Richmond illustrator wins packaging contract with Scottish beauty company
Richmond illustrator Lucy Deaner has been picked to create new meadow flower-themed packaging for Scottish beauty company, Seilich.
In February 2024 Lucy was commissioned by Dr Sally Gouldstone, the founder of Scottish meadow grown skincare brand Seilich, to create eight illustrations for new packaging for her skincare range.
Lucy Deaner comes from Muckhart near Kinross in Scotland but lives and works in Richmond, London. Her mother and grandmother were both florists, and she feels that could be where her love of flowers comes from.
Although creative as a child, Lucy took an unconventional career route, to become a full-time illustrator. She didn’t go to art college, instead, she studied for a BSc in Fashion Buying at Manchester Metropolitan University. She worked as a fashion buyer before having a successful career in service procurement, working for several companies, including DC Thomson in Dundee and London.
However, she didn’t feel her procurement career was creatively fulfilling. She said: “I thought the time was right to try something different, I've always enjoyed art for my enjoyment and during lockdown I began drawing every day, that was the seed of the idea. It just grew from there.”
Only three years ago she handed in her notice to become an artist full-time.
Some of her clients now include; Anthropologie, John Lewis, Lily Gray, Studio 5 - Abu Dhabi and Plaza Del Lago - Chicago.
Sally said: “The ethos of the company has always been to work in partnership with nature. The environment is a priority in all aspects of business, with profits used to create more wildflower meadows, with an overall positive environmental impact. I want Seilich to lead by example and demonstrate that businesses can be a force for good.”
“One of the key areas we consider is the environment. We are reducing the impact of our packaging, by introducing a refill scheme so that the new packaging, which is already recyclable will have an even lower environmental impact.”
The individual flowers featured in Lucy’s illustrations are bog myrtle, chamomile, peppermint, nettle, meadowsweet, wild carrot, wild rose and yarrow and she also created a flower-filled meadow image.
Every Seilich skincare product contains handpicked botanicals the company takes a conservation led approach, gathering only 10% of each plant species, which leaves behind a flourishing biodiverse meadow.
Sally adds: “By harnessing the power of the meadow and using only natural, organic, and UK-grown Wildlife and Bee Friendly certified ingredients we are using highest-quality ingredients in our beauty products.”
“Lot of businesses rely on nature in some way, but many have kind of a one-way relationship, taking from nature without giving back so I created a Meadow Rewards Club, a meaningful way to give back to nature.”
Loyalty points are awarded to customers which can be redeemed to unlock a reward discount for the next purchase and increase the size of the meadow. This means that as the business succeeds the meadows keep growing.
Lucy adds, “The commission was a rewarding experience. Sally is a botanist, so she knows the ins and outs of flowers. It was great to learn about the unique characteristics of each plant and bring them to life in ink. I’m proud to see it all come to fruition. I’ve always loved the beauty of floral meadows and think the environmental ethos of Seilich is a lovely thing. I love Sally’s circular model, of putting the money back into growing more meadows.”
Sally said, “I adore Lucy’s illustrations they really capture a sense of the Seilich meadows, and I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship. We wanted the packaging to look as amazing as our wildflower meadow does.”
