The bear necessities

2:23pm Wednesday 3rd September 2008

Sue Hiam is helping the Forever Friends bear – star of countless greetings cards – celebrate its coming of age this month.

The Forever Friends cards and products have been part of Sue’s life for 14 years. Other than its creators, Andrew Brownsword and artist Deborah Jones – whose sketches of the bear spawned a global brand – Sue is one of the people who know it best.

“I know every piece of artwork which has been done, so if anybody needs a bear cycling down a country lane I know where it is; they all come across my desk. I do the archiving as well,” says Sue.

Sue’s involvement with the Forever Friends range started when she joined the art studio in Bath, where the bear was ‘born’. She was part of a small team incorporating the bears into scenes illustrating cards and other stationery, from gift wrap to diaries and calendars.

Sue’s responsibility has grown and two years ago she left Bath to oversee the design studio in the Heaton headquarters of Hallmark, which added the Forever Friends collection to its portfolio in 1993.

Sue recently sifted through 25,000 pieces of Forever Friends artwork for the anniversary celebrations. She recalls her involvement with a special card range to commemorate its 10th anniversary and is preparing to be part of the Friendship-themed 21st anniversary campaign.

“I’m in my 15th year working with the bears, and I still love them; they’re so versatile,” says Sue.

“Every day is special for me and I’ve made good friends.”

Before working with bears, Sue considered joining the RAF or plumbing! “But art won because I love doing it,” she says.

Sue, who hails from Wiltshire, studied graphic design at Salisbury College. She passed her regional diploma in graphic design with distinction and talked her way into her first job.

She asked the company in High Wycombe if they wanted to see her portfolio as she was ‘in the area’. “But I travelled 150 miles to go and see them!” she recalls.

They loved her work but didn’t have a position so she asked for a few months’ studio experience. “I was there for two weeks and they asked if I’d like a job.”

She spent two years gaining studio experience before moving to a marketing and communications company. Sue progressed to head of the finished art department and left there to work as production manager at a printers. In 1994 she joined the Bath studio.

Her current role is creative licensing imagery design manager, which involves directing a large design team.

Sue’s greatest satisfaction is being involved in designing something for other people’s enjoyment.

Her advice to anyone wanting to pursue an art or design-related career is to push your abilities. “If you believe in what you do, you have to be able to express that.”

For more information about art or design courses contact Bradford College on (01274) 433333.

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