Printables Mogul Knows When to Fold 'Em
"I’m a huge creative geek," says Mari Richards, who describes herself as a designer, artist, shiny object addict, closet pianist, chocolate hog, and mom. She is also adjunct faculty at local art colleges in her native Minneapolis and the the author of the super awesome blog, Small for Big, her virtual venue for playful inspiration and DIY tutorials. In October, she launched Smallful, an online shop for her printable 3D designs of paper houses, valentines, magnificent masks, vibrant paper dolls, décor, and playful toys.
A printable is a digital file that you download, save, and print. “The great thing about printables is that once you purchase them, you can play with them right away!” writes Agnes Hsu on Hello, Wonderful. “My children and I have so far made the houses and masks on recent playdates.”
Mari (rhymes with Atari), worked for twelve years as a designer for Manhattan Toy, until she became ill while pregnant and was laid off soon after her daughter was born. She says it was a blessing in disguise. “I am a much happier person now.”
Though she misses her old art studio–a loft space downtown near other creatives–these days, she works from her dining room table and a desk in the corner of the living room. ”I made these paper birthday crowns, and to get the photo, I had to sit on the floor with my hands above my head and use my big toe to trigger the camera,” she laughs.
While she’s working, Mari sometimes listens to jazz like Dave Brubeck or Miles Davis. “If I really need to focus it has to be classical music, especially chamber music,” she says. “On an average afternoon though, I’m a little embarrassed to say I’ll have the TV blaring in the background.”
Even as a child, Mari was artistically minded. “I was labeled the artist way back in elementary school. My grandmother was an artist and general Renaissance woman–pottery, oils, watercolor, sketches, jewelry, textiles. I always looked up to her. My parents were both music professors, which is why I have a second bachelor’s degree in piano performance. But they certainly supported my artistic ideas too.”
Her colorful, fresh playthings have a vintage-goes-modern vibe. She browses Pinterest and vintage children’s book collections for inspiration. She also admires the work of illustrators and designers like Paul Rand. Lisa Congdon and Charlie Harper. Then there’s her six-year-old daughter.
"She is always wanting to take all the cardboard boxes and build them into something else,” says Mari. “I try to figure out what my daughter is capable of and how to encourage her. The more complicated printables require skill and patience and folding it just so. They’re excellent tools for spatial reasoning.” She says origami is a huge influence. It also helps that Mari has a master’s in sculpture.
Each printable takes Mari 2 to 3 days to create–from brainstorming, sketching, designing, to testing the function, photographing, and copywriting. “What I love about printables is the instant gratification for the end user. And I don’t have to deal with stock.”
Her first printables were a brilliant paper toy neighborhood including a collection of homes, people, vehicles, stores, restaurants, and other buildings important to a bustling town. You can view that collection at The Neighborhood. She is planning a new series of houses for Smallful later this year.
But Mari’s latest love is her Valentines.
Images via Smallful
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