From data analyst to stationer with Pun Dulce Studio
We sat down with Gabriela Pedroza, owner of Pun Dulce Studio, a Chicago-based design studio that connects people across the country and across the street with fun & pretty details. Pun Dulce uses language, delicate designs, and modern calligraphy to create stationery to share with loved ones.
Read on to learn about Gabriela’s creative influences, her exploration into new products during the pandemic, and her top resources for getting started with creating stationery!
Shaochen: Hi Gabriela! I’m excited to get to know you and Pun Dulce better. Let’s dive in - why did you decide to start a stationery business and what’s the story behind your business name?
Gabriela: I have always loved paper. I’m going to sound like a cliché, but I always loved sending mail and creating fun cards. I never considered it to be a career, but once I left my full-time job, I dived into not only creating stationery, but also building a business around it. There are also lots of ways to create stationery: for special occasions and also greeting cards to be enjoyed & accessible by more people.
Pun Dulce is a pun (because I love a good pun!). It's a play on words on "pan dulce" which means sweet bread in Spanish. I knew that I needed a business name that my Spanish-speaking parents would be able to pronounce. For people who don't know what pan dulce is, at least they think my name means "sweet pun”, which isn't a bad thing!
Shaochen: What did you do before starting Pun Dulce, and what was the transition like to being your own boss?
Gabriela: I started Pun Dulce in August 2018 after I left my role as a data analyst at a healthcare company. I loved working in a fast paced environment and alongside really brilliant and kind people. When I was offered a new role within that company, I didn’t feel inspired to keep giving 110% (and I’m a 110% type of woman!), so I decided to decline the offer and resign without a next job lined up. I knew I needed to take some time to find a role that inspired me. I also wanted to dig deeper into my creative side, so I started with teaching myself calligraphy and learning about wedding stationery. I didn't intend on running Pun Dulce full-time, but the more effort I put into it, the more I got excited to keep going. I loved learning about building wedding invitation suites and exploring options to share calligraphy. Calligraphy is also just super therapeutic so it was wonderful to "work" but also share that piece with people.
Shaochen: I love your designs! What inspires your creative process?
Gabriela: There's a term in Spanish called "el duende/tener duende”, and it means to have a physical/emotional reaction or connection to art. It's the equivalent of getting chills after seeing a good movie or listening to a nostalgic song. Sometimes I'll see a certain combo of colors or really well-branded product on Instagram and think, I want to dance or call my friend or BE that image. If something makes me feel that way, I'll jump on Procreate or start a mood board for a project. I often ask for feedback from my husband, who is a Design Consultant, and I'll ask, "I want to make this more [inserts crazy hand gestures], what's missing?" So I go off of how something makes me feel.
“Sometimes I'll see a certain combo of colors or really well-branded product on Instagram and think, I want to dance or call my friend or BE that image. If something makes me feel that way, I'll jump on Procreate or start a mood board for a project.”
Shaochen: You do several types of specialty printing, including foil and letterpress. Do you print in house or outsource?
Gabriela: I do all of my foiling in-house. The foiled invites or cards are all done by me. I use a laser printer which uses toner. That printed toner image is what the foil will stick to once I run it through my heated foiling machine (I use a Heidi Minc machine, although I’ve used a regular laminating machine when my machine breaks. Some people have success with just an Amazon laminator, but I’m not as trustworthy lol). I hope to one day own my own letterpress! I outsource all of my letterpress printing. However, I have so much more flexibility with in-house foiling since I get to create whatever design I want in whatever quantity or foil color. I love that if I have an idea, I can create it right then and there.
Shaochen: You serve two audiences - wedding clients and people looking for cards and personal stationery. Can you talk about how your process differs working with these two types of clients?
Gabriela: Before the pandemic, the bulk of my revenue came from working with wedding clients (invitations, day-of stationery, calligraphy signs, etc.). Because working with clients and growing my project pipeline took up so much time and energy, I didn't focus too much on greeting cards and growing the retail/e-commerce side of my business. Once COVID hit the wedding industry, I was forced to shift my focus. I didn't immediately look to growing the retail leg of my business; I was really focused on retreating from Pun Dulce and taking care of myself and my family first.
Then I started designing general stationery and sharing it in my shop. I hit a groove in designing, producing, marketing, and selling cards for holidays (Mother's Day, Father's Day, then a huge holiday rush). Growing that side of my business was out of necessity, and I'm grateful that I finally had the time to invest in that. At first, I didn't think I'd be as "close" to my greeting card customers since I wasn't working with them for longer projects like wedding invitations. But a lot of my customers contact me for other custom work or always come back with whatever I put out. I find a lot of value in my greeting card customers, because they choose to be with me longer, even after their last sale. They are truly ride or die!
I can't say I have a preference between one or the other, but I'm enjoying the learning curve of ramping up a retail business over custom work. I obsess and have much more anxiety with custom work than greeting cards, because I am creating with a very specific vision in mind. I always hope I get it right!
Shaochen: We’ve got a lot of calligraphers reading this blog who also want to create stationery. Can you share some of your favorite resources for getting started?
Gabriela: When I first started creating invitations, I was overwhelmed with all of the different products and vendors that I needed for my own inventory. Here is a list of different vendors that I use and, most importantly, trust:
Printswell Fulfillment: I use them for all of my non-foiled greeting cards and flat invitation pieces on thicker cardstock. They have a great felt cardstock option that I love when adding more texture to a suite!
Paper Event Press: For letterpress, blind impression, or foiled pressed cards or invitations. They're super responsive to questions and have excellent quality.
Adobe Suite: I use Illustrator religiously for absolutely everything, from invitation design to greeting cards, digitizing calligraphy to personal branding projects. Photoshop is excellent for editing photos and removing personal addresses for calligraphy!
Learning Calligraphy: I honestly just followed a bunch of calligraphers on Instagram and watched Youtube videos. It's not super high-tech, but I practice almost everyday in some capacity, and that's how you get better! I also used a good ole Crayola marker and some white paper when I first started. Even when I get stuck on a style, I still sometimes pick up a regular pencil or pen and just start. It does not have to be anything fancy when you first start.
Other Stationers & Calligraphers! I made a lot of calligra-friends and stationery friends via Instagram. People are generally really open with sharing info if you’re willing to build a relationship too, and I always try to share when people ask (when they do so kindly, of course). That is how everyone starts anything: by asking for help.
Shaochen: Last question - what’s one piece of advice you would give to yourself on day one of starting Pun Dulce?
Gabriela: BUCKLE UP. Lol I had zero idea what I was getting myself into.
“You can't prepare for all that is needed and required in starting and running a business.”
You'll always feel behind, but celebrate the wins, big or small, because those fuel you through the next growth phase.
Gabriela is based in Chicago, IL. You can connect with her on Instagram, check her out at pundulce.com, or shop her paper products.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive resource for learning all things stationery, check out Design by Laney’s new membership program, Stationery School. Use code SHAOCHEN at check out to save $25 off your membership!
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