Sarah Sheffer, Doc Milo Designer/Owner | The Paper Style Interview, June 2008 

Who founded Doc Milo, when and why?
I wish I had a more businesslike answer but the truth is that I started the company (in 1998) because it was the single most fun thing I could think up to do. Anyone who’s ever started something from nothing will know what I mean when I say it was all just a grand adventure back then. Terrifying and exhilarating all at once. That the company has become what it has all these years later is as much a testament to the joy with which the whole enterprise was conceived as it is to the fantastic energy of not only everyone now working at Doc Milo, but also the creative spirit that drives our vendors and the end users of our papers. I think when you do what you love, you naturally draw other people to you who love what they do, and that spark just keeps getting passed back and forth and getting brighter and more fabulous for everyone involved.

When you are looking for inspiration, where do you turn?
First and foremost, I come from a family of big party-throwers. Lots of cousins, lots of weddings, lots of babies...basically lots of milestones. My whole life, at every opportunity, there’s a party. So I think that the fun, fabulous quality that people so respond to in my work is really just the energy of my family, sort of channeled into ink. Nice that I get to take credit for it, but there’s a whole tribe of wonderful people and experiences and memories behind me every time I sit down to draw. Just remembering the good times we’ve had and thinking about the good times to come.

As for sheer style points? Well, my baby sister (who’s now 30, and yes, still my baby) is definitely my fashion muse - very Audrey Hepburn - she’s like the human embodiment of the word “adorable,” but in a very cool way. Because I have the world’s greatest mother, I got to spend a summer in high school studying in the fashion department at the Parsons School of Design, which was just incredible, and probably permanently firmed up fashion design as a cornerstone of inspiration for me forever. Add to that the fact that I was an architecture major at Columbia and then after college worked briefly in interior design and, well, I guess it’s safe to say you see all those influences at play in my work. Color, line, form, all of that. Just the big wide world of art and design, which is endless. And really, that’s the beauty of inspiration...that it can come from anywhere.

So I guess as far as where I “turn?” I turn all around, all the time, looking at everything I possibly can. You just never know...and that’s the fun. There are amazing people doing amazing work all over the place. If you’re open to it, the really good stuff is everywhere. It’s just about getting yourself in a place where you can be receptive and then, corny as it sounds, it sort of just appears as needed.

In the years you have been doing this, what have you learned that you would like to share?
The social stationery business is endlessly complex and fascinating, but the main thing I have learned is actually the simplest. Yes, we’re all terribly sophisticated these days. We shop over the internet. We get paperless proofs. We have overnight shipping to China or Brazil or London. But when it comes to celebrating the special occasions in our lives, we still want the same things we always have.

We want to mark the big events - weddings, births, celebrations of every kind - with a sort of emotional exclamation point. We want beauty and grace and a true sense of festivity, because at bottom, what this whole industry is about is love. What I do?  It’s about helping to make sure that love never goes unnoticed.

For anyone who wants to know the secret to my business, it is just this: the closer I come to capturing pure joy on paper, the better able I am to tap into that endlessly elusive, yet immediately recognizable feeling, the better a seller I have. Because what speaks to all of us at these times in our lives is the same. It’s magic. It’s all about the magic. And, really, what else is love if not that?

Do you have a favorite of your new line of invitations?
Asking me which of my designs I like best is like asking someone which of their kids they like best. Anyone who tells you they don’t have a favorite is lying, but they’ll never tell you who it is, and neither will I. :)

Sarah Sheffer, Doc Milo Designer/Owner | The Polka Dot Design Interview, July 2010 

How would you describe your brand's personality and what makes it unique?
For over 10 years now, our tagline has been “Simply Fabulous Papers for Simply Fabulous People,” and I still think it sums up my approach to our business pretty thoroughly (even though the word fabulous has become frighteningly overused in the past few years!) One of our earliest greeting card designs featured a girl in a sexy sequin dress, huge smile on her face, arms up over her head waving a giant feather boa. I always think of her as our mascot, our very own Little Miss Fabulous, if you will. And mostly, all I’m ever trying to do is capture her personality. That sense of YES! YES! YES! Pure unadulterated glee. That’s we’re about. Because whether it was back in the day when we made mostly greeting cards, or now when we’re so focused on showers and holiday parties, at the core, Doc Milo has always been about celebrations, about making the absolute most of the good times. I don’t know if it’s what makes us unique, but I definitely think that part of why we’re so successful is that even with something as simple as a flat 5” x 7” invitation design, we tap into something more than just “pretty” or “cute” or “cool…” we tap into the basic human desire for joy.

What sources of inspiration do you seek when designing?
When I was little, all I wanted to do was become a fashion designer. Looking back, I guess there was a decent amount of retail fabulosity happening in our town, but I was a kid and my mom wasn’t the “fancy mom” type, so I never really had entrée into that whole boutique world. What I did have were fashion magazines, and I absolutely lived for them. I had giant collages all over my room - basic teenage girl obsessive stuff, I guess - except instead of Teen Beat or whatever else my friends were into, I obsessed with shoes and gowns. Glossy fashion magazines were the link for me to all that was beautiful and glamorous and fabulous. To some extent they still are, and all that deliciousness factors in. But these days it’s for slightly different reasons. With our company constantly growing and expanding, free time is at an absolute premium for me, and trips to the boutiques and gift shows just don’t happen nearly as much as I might like. But magazines are easy. I can keep a stack of 25 in the car or on the corner of my desk and wade in and out whenever I find I’ve got 10 free minutes. Of course, it’s as much for relaxation as anything else. The real answer is that when it comes to inspiration, ultimately, the work itself is the inspiration. I get pretty much ALL my best ideas while drawing, not before.

What are your favorite Doc Milo items?
A good friend of mine is a very talented stained glass artist. I used to ask him occasionally which of his pieces was his favorite. He’d always answer: “the next one.” It used to make me crazy…it’s such a non-answer! But right at this moment, I have to say that I am so in love with and excited about our upcoming fall release I can’t even think about anything else.

What current trends are you incorporating into your new products?
It’s so funny that you bring that up. We just got back from the National Stationery Show where we attended a seminar on trends. The whole time I kept thinking “wow, I’m so out of it…I never even THINK about this stuff.” I mean, I live in the same world as everybody else and of course I keep my eyes open to visual inspiration, but for me, all that stuff goes into some kind of subconscious soup that bubbles back up in whatever way it wants to. So you might see a color scheme that’s particularly “in” or some reference to a new pair of dreamy shoes that recently hit the runway, but in general those are the yummy little details of what we do rather than the driving force behind it. When it comes to designing, I’m never trying to control it to the point of thinking “this is hot right now, we have to do this.” I think what makes our products so popular isn’t some “of the moment” quality…it’s the fact that they address the true spirit of celebration and joy, and to me, that stuff, that come-from-the-gut sense of happiness and fun, that stuff is timeless. That’s where I try to live creatively. Besides which, let’s face it, if you’re worrying too much about following the trends, you lose the creative free space to set them.

We were very excited to see your summer designs, including multi-ethnic and blonde additions to the collection. What exciting products should we look forward to seeing in the near future?
Ah! You want to know what’s under the magic blanket? No can do. My rule is that until we are actually AT press, no one gets to know what’s coming next. I like to reserve the right to keep improving the collection until the very last possible second!