dreaming up joy bringing paper goodness,” she reflects.

Bold Bunny also produces a very popular family wall planner, with over 850 stickers. However, the founder is quick to dispel any romantic notions about running a small business. “It’s a lovely day job, with far less meetings than my former career. But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s easy. You’re never ‘off’ – I always have something to do.”

Ali’s designs emerge from an article she’s reading, or colours glimpsed together on a billboard while she is driving. She works across mediums, creating card designs in Adobe Illustrator and drawing illustrations by hand. What sets Bold Bunny apart, she believes, is the attention to quality at every level.

Luxe Feel

“I think what makes my cards distinctive is the quality of the design and the paper stock. It’s an uncoated sheet, beautifully soft and not at all shiny. Across the collections the style is simple, clean and contemporary, with a pared back luxe feel.”

For her online presence, Ali chose Shopify, primarily for its practical integration capabilities. “The Shopify app feeds into my bookkeeping software. All the automated help is hugely welcome when you have no staff and work for yourself.” Instagram has been her primary marketing channel since the beginning, and she has recently commenced sending email newsletters. “If you keep them brief, informative and with the odd promotion or discount, you will keep your audience engaged and away from the unsubscribe button,” she advises

As a business built on physical products, reliable postal service is essential. Ali uses a fulfilment warehouse that depends on An Post to deliver parcels of all sizes. “It’s so rare that something doesn’t arrive,” she notes.

‘Just Because’

While birthday cards are Bold Bunny’s bestsellers, Christmas cards begin flying off the digital shelves in September. Ali has noticed her greeting cards attract customers who invest significant time in their selection. “My festive cards are selected by people who often spend more time choosing the card they’re sending than over the gift it’s accompanying.”

She has also observed a growing trend towards ‘just because’ cards – thoughtful gestures that aren’t tied to any particular occasion. A recent design captures this sentiment perfectly: ‘You’re amazing... Read that a few times. I’ll Wait’.

According to Ali, Christmas is the crucial season for any greeting card publisher. “It’s vital to have enough of everything while not sitting on too much stock when the festive season is over,” Ali explains. But her perspective on the season goes deeper than commercial considerations. “Don’t assume that everyone will be having a joyous time. We can all have moments of sadness or loss, or simply an off day, and opening a Christmas card from a friend or loved one could be just what they need to put the sparkle back into their life.”

Treasured Memories

In an age of instant digital communication, Ali is clear about why physical cards endure. “There will never be a paperless post that can fully match the lovely feeling of hearing that ‘thud’ on your hall floor and finding that it’s not a bill but rather a super thoughtful card.” When her father passed away, Ali received “extraordinarily lovely cards” from friends. “I’ve kept all of them – they truly are a treasure.”

Bold Bunny cards are available online at www.boldbunny.ie and in selected retailers.