Notanotherbill

About NedAfter a lifetime of studying art at school and college, I headed to Central St. Martins to do a degree in Graphic Design after which I joined advertising agency M&C Saatchi, where I worked as a creative for five years.

What is the NOTANOTHERBILL concept?NOTANOTHERBILL is based on the modern day phenomenon that no-one receives anything good in the post anymore, just bills and the odd pizza menu. So buying a subscription to NOTANOTHERBILL ensures that you receive a beautifully wrapped and carefully curated surprise present in the post every month, i.e something that is not another bill!

How did you think up the idea of NOTANOTHERBILL?The idea sort of stemmed from the fact that I am a compulsive shopa-holic, and when I was an art director at M&C Saatchi I had cool things arriving in the post most days. My copywriter and good friend Martin always complained he never got anything in the post apart from cruddy old bills - hence NOTANOTHERBILL was born.I went about just building a basic site and from there blogs and people started talking.

Do you work solely on NOTANOTHERBILL, or do you have a day job?I left M&C Saatchi earlier this year when it became obvious that NOTANOTHERBILL was becoming too big to run as a side business, so now I’m focussing on it totally.

Do you work solo or with a team? Which do you prefer?Until a few weeks ago I worked on my own, apart from recruiting a few friends during hectic send out weeks. But now i’ve got a press officer and design assistant who both help me with PR, social media, website design and the general spreading of the NOTANOTHERBILL word.

What kinds of treats should subscribers expect to receive?I source my presents from far and wide with the aim of introducing subscribers to great new artists, designers and brands so presents vary a lot. To date they’ve ranged from limited edition art prints, exclusive leather products, jewellery, silk scarfs, a Swedish Dustpan and brush and a take over the world kit!

How do you source the NOTANOTHERBILL gifts? Finding and selecting the gifts is my favorite part and one I wish I could spend more time on. Basically I have always been surrounded by art, design and creative things. Team that with my shop-a-holic magpie tendencies and you’ve got a certified hoarder - I trawl markets, fairs and trade shows for cool things. As the business grows I am working more closely with brands I admire to create exclusive one-off presents. Like the Beauchamps of London x NOTANOTHERBILL coin purses.

The Beauchamps of London coin purses were particularly impressive! How did that collaboration come about?I have a library of designers that I admire, one of which was the leather good company Beauchamps of London. After discussing at length what products people really need we came up with the design for the coin purse in a range of colours that would be perfect for the upcoming summer (though we’re still waiting for it in rainy England). It was great to work on a new product that was the brainchild of the two of us put together.

What kind of mail would you most like to receive?Packaging catalogues... I’m a bit of a stationary nut.

What is your hope for the future of NOTANOTHERBILL?Eventually I want the service to include different price tiers so subscribers can chose a more or less luxury gift... and of course, total postal domination!.

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