Have you ever wondered how an Intrinsic design is created? Come on the creative journey of our latest Mum collection to find out! 

At Intrinsic, every new design is created with you in mind and how we can uplift, inspire and touch your heart. Whether the design turns into a journal, a mug or a notebox, we want every single product to align with our purpose of making a positive difference in your life.

Step 1. Kicking off with the brief + mood board

Each new design starts with Adèle dreaming up a particular feeling she wants to share with our community, and an idea of what ‘look’ would best convey that essence.

Adèle creates a mood board full of visual cues including patterns, photos, textures and colour ideas. She pulls inspiration from nature, fabric, fashion, architecture, art, craft, and her love of travel and culture. 

For our new Mum range, Adèle wanted to include sprays of Australian wildflowers in peachy pinks, gum blues and eucalyptus greens, along with ‘pops’ of citrus. This was inspired by her son and daughter-in-law’s emotional wedding in the Adelaide Hills, which featured stunning natives. 

Have you noticed that most of our designs feature a frame surrounding the message? When Adèle and Jamie first began hand-making cards over 20 years ago, they had to find a way to put the message onto the colourful recycled card. They came up with a solution to design the message on cream paper inside a 'frame' and then glue it to the coloured card. The Intrinsic frame became an iconic look that is still with us today.

Step 2. From design sketches to computer art  

Once the mood board is ready, it’s onto the design team where one of our designers will put pencil to paper and bring the vision to life!

Every new design starts as pencil sketches, where the designer jots down ideas, words, themes, styles and elements to suit the overall vibe. The mum range included lots of intricate drawings of botanicals, exploring both realistic and more abstract, whimsical styles.

When we have decided on the final frame design, it's time to digitise the raw sketches by scanning them into the computer ready for colour and texture to be applied.

If you look closely, you can spot all the layers and textures that really bring the mum design to life. Notice how the uplifting peachy pink radiating panels in the background have a crafted, quilting feel, paying tribute to our mums who stitch and sew.

Did you know? There’s no black in our designs at Intrinsic! We love to use the power of colour to evoke mood and feeling, so carefully choose every single hue that appears in each design. We bring in texture for its representation of life’s many complex layers and the depth it brings to the final design. 

 Step 3. It takes a team to create magic 

Engaging with our team to get valuable feedback is all part of the design process at Intrinsic, as we continue to refine the design to ensure it resonates with each of us, and is aligned with the original brief.

The mum range is particularly special, because of the significant role mothers play in our life, so the design needs to be equally as special! We want to ensure it captures the hearts of our stockists, our fans, and also the sons and dads looking for something precious.

Did you know? Adèle writes every message that appears on our new products. Sometimes she knows the perfect quote from the start, other times she'll wait to see what the design and frame look like. Regardless, the words always come from her heart to suit that specific 'feeling' she's after.

 Step 4. Finishing touches

Most of our designs are initially applied to the cover of an A5 Journal. We don't just stop at the cover though, we add finishing touches to the sides, the spine and the inside pages, because just like you, we believe our products should be as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. 

We then turn to other members of the design team to apply the artwork to mugs, hand creams, stationery, packaging and whatever else we dream up.

 Step 5. Time for a happy dance!

It can take up to two months before our first samples arrive, and once they do, it’s like Christmas morning at the Intrinsic studio. This is our last chance to fine-tune the colours and make sure they have the Intrinsic ‘pop’. Only after the final round of sampling is approved do we hit the green light to commence production, so the products can finally make their way to your local store's shelves.

It takes bucket loads of love, thought and craftsmanship for us to get to a resounding ‘yes’ moment at the end of each new design - but once we get it, we know that our products will resonate with you too! It’s this soulful and purpose-driven intention that distinguishes our work to be truly ‘Intrinsic’.

Now that you know all about this beautiful design, have a close look at our gorgeous Mum range and see how the design went from an idea in Adèle's head, to a mug you can hold in your hands!