2025 Finalists - Search Press
We’re thrilled to shine a spotlight on Search Press, whose innovative Granny Square Card Deck has been named a finalist in this year’s Gift of the Year Awards in the Affordable Gifts category. In this blog, we catch up with Managing Director Sam Warrington to hear how this cleverly crafted crochet deck came to life, how it's transforming creative gifting, and what this recognition means to the team behind it.
Name: Sam Warrington
Product in the Final: The Granny Square Card Deck
Congratulations on being a finalist! How does it feel to be recognised in this year’s Gift of the Year awards?
We're absolutely delighted to have received such recognition for this amazing product. We've won many awards in the past both in the craft and publishing sector but this is our first time nomination in the Gift world. The whole company is super excited about it!
Can you tell us a little about your brand and the inspiration behind your successful product?
Search Press is a family owned publishing business founded some 55 years ago. We dominate the world of practical and inspirational art and craft books - according to Nielsen data, one in every three book sold in this sector is from Search Press! We publish around 100 new titles a year and sell our books globally either in English language or through rights deals in some 20+ languages.
The Granny Square Card Deck came out of a discussion as to how we could take book content and make it portable and accessible for users in a package that will appeal to retailers in the gift market.
What makes your product special, and why do you think it stood out to the judges?
The Granny Square Card Deck offers 50 gorgeous granny squares that enables the crafter to mix and match colours and designs to create unique design combinations. Each 10 x 10 cm card has a colour photo of the granny square on one side, while on the other it has a crochet stitch chart that showing how to work the square, along with joining advice. Simply lay out the cards to easily mix, match and create unique design combinations.
The cards come with a 32-page booklet, which contains a comprehensive step-by-step guide to reading and understanding crochet charts, with five side-by-side examples of pattern and chart instructions. All 50 granny square patterns are written out using both US and UK crochet terminology for ease of use.
What is its appeal?
It's a portable, brilliantly simple, beautifully produced, great value package that has captured the imagination of crocheters the world over.
Who is your product designed for, and what kind of reaction have you had from customers so far?
It's for crochet lovers of all skill levels who are seeking inspiration to create unique granny square projects, on the go if they like!
The response has been nothing short of phenomenal! We sold out our first print run in the first week, we've had rave reviews from both the craft media and individual crochet fans and we've sold over 100,000 decks since publication in August 2024.
What trends or themes do you think are shaping the gifting industry right now?
We're seeing a lot of interest in books and products that encourage creativity and mindfulness to counteract the difficult issues people are experiencing. We're constantly hearing from our authors and customers how crafting has helped their mental health. The effect of this for us is that we're looking at innovative ways - such as card decks - to offer our content to gift retailers globally.
How has being shortlisted, and nowbeing a finalist impacted your brand so far, and what do you hope to achieve from the awards?
Our profile in the gift market has grown hugely! We've had approaches from retailers as far a field as Puerto Rico, Dubai and India enquiring about the card deck and our book products generally. Closer to home, we've opened up numerous new accounts in the gift space.
What exciting plans do you have for the future?
The success of the card deck and our nomination for this award has encouraged us to explore similar product lines so watch this space for more crochet, needlework and even watercolour card decks being launched by us in the course of the next few months and years!
What’s the best gift you’ve ever received (or given), and why?
It's a cliche, but it has to be my two children!
Thank you to Sam and the team at Search Press for sharing the journey behind the Granny Square Card Deck. With its creative concept and strong customer response, it is a worthy finalist. We wish them the best of luck at the Gift of the Year Awards.
Visit the Search Press website to find out more and discover their finalist entry on the Gift of the Year website.
