2022: Our Year in Review
This year’s motto was “we’re five years older, five years bolder”. This was set in December 2021 in preparation for 2022, and we can confidently say: boldness was needed! Phew, the last 12 months have been a whirlwind, and potentially our most difficult yet.
That said, on reflection, we’ve had many exciting moments in 2022. We’re so grateful for all the opportunities that have been presented to us, and here are some of our favourites:
January: happy birthday Buttercrumble
On the 1st of January 2017, Abigail began working on Buttercrumble as her full-time occupation. 2022 marked our five-year anniversary. Oh, how time has flown! We feel grateful for achieving this as 57.5% of businesses don’t survive this period (Office for National Statistics, 2020).
February: FSB Awards
In February, we were announced as finalists by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) for International Business of the Year. It was a delight to be shortlisted and we’re proud to be making waves – across the pond – in the Big Apple!
March: Light+Nine wins at the Muse Design Awards
Our design partner, Light+Nine was a Gold Winner at the Muse Design Awards. Their innovative lightweight bags received the acknowledgement they deserve. They celebrate school and family life without compromising on style, and rightly so. It has always been a pleasure to support the brand in their creative projects and brand direction.
April: our move to Bowcliffe Hall
Our Leeds base has had an upgrade! In April, we moved to Bowcliffe Hall, a Grade II listed building with copious amounts of character. It’s right up our street and has become our perfect HQ for creativity. Every day, we can enjoy the beautiful grounds — a great wellbeing boost.
May: a trip to Future Festival
Trend forecasting is an important element of our work. In May, we took a trip to New York in May to explore global trends and visit our partners. We attended the Future Festival conference to gain innovative insights to support our designs. We feel future-proofed for the years ahead!
June: scribing at Leeds University Business School
We love visual notetaking! So, it was a delight to be commissioned by the University of Leeds on a number of scribing engagements. We enjoyed attending the annual Leeds University Business School conference to capture the discussions through the form of illustration.
July: back to New York for Kid’s Hub
On the 28th of July, we continued our exporting mission by returning to New York to attend Kid’s Hub and Playtime for an international showcase of children’s fashion. We conducted market research and were able to see our design partners once more. We’re extremely grateful for our “Crumble Buddies” in the United States.
August: we welcomed Thyra to the studio
Our new Creative Champion, Thyra, is a brilliant advocate for creativity and communication (Buttercrumble’s core values). It has been an honour to have Thyra’s collaboration and she’s been making a real impact across our graphic design and illustrations. We’re excited to share more of the magic with you.
September: we welcomed Laura to the studio
Laura is Buttercrumble’s new Community Happiness Manager at the Happiness Atelier! Laura has joined us to support our partners and ensure they gain the most value from our collaborations. Laura has a fantastic eye for style, and shares a wealth of expertise and wisdom.
It has been super exciting to double our team and we’re grateful Laura and Thyra have both chosen to support the studio.
October: top secret mission
A unique commission in October granted us the chance to visit the French Riviera. Whilst we were working on location, we saw so much inspiration. It’s certainly a stylish place! We gathered new content for our upcoming trend resources — watch this space for more news.
November: The Telegraph’s 100 to Watch in partnership with NatWest
We were showcased by The Telegraph in partnership with Natwest as part of their "100 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch" campaign. It shone a spotlight on “some of the most exciting female-founded businesses in the UK". It was an absolute honour to be selected.
We were featured in a special eight-page supplement of The Daily Telegraph, networked at a parliamentary event and visited the accompanying conference. It was so much fun.
December: a John Lewis Christmas special
It’s always a joy to partner with John Lewis, and we had a few opportunities in 2022 that we were appreciative of. However, Christmas is always so special. We loved visiting our favourite store (Leeds) to provide customers with an illustrative treat. Over the past five years, We've illustrated over 1,900 John Lewis customers.
Wow! That was a twister of a year. How did it compare to 2021? Read our previous Year in Review here.
We’re wishing you all the best for 2023! Together, we can reach further and achieve plenty. It’s time to see the world in pink. It’s a better way to live life, isn’t it?
Enough about us! Let’s learn about you. Please get in touch, and let’s have a chinwag over coffee and biscuits.
