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Apr 15, 2014
We caught up with Emma from Irish LGBT design company, Scene Designs, to talk about how important it is to have the gay community represented in design. It’s not always easy to find a birthday card for your girlfriend that acknowledges that you’re in a same-sex couple, so we’re definitely grateful to have companies like this around.
What was it that made you want to start the business in the first place?
I’ll be honest, I hadn’t given it much thought until I was about 21 and my best friend’s birthday was coming up. I lived with her and her girlfriend, and one day her girlfriend arrived home and showed me the birthday card she was going to give her. I can’t remember exactly what it said, but it was specifically for lesbians. I just thought it was brilliant. I went to the shop and bought a birthday card for her myself. But as quickly as I found the cards, I lost them when the shop closed down. I searched online and was really taken aback at the lack of choice and quality of LGBTQ cards available and found there was very little out there, and anything I did find was way too overboard for what I was interested in. Just because I’m a lesbian, doesn’t mean that every card I buy must depict a rainbow or pride flag and I got frustrated that there was nothing else. Team that with my love of design and humour, and Scene Designs was born.
What are the inspirations behind the designs themselves?
I take a lot of my inspiration from my friends and experiences. There’s a whole LGBTQ culture that encompasses things like music, style and humour; I know I could make a flannel shirt or U-Haul joke to another lesbian and they’d get it, so I’ve tried to take that shared humour and apply it to the designs. Some of them only LGBTQ people would understand, and I like that. A lot of my friends are also getting engaged and starting families (seriously, it’s terrifying!), so I wanted to design some cards that were suitable for their celebrations too.
What inspired the name of the company?
Well I design cards based on the gay scene, so it’s a play on the word ‘scene’. I’d mainly use it to describe the social side of the gay community so a couple of the cards reference it too. I couldn’t tell you how many Sunday’s I’ve heard friends say ‘Ugh, I’m so sick of the scene’, and then repeat it all over again the next weekend. Liars!
What do you think of other collections that are currently on offer for the LGBTQ community?
Thankfully there are now are some great collections out there, and it’s really good to see. I particularly like how card designers are now incorporating LGBTQ designs into their whole collections, not just having a special little section for a few cards. That’s what it’s all about. We’ve a long way to go but I think it’s catching on.
What kind of items would you like to see included in your range in the future?
I started out with just cards but I’ve now got mugs, clocks and cushions in the collection, so it’s growing. Sometimes I get really carried away in thinking of what I’ll do next because I definitely want to expand the collection. I’m a bit of a home-bird so I think I’d like to do some more home accessories next – watch this space!
