Maktus

No leprechauns allowed at this Dublin card studio

Tired of pints on postcards, Aidan Prior launched Maktus to create greeting cards that represent contemporary Ireland and discovered a market hungry for something different.

Aidan Prior’s journey into the greeting card business began almost by accident. “I started with a home decor/design shop in the George’s Street Arcade in Dublin city centre and we’d have loads of passing tourists,” he recalls. “They’d come in but buy nothing as they wanted something small to take home. I then began thinking how can I convert the footfall in order to stay afloat.”

The solution came from recognising a gap in the market. Aidan had grown tired of the stereotypical imagery that saturated Irish postcards. “I always felt that the postcards around the country all looked the same - pubs, mountains, donkeys etc. So I started designing our own postcards with an art student I had working with me at the time and it took off from there.”

Aidan believes being on the shopfloor gave his new venture an advantage. “The fact that I worked in the shop allowed me front row access to what kind of cards people were buying and responding to,” he says. “As a designer that really helped steer me in terms of trends and art styles and of course how far you can push the humour.” 

Creative Evolution

This frontline experience proved invaluable. While initially importing cards from the UK, Aidan was absorbing the nuances of what makes a greeting card successful. The transition to designing original cards enabled Maktus to showcase homegrown Irish talent, collaborating with local artists to create something distinctly different.

Since launching in 2018, Maktus has elevated its offering. “There is a greater aspect being placed on the quality of the art and production values of the card,” Aidan notes. As creative director, he’s worked with numerous designers over the years, and his proudest achievement is “to see our cards being able to compete with international card companies”. 

Maktus produces between four and six new ranges per year. “On a collaboration with a new artist you need to play around with ideas and concepts,” Aidan explains. “Once you establish that, you then work on the tone of the voice of the card, then the artistic style, the colour palette and so on.”

Humour is central to the Maktus identity, though it comes with risks. “We use ‘tasty’ words on some cards but in seven years we’ve only had a couple of complaints,” Aidan says. “The flip side is that you won’t see most of our ranges stocked in other shops. I don’t mind, as I don’t want to compromise on something I enjoy doing. I love hear people in the shop laughing at the cards that came from our ideas.”

Reliable Post

Maktus uses Shopify for its e-commerce platform, which Aidan chose because it offers an affordable point of sales system that’s integrated with the Maktus website. While maintaining a physical shop and active social media presence, Aidan has learned to be selective about online advertising. “You could spend a lot of money and time with little reward, so you have to be really shrewd with your marketing plan,” he advises.

Aidan speaks highly of his relationship with An Post. “The postal system is extremely important to us and we find An Post very reliable for card postage,” he says, adding that Christmas is crucial to Maktus’s trade. “Christmas is our time to make hay,” Aidan admits. “People still love to get a card at Christmas and it’s nice to be able to put them up on a mantelpiece or a windowsill. It can mean a lot to somebody.”

He’s enthusiastic about schools encouraging children to design their own Christmas cards. “The kids really enjoy it and take pride in their art. It’s a wonderful initiative that teaches them about the importance of communication and writing a heartfelt note.” With characteristic humour, Aidan adds: “Thankfully the kids send their grannies the card they made and not one of ours, which could get us into a lot of trouble with granny.”

Why Cards Still Matter

On the relevance of physical greeting cards, Aidan has witnessed their enduring appeal first-hand. “My youngest daughter who’s nine received her first postcard recently and she was over the moon. It reminded me of when I went on holidays as a kid and we all used to send loads of postcards home. We tend not to do so much anymore but greeting cards still play a massive role in celebrations and occasions.”

Maktus greeting cards are sold in the company’s shop in George’s Street Arcade, Dublin 2, and online at https://maktus.com.