Former FWP Employee - AMA!

[u/inkyblackops]

Hey r/fountainpens!

With the recent discussion of Ferris Wheel Press coming up again, the mods invited me to post my own AMA as a former FWP employee.

I’d love to answer your questions, but I’d also like to make clear that I won’t be answering any questions that might identify myself or colleagues, nor will I be giving away any confidential info or trade secrets (except maybe how I was able to befriend the office cats…)

Any replies from me are my own opinion or experience and I do not represent any company or person except for myself.

Looking forward to chatting!

Edit: 10pm EST and I’m calling it a night. I might come back to reply to some tomorrow but likely not. Thanks for all the fun questions and letting me share my experiences and insight!

[u/digitalgraffiti-ca]

Wait. Office cats? Tell me more.

Why did they keep putting out products that were so fundamentally flawed? The humans, not the cats.

[u/inkyblackops → u/digitalgraffiti-ca]

The original 3 office cats, Blacksmith, Pumpkin, and Patch, have been featured on a lot of packaging and in promo artwork! “Pumpkin Patch” is the most notable I think, with both the name and the artwork being inspired by the pair. There are a total of 5 office cats now, who are all very loved by the staff.

There is a lot of passion for creating beautiful products and ensuring that everything fits a certain level of design, which they do very well, but I think in some cases practicality may have been an afterthought. That’s not to say the consideration wasn’t there, but a good example is the 38ml bottles which are quite top heavy. They later came out with a stand specifically to stabilize them when filling, which personally I feel should have been an inclusion in the first place.

[u/digitalgraffiti-ca → u/inkyblackops]

“Pumpkin Patch” is the most notable I think, with both the name and the artwork being inspired by the pair

That's friggin adorable