Supplier Spotlight: The City Works

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The City Works are a South London based design duo that specialise in creating intricate, captivating works that blend the ethos of artisan craftsmanship with the wonders of modern machinery. From artist Sylvia Moritz's imaginative renderings of famous cities around the world, the pair apply the designs to a range of gorgeously presented products. We sat down with Rowan Ottesen, one half of The City Works, to have a quick chat about this ambitious young company:

1. Firstly, can you tell us a little bit about what The City Works does?

The City Works captures the charming complexity of our cities through intricate illustrations and well-made stationery and souvenirs. We product greetings cards that are hand-printed in house, along with our singer-sewn notebooks, when we're not manufacturing we're also working on bespoke city illustrations for a variety of businesses.  

2. How did the idea of The City Works first come about?

The City Works was founded by designer and printmaker Sylvia Moritz. Sylvia makes beautiful fine art etchings, featuring abstract cityscapes. It was her intention to produce a variety of more affordable formats of printed matter that maintained her detailed style. 

3. How did you two meet, and how long have you been working together?

Sylvia and I met while we were studying Graphic Design together at Camberwell College of Arts. During the course, and ever-since, we have worked together on multiple design projects, and we now run The City Works together full-time (and overtime!) 

4. The drawings are incredibly intricate, how long does it take to complete one before it can be digitised?

A drawing for something like a greetings card can take 3 or 4 days from research through to completion. Something larger like one of our bespoke murals can take the best part of six weeks. 

5. Finally, what next for The City Works in 2016? 

Every collection we produce is based on a different city. Although it's not always possible, we find that the best work comes from being in touch with our surroundings, so in the New Year we are planning on relocating to a new city. We've also have begun a gigantic but exciting project that will keep us busy for most of 2016. We'll show you what it is this time next year!


To see the entirety of The City Works' stunning stationery collection, including wrapping paper, greetings cards, and more, check out our website here. 

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