Goodie Works

We met graphic designer, illustrator, and founder of the online shop Goodie Works, Lucy Watson, where St. Leonards On Sea meets Hastings Beach.

How did you turn your interest in drawing turn into a career?

Lucy. When I was little I was always drawing my favourite cartoons or coming up with my own characters. I used to make a comic book called The Adventures of Plip, which was about an alien. Nobody outside my family saw it!

When I was a teenager, I got into image and video editing. My sister Sophie took part in these photo editing competitions on the forum LiveJournal. You would edit a picture of your favorite TV show like The OC or Lost with some text over the top. She taught me the basics of Photoshop so I could enter too. I also taught myself how to use Windows Movie Maker, which was free software that came with the computer. I’d invite my friends around after school and make films to edit together. YouTube tutorials weren’t a thing then, so everything was trial and error.

Later, I ended up studying Film Production at University. Some of my friends started putting on club nights and needed flyers for the events. Since I knew how to use Photoshop I offered to help out and I built a small portfolio. By the time I graduated, I knew design was really what I wanted to do.

After a lot of failed applications, I got myself a graphic design internship at a company called The Columbo Group, where a friend worked. The company ran various restaurants and nightclubs, and I was part of the team working on the clubs. During the internship, it was just the Head of Design and myself on the design team. I was learning on the job and helping him with small design tasks. I also started editing a lot of promotional video content for the venues. Since they didn’t currently have an in-house video editor, they saw it as a bonus and hired me full-time after three months.

Not long after, the Head of Design left the company, which threw me in at the deep end. His role wasn’t replaced, and another designer at the same level as me was hired. It was chaos! The timelines were always very short, and it was stressful at the time, but I learned a lot quickly.

I worked there for four years and in the end became the Head of Design for the venues Phonox and XOYO. I’ve always found the best way for me to learn new things is to give it a go, so I was thankful that they trusted me to try things and learn new skills! I ended up doing brand design for festivals and new venues, motion graphics, and large-scale print design, such as billboards and bus adverts.

Eventually, it was time for a change, and I got a new job working for a travel app called LuckyTrip. I loved the job, but after a year, I was invited to apply for a role at an events company called Pollen, which combined my experience in both music and travel.

I started this new job just before COVID hit, and despite the circumstances, the company grew massively. It seemed progressive from the outside, and when I started, I had a lot of creative control. But as it grew, they hired a lot of men in senior positions. I started to feel like my opinion wasn’t heard, and my responsibilities were reduced. I lost a lot of confidence at work.

Is that when you started thinking about creating your own business?

Lucy. After working there for two years, I was fed up with my job and felt disconnected from it all. I had worked at companies in the past where I was given a lot of responsibility and trust, it was frustrating. That’s when I started thinking about starting a side hustle. I’d seen on Instagram some women finding success running art print shops on Etsy. Since these ran on a print-to-order basis, it was basically risk-free, and I thought there was no harm in trying.

I developed a brand called Goodie Works. There is no big idea behind the name, just a bit of nonsense, but maybe that’s the best kind of name. I decided to go for a retro cartoon style. A couple of years before, I’d illustrated a T-Shirt with a spaceship character for my partner Fergus’ record label Methods Of Mellow. There’s something very satisfying about going back to basics and drawing by hand. For the first time in ages, I actually felt proud of what I created. So, I thought, why not go down that route? I’m only putting two and two together now, but it’s a similar style to how I drew as a kid.

“I like to keep a light-hearted tone. Other places I get inspiration from are things like old advertisements, signage, and T-Shirts.”

Creating characters is so fun, and I love how they put a smile on your face. More and more these days, you see brands using characters and illustration to bring their business to life. I really feel it helps people connect to the brand.

My main inspiration is the Rubberhose Style of cartoon that became popular in the 20’s and 30’s. The characters were simple but exaggerated and humorous. Sometimes I’ll browse on eBay for vintage T-Shirts, as a lot of them have fun mascots on them and they can spark ideas.

I launched my website and Etsy store with two designs, The Funguys and Breakfast Buddies. I also listed them on Everpress, a print-on-demand online T-shirt shop. They’re all about giving independent artists a platform and were super helpful in getting my new business out there.

Not long after, the company I was working for went bust and I became self-employed. I spent my time working on the business and growing my collection of T-Shirts and prints. As well as doing odd freelance jobs. Things really took off a few months later when I created a cocktail collection, each drink with its own distinct character and personality. To date, these are still my bestsellers, and I have even collaborated with restaurants such as Big Chill Bar in Kings Cross and La Panza in Bristol to use them on their staff uniforms.

Now I’m fortunate to spend all my time on Goodie Works, and have my prints and T-Shirts stocked in independent retailers in the UK and Europe, as well as the Australian T-Shirt shop Threadheads, which is so cool!

It’s been a massive learning curve, and often I find it hard to know what to prioritise, whether that’s new designs for the shop, reaching out to clients, marketing or social media. Then there’s the admin, like keeping on top of customer emails and finance; not something I’ve done before. I definitely underestimated how much more there is to running a business than just the creative stuff. I don’t mind it though, I like learning new things and feeling more in control. It also means it’s pretty varied, which keeps things interesting.

I’ve done a fair bit of work for brands too. From a medicinal mushroom company to a high end jewellery store, and even a kebab restaurant. At the moment I’m working on merch for the podcast Help I Sexted My Boss. Most of these commissions have come through social media. I think it’s a great place to connect with businesses.

“In terms of goals for this year, I’m expanding my range of products on goodieworks.co.uk and including women-specific items to make the sizing more inclusive. I also want to spend more time focusing on client commissions and work my way through a massive list of design ideas that I have for the shop.”

Lucy Watson
Graphic Designer + Illustrator
www.goodieworks.co.uk
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