 My name is Jenny Beorkrem and I am the designer and founder of Ork
Inc.
Ork Posters was born when I embarked on a search for a neighborhood poster that fit my taste for good design and typography, simplicity, and originality. My hunt came up empty. As a result, I designed the original Chicago poster in the summer of 2007 for myself.
The poster hung on my living room wall for several months before I realized the potential of my new design was staring me in the face (literally). I ordered an inaugural print run of 20 and sold them on etsy.com.
In early November 2007, orkposters.com was launched, along with the addition of four more cities as screen prints (Manhattan, Brooklyn, San Francisco, Boston) and a larger print run of the Chicago design. Less than a month later, the blog wildfire had been lit with talk about these new neighborhood posters. Friends and family were called in to take shifts fulfilling orders out of my dining room turned Ork Headquarters to meet the holiday rush. Following the successful holiday season, I was able to “leave the man behind” and devote myself to Ork full time. So began Ork Posters!
We've kept things small and local as we've grown our product line - most of the time we're just one employee besides myself. When you send Ork an email, you'll hear back from me or my right-hand helper, Julia.The screen prints are printed locally, actually just down the street, by our friends Steve and Erin at Screwball Press. And the offset posters are printed at an employee-owned press that's been operating in the city since 1973. After the printing's done, I sign each screen print and search for misprints, then we lug all the posters and silkscreens out to a team of fulfillment specialists waiting to carefully pack and ship each order.
A core belief of Ork Posters is keeping the designs original to you and your environment. Someday I may wonder, 'What was I thinking?' but we don't license or permit the design to be used for any external, promotional purposes. We've turned down big companies like Urban Outfitters, Macy's and art distributors because I don't want to just sell, sell, sell, that's easy. The challenge is to build a business - offer great products, collect a customer base, and build a brand that people can relate to. Because we'll inevitably have more ideas and products come along in the future, and I want to make sure that Ork has a connection with YOU, so you'll be around for it - as cheesey as it may sound.
For more information about Ork, click here to read the latest news. Beyond Ork Posters,
I also do design work
on a freelance basis, trimtabdesign.com.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Beorkrem
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