Nancy Nikko

In a nutshell: I’m a graphic designer, artist, illustrator and photographer. I began in these separate but related areas via my business which started back in 1993 as a handmade card venture.

The longer story: It all started when I began selling small handmade greeting cards. I didn’t have a marketing plan – I just sent samples off to stores featured in House & Garden magazines. Amazingly, I had about an 85 percent acceptance rate. The first time I got an order from Nordstrom and then Urban Outfitters I felt I had ‘made it’ in the handmade card world! I was lucky in that the market for specialty cards was just beginning to emerge.

After life led to a move to California, my career took a turn. Instead of a card maker, I took a job as a card buyer. I became the Stationery, Gift Wrap and Greeting Card buyer for a mid-sized stationery and bookshop. My card business slowly dwindled to more of a hobby and I enjoyed the time off from being a ‘maker.’

In 2007 after moving to the Midwest, I came full circle back to making cards. Sold in small stores around the country, it was fun to think of my cards traveling around the U.S. In 2011, I found out about Etsy. Within a few weeks, I had my shop up. Oddly, I didn’t sell cards. I started out designing wedding wine labels and then moved on to other types of labels.

Currently, I sell on my own website. I’ve added stationery, bookplates, flat notes, business cards, and many more labels designs. I illustrate much of my own work, but I also use antique illustrations (collecting and designing with these are a passion of mine), and I buy illustrations from other artists if their style compliments mine. New items offered fall under the category of interesting, imported, or aesthetically attractive office supplies and gifts that compliment my stationery. One of the things I collect are vintage paper items, books, and typography samples. So anything to do with these might find their way onto my website.

Most recently, I picked up my camera again and started seriously thinking about photography and using it to express a different kind of creativity. I enjoy capturing images that speak to a quiet nature, usually still-life.

Email: nancy@nancynikko.com
Website: www.NancyNikko.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/n.nikko.art