We make things we'd want to own ourselves
Design Smith Studio is a small independent studio based in Norfolk, making hand-drawn illustrated goods rooted in vintage design and popular culture. We're Jude and Tina — two people who care an awful lot about what things look like, how they feel in your hands, and whether they'll still make you smile in ten years' time.
Cards, prints, notebooks, tea towels, paper goods — everything we make starts life as a drawing and ends up as something we're proud to put our name on.
Made in Norfolk, with intention
Design Smith Studio started because we wanted to make things that felt genuinely considered — not fast, not throwaway. We run the studio together, sharing everything that goes into keeping a small creative business going. Jude leads on illustration, hand-drawing the designs that sit at the heart of everything we make. Tina leads on logistics and fulfilment, making sure every order leaves us exactly as it should. But the decisions, the direction, the day-to-day — that's both of us.
Working together means we can be thoughtful about every part of the process, from the first sketch to the moment something lands on a customer's doormat. Norfolk gives us the space and quiet to do that properly — and we wouldn't have it any other way. We're proud to be stocked by the National Trust and museums across the UK — places that share our belief that everyday objects can be beautiful and meaningful. And as a small independent business ourselves, we make a point of supporting others like us wherever we can, from the suppliers we choose to the makers we admire.
Our work is drawn from vintage design and popular culture — the things people love, the moments worth marking, the references that make someone feel seen. We're interested in the intersection of art and everyday life, and we think the objects that fill your home should reflect that.
Our work is drawn from vintage design and popular culture — the things people love, the moments worth marking, the references that make someone feel seen. We're interested in the intersection of art and everyday life, and we think the objects that fill your home should reflect that.
How we work
Craft over speed
Every illustration is hand-drawn, and we'd rather do fewer things well than rush to fill a catalogue. Quality isn't a marketing word for us — it's the reason each product exists.
Warmth and humanity
Everything we make is meant to connect people — to mark a moment, make someone smile, or feel like it was chosen with genuine thought. We design for real life and real relationships, not trends.
Character and independence
We're a small studio and we intend to stay that way. That independence lets us make exactly what we want to make — work that has personality, references, and a point of view.
Vintage influence, contemporary feel
We're drawn to the design language of earlier eras — the typography, the illustration styles, the sense of craft built into everyday objects. We don't recreate the past; we use it as a reference point to make things that feel considered and a little unexpected.
Made to last
We think about paper weight, print finish, and material choice as part of the design. If something doesn't feel right to hold, something's missing. Our products are made to be used, kept, and passed on.
Craft over speed
Every illustration is hand-drawn, and we'd rather do fewer things well than rush to fill a catalogue. Quality isn't a marketing word for us — it's the reason each product exists.
Warmth and humanity
Everything we make is meant to connect people — to mark a moment, make someone smile, or feel like it was chosen with genuine thought. We design for real life and real relationships, not trends.
Character and independence
We're a small studio and we intend to stay that way. That independence lets us make exactly what we want to make — work that has personality, references, and a point of view.
Vintage influence, contemporary feel
We're drawn to the design language of earlier eras — the typography, the illustration styles, the sense of craft built into everyday objects. We don't recreate the past; we use it as a reference point to make things that feel considered and a little unexpected.
Made to last
We think about paper weight, print finish, and material choice as part of the design. If something doesn't feel right to hold, something's missing. Our products are made to be used, kept, and passed on.
The materials behind the work
Everything starts with drawing by hand. Each illustration is hand-drawn using an Apple Pencil in Procreate — the process is the same as working on paper, just on a digital canvas that gives us the flexibility to get every detail exactly right before anything goes to print. From there, designs are printed using high-quality inks on carefully chosen papers and materials that can take the detail.
We test everything ourselves before it goes into production. Paper weight, colour reproduction, how something feels when you fold it or write on it — all of it matters. If we wouldn't be happy receiving it, we don't send it out.
"The materials aren't an afterthought. They're part of the design."
For the products we don't print ourselves — tea towels, cards, notebooks — we take time to find the right suppliers, not the cheapest ones. Quality is paramount, and we'd rather work with fewer, better partners than compromise on the finished result. Where we can, we keep it local, and everything we produce is UK made. We think that matters.
Thank you for being here
Whether you've been following along for years or you've just found us — we're really glad you're here. We put a lot of ourselves into what we make, and it means everything to know it finds its way to people who appreciate it.
— Jude & Tina
