H ow do you make your design business stand out? Add more colour! That’s been the experience of mother and daughter team Mary Mortland and Anna Tweedie, the talented Mt Maunganui-based duo behind Inscribe Design. Inscribe Design was born four years ago when Anna, with her children now at school and kindy, was looking to return to work. Her wish list was to find work with enough flexibility to allow for family commitments and, if possible, allow her to use her creative flair. “I really wanted to do something I loved and felt passionate about, rather than just ‘working for the man’.” Mum Mary, who shares that artistic flair, suggested they look for a business they could run together. They found a local hobby business based around a laser-cut machine which was for sale. They bought it and started experimenting. Four years later the pair have a thriving enterprise creating beautiful laser-cut wood designs from sustainable bamboo. Their product inventory includes everything from cake toppers and coasters to wall hangings and intricate clocks. But what makes their designs stand-out from other laser-cut products, and is one of the reasons for their on-going success, says Anna, is their use of colour. “Other laser-cut businesses often stick to just bare wood or acrylic. We really wanted to stand out from the others and offer something unique. “We both really love colour, so we added colour,” Anna says. For that, they turned to Resene paints. “We love the range of colours Resene offers,” says Mary. She says they knew very little about paint when they started out and were helped hugely by the knowledgeable staff at their local Resene ColorShop when it came to choosing finishes and paint types. When selecting colours, Anna and Mary are guided Their favourite colours Current favourite colours are Resene Riptide, the most popular colour with Inscribe customers, and Resene Java. Bright bursts of colour in Resene Grenadier and Resene Turbo are also popular, along with designs in classic black and white combos, usually in Resene All Black and Resene White. Mary also professes a love for the bright green Resene Dizzy Lizzy. These are coasters in various styles. Resene Java Resene Grenadier Resene Turbo Resene All Black Resene White Resene Dizzy Lizzy where ideas meet colour Colour has helped this mother and daughter team turn design ideas into a thriving business. 36 colourful people