Made in Scotland: Ploterre

This month’s Made in Scotland blog features the wonderful Ploterre! Also based in Edinburgh, Rebecca moved to the city with her maths degree to study design and visual communications. Working as a data based researcher during the day she realised she could combine these two by plotting the earth, or terre, hence Ploterre!

Each hand designed piece explores the natural world but armed with data in place of a map. These simple designs from Rebecca have an amazing depth to them when you realise the amount of detail that is shown in each one. They are beautiful to hang on the wall and also examine in detail for all the fascinating information contained within! Read on to find out more about Rebecca and Ploterre!

Can you tell us how your business got started? 

The short answer is just as we were going into lockdown. The two things were completely unrelated. I just happened to be starting a research project exploring different tools and methods to visualise data and I just happened to use environmental data because that was my personal interest. The timing was serendipitous as I’d lost a lot of freelance work so I had a lot of time and no distractions.

The longer answer is that it was a long journey over the course of just under 20 years where I’d been doing a mixture of data research, screen printing and design (all independently) and whenever I did one, I missed the other two. And when I tried to cram everything in, I missed being outside. So what I’m currently doing blends everything perfectly. I just didn’t know where to look as what I’m doing doesn’t really exist as a career choice. But I’m very happy that I can make a living from it.

Where do you look for inspiration when you are designing new products? 

This is an easy one. Outside. My work is inspired by the outdoors but when I talk about my work and people wonder where I come up with the ideas – it’s simply through an innate curiosity and always asking why. So the smallest of things that I notice when I’m walking, cycling or surfing make me want to know more. To understand how tides work or tree rings grow. And it’s simply from checking out the tides when heading to the beach or walking past a tree stump and keeping your eyes open.

Can you tell us a bit more about how you make your products?

Going back to the environment being the spark behind my work, it also directs the way I create. Not because it’s a popular opinion or a marketing tool (it’s definitely not the easiest path) but because I genuinely care. This means I solely use natural materials that are made in the UK and all my prints are produced using traditional printing methods. This means that the machinery is often hundreds of years old (and still working) and powered by hand. The only exception are the risograph prints but whilst these are produced by a machine, both the stencils and inks are plant based.

In terms of making my work (before I turn them into prints), this is done with a mixture of my laptop and sketchbook. Once I have my question, I research around the topics using books as well as the internet. I then look for relevant data that can help provide me with answers. The stories and patterns that I find in the data along the way are ultimately what I share through my work. And so I sketch ideas of how to communicate those stories and once I have something that feels right, I work out how I’d draw that sketch using formulas so that I can link the data directly to my drawing. So every mark and line on the page is shaped by the data and the patterns that I found in the data and revealed as patterns in my designs.

What are your most popular products and which are your own favourites?

Sometimes these differ but recently (thankfully) they seem to be aligning. My favourites are when I feel I’ve communicated the numerical stories as succinctly as possible with the need for as little additional illustration as possible. The best two examples of this are the feather and the wildflower print. Unfortunately the wildflower print is now sold out (as it was one of my most popular products) but I have plans to do a series of flower prints over the next couple of months. If you’re interested in finding out more about those then my newsletter and Instagram are the best places to stay updated.

Eigg

If you had to pick one place in Scotland to recommend that people visit, where would it be?

There are so many places to visit – each with their own charm and character. However, if I could only chose one place to give a flavour of what Scotland has to offer it would be Eigg. For such a small island, the landscape is so varied. It’s pretty easy to get to as the ferry isn’t long but it has a completely different feel to it. I think you could spend a day or a week there and whilst you’d still only scratch the surface, I think you could pretty quickly get a feel for how special it is. The photo is by the harbour on a particularly nice day. But when you think this is only the starting point you can see how special it is. And if all that isn’t enough, it’s community owned and the islanders generate their own power. I’ve visited a few times but once was just after the Scottish Referendum and it made you realise that if you work as a community you have the potential to create the kind of world you want to live in regardless of external politics.

SK Works

Which other Scottish Makers do you love to recommend?

My favourite Scottish Businesses would be Re:ply (they make wooden products from reclaimed Skateboards) and SK Works who screen print sustainable leather to make bags and accessories that last a lifetime.

Thanks so much to Rebecca for sharing with us about her fascinating business. Make sure to check out Ploterre on their Website, Facebook and Instagram – gifting season is coming up!