Karte Design Fabrik

Karte Design Fabrik is an award winning, boutique stationery company, based in Berlin and sold around the world in artisan design stores and art galleries. The Karte aesthetic represents careful and considered design, reflecting the understated vibrance of the city in which it is created. Karte elegant stationery is printed in Germany on 100% recycled paper, and all products use carbon-neutral printing wherever possible.

The Team

Karte is the brainchild of Australian husband and wife duo, Liz McKeown and Garreth Reardon. With a background in design and a deeply-held commitment to her own set of visual principles, Liz focuses on the creative direction behind the products, while former lawyer Garreth looks after much of the company’s operations and management.

Attracted by Berlin’s vibrant creative arts scene, in 2011 the pair left their homes in Sydney, Australia, with the goal of resettling and turning their ideas into a stationery business. With limited German and running out of savings, their first range was designed and handmade in their living room during a very snowy Berlin winter. In just four years, what began as a small capsule range of Christmas cards has grown to more than 150 greeting cards and gift wrap loved by customers around the world.

Now with the early challenges of establishing their business in a foreign language 10,000 miles from home behind them, Liz and Garreth enjoy the slower pace of their lives in Berlin, and devote their energy to bringing the Karte experience to new customers around the globe.

Their Philosophy

The Karte philosophy is to bring something out of the ordinary to the act of celebration and giving. Both in its design and production, Karte delivers product that feels distinctive, thoughtful and current.

“I love designing cards and gift wrap because they aren’t a utilitarian product. Like an artwork, they exist purely to be beautiful and expressive.” - Liz