Designer Digitals’ Katie Pertiet; Shares With Scrapbooking Directions

Do you know Katie Pertiet?  Do you know Designer Digitals?  Really they are one in the same.  Katie Pertiet is the owner of Designer Digitals.  She is the lead designer of MANY amazing digital scrapbook items and she’s the force behind the rest of the team of Digital Scrapbook designers she’s put together for that site as well.

As you can imagine…this makes Katie Pertiet a very busy entreprenuer.  But she’s also a mom.  You can learn more about that side of her here: http://www.katiepertiet.typepad.com/

Recently ScrapbookingDirections was able to snag a few momen’ts of Katie Pertiet’s incredibly valuable time.  We are incredibly grateful for this – especially considering the time of year it is.

So this is our Christmas gift to you….Katies answers to our questions are in teal color…

1) Katie, for those that don’t know you – can you please tell us what you do  in the scrapbooking industry today?

I have some collections with Bo Bunny right now. My Old Time Christmas was their St. Nick Collection.

2) Do you have a specialty?  Or something that you LOVE to do more than anything else?

I would say that vintage botanical and nature products are my specialty. Growing up I wanted to be a biological illustrator–I think that’s where it comes from.

3) Can you tell us how you got into it in the first place?

I have been scrapbooking since high school and I went to school for graphic design and had been working as a professional graphic designer for years, when I made the move from paper to digital, designing product was a natural!

4) What inspires you?

Everything around me. I see scrapbooking in absolutely everything– it’s an illness!

5) Where do you get your ideas from?

I’m inspired by everything around me! Magazines, the internet, tv,  vintage books, cereal boxes… yes, everything!

6) Do you design every element of all of your scrapbook pages  yourself or do you ever work with the designs of others’?

Occassionally I use CU items for worn edges on alphas and papers and a  few little tidbits of fasteners. But I have reworked all of them. I’m  pretty picky with pretty high standards and have picked up a number of  CU items that I just can’t use.
[Scrapbooking Directions adds: CU stands for commercial use]

7) I noticed that there are a lot of pages in your personal gallery  of work http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/ideas/showgallery.php?cat=2&
that profiles a single photo or a small cluster of photo’s in one  central location on page…do you choose this style more than any other – for a reason?

No real reason, just what I am drawn to. I just do what feels right  and that feels right for me!

I also noticed that you don’t seem to over clutter your pages  with vast amounts of paper or ribbons or other accents…is there a  reason behind this?
I want to keep the photo and the memory as the focus of the page. I  think sometimes if there is too much going on on the page it becomes  distracting. That’s just my personal preference.

9) You also have this brilliant way of making your images part of  your background (ie: not looking like photos). Is this an easy to  learn skill that can be found on your website?

There are tutorials in the store that explain blending in detail and I  have some tips listed in the forums.

10) It appears that you have a growing library of digital  scrapbooking tutorials on your website, is there a release schedule  of any kind for new lessons?  If not, how often would you say this  section is updated so that people can remind themselves to come back?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a schedule. Cassie Jones is our tutorial writer and it really depends on her personal availability.

11) For those who struggle to know where to start…are your  tutorials the best place, or would you suggest something else?
We also have a wonderful knowledgebase [http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/tips/ ] and getting started pages [http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbookin/GettingStarted.html ]–I suggest you start there!

12) Do people need special software programs or resources in order  to take full advantage of your lessons?

Our lessons are focused on PSE and PS. Help with other applications
can be found in our knowledgebase [http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/tips/
]
[ScrapbookingDirections adds: PSE is Photoshop Elements and PS is Photoshop]

13) If someone wishes to design for designer digitals some day – how might you suggest they go about it?  (from reader: LydiaThompson)
I’m sorry but we do not accept applications for designers.

15) Do you know of any places that a digital paper designer can get their work published to PRINT? (from reader: Abigale Chan)
The best way to get picked up by a manufacturer is to attend CHA and  get to know the manufacturers. They all work differently, so I  recommend really getting to know the market before you jump in.

[Scrapbooking Directions adds: CHA is the Craft and Hobbies Association]

16) Are there any new projects on the go for you for 2010 that you  are able to share with us today?

We are working on a number of upgrades to DesignerDigitals. A new home
page and new shopping features will be coming in 2010!

We all look forward to that new home page and extra features Katie.  Thank you for taking the time to share with us today.

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, a few words from Katie Pertiet.