Hmmm, don't know if I'm allowed to use song lyrics or not in the title of my blog post. :) I was watching an interview with Rebecca Black the other evening. It's interesting to see her shoot to fame from a Youtube video.
Anyhow, on to our post today... you all asked a bunch of questions a couple of weeks ago, I thought I would answer some of them today. I know, kinda boring. Just stick with me today - we've got some fun news on Monday!
Here are your questions...
Is your real name Jill or Jillian? Real name is Jill Renee McClimans. Married Eric Yegerlehner in 2000 so became Jill Yegerlehner. Don't google me - there's not much out there. ;)
Which do you think you will run out of first, cool names for your new products or great ideas for new products? Great question - probably ideas. I kind of work backwards from the collection theme to the name. When we get a collection together - that's when I start googling soup names that I think will work with the collection. Kimber actually picked Sweet & Sour.
Is there a motif that you've wanted to get into a line but either haven't been able to or can't think of a soup name for yet? Hmmm, lots of things go through this head. I don't know that I've had a motif in mind that I didn't execute. I do get lots of suggestions from others about what we should do. ;)
Have you made (and eaten) all of the kinds of soups that your collections are named for? Nope, not really a soup eater. Can you believe that? Every time my Mom made soup and grilled cheese when I was growing up, I would only eat the sandwich. I have grown to like a few more soups in the last 5 years. I do like cream based soups the best. I can make a mean potato soup.
Are you worried about running out of Soup ideas for your lines? Not really, like I said earlier...we work on the collection first and then name it last. Seriously, all I do is google stuff to see what I think will work with the collection. I do have to pay attention to ingredients and make sure we don't use the same paper names as in previous collections (ie, I've used crushed tomatoes as well as tomato juice and tomato paste). Google some soups - you'll see there are endless possibilities!
Hey Jill, where do you create? On a couch? On a desk? If I'm sketching than I'm usually at home. I will either sit on the couch and sketch or at the kitchen table. When I was sketching penguins, Leah (my oldest daughter) sat down with me to sketch. I ended up sending Laina pics of her penguins too because they were cuter than mine!
How do you manage your time with family and creating all these amazing collections? I struggle with this everyday so if you come up with some good suggestions, I'd love to hear them! Leah still tells everyone that I scrapbook for a living. At 8, she's just starting to understand that we design and sell the products we create. I could actually see her doing something with design - she's crafty and can draw!
How did you start out in the industry? Jillibean started as a concept in 2007. I approached another preschool Mom about it...she is a graphic designer. She and I joined forces to start the company. It actually started as Jill's Attic but after 2 months into it, we found another product online with the name "Jill's Attic" on it. I sat down one Saturday and made a whole list of names. I picked the top 5 and sent them to friends and family to see which one they liked best. They all picked "Jillibean Soup". I'm lucky because it's allowed me to do lots of great marketing with the company. Anyhow, the partnership fizzled with the preschool Mom and I had to make a decision whether to keep going or quit. I kept going and introduced our first products to the marketplace in Sept 2008. Scrapbook Art in Lewis Center Ohio was having a Grand Re-Opening and we launched Jillibean Soup at the same time. I wasn't really ready but it was time. We went to our first CHA in January of 2009 and the rest is history. ;)
My question is what is YOUR favorite item/line that you have designed? Great question! I love so much of it! It really speaks to me - take a look around my house and you'll see the browns, reds and greens. Minestrone is still one of my favorites. The Corrugated Alphas were huge for us and have helped brand Jillibean. I love the Soup Labels from this release - great color combos.
What is the best part of your job? There are a couple of things that I love. I love it the first time I see the designs in a print-ready format. I'm not a graphic designer so I work with 2 designers (Laina and Nadia). I pick the colors and sketch a good portion of the line. Laina and Nadia do all the graphics. They add their touch. The first time they send the files over, I get giddy! My other favorite is the first time I get to play with my products. I don't have much time to scrapbook but when I do...I love using Jillibean stuff!
Question: "do you design everything or is there a team?" It's definitely a team effort. As mentioned in the last question.. I pick colors and sketch. Laina has recently taken the prime roll in graphics so she gets to play the most (and does a great job at it). I'll bounce things off of Kimber and Jen or the girls in the office. Patty has a name for one of our next releases. Kimber, Laina and I sat down right after the last show to start brainstorming. We haven't had the time to do that yet for the January show but believe me the wheels are turning!
Thanks for your questions ladies! There's more that I will try to answer later. Have a great weekend!
Jill
