The Beginnings of Ponder Designs Co.
Ponder Designs Co was founded by me, Georgia Patch. I worked in advertising and found myself falling into the busyness=good trap and before too long I was burnout and exhausted. I needed something that would help me switch off without feeling guilty and I wanted to create something that would help others too.
I noticed that for some reason, most jigsaw puzzles on the market were kind of ugly and not something you’d want to exactly flaunt. They weren’t held to the same esteem as say, scented candles. So, I thought “why not design jigsaw puzzles that look good and stimulate your mind”. I noticed the soothing power of jigsaw puzzles when I was trying to fight off jet-lag when visiting my grandparents in England. It kept me focused, but didn’t require too much brain power that I needed to stop. It was almost meditative and very relaxing.
Jigsaw Puzzles With Unique & Meaningful Offerings
But, I couldn’t create something that looked like everything else on the market, I wanted my puzzles to be unique and for adults. No weird cat images or dated still lifes (I love still life, when it’s hanging on a wall and preferably by Cézanne). I decided to work with emerging artists to create a line of jigsaw puzzles that are aligned to different cultural topics. I’ve always been passionate about shining a spotlight on issues - in 2016, I co-launched a campaign called RedefineWomen that urged Google to update it’s dictionary definitions, we ended up in Huffington Post and UN Women even blogged about us). It made sense to channel this activist mindset into puzzles!
Superior Quality Jigsaw Puzzles - Good Enough To Flaunt
More than that, I wanted to design puzzles that were the best quality on the market. So Ponder’s packaging is unique, there are no other jigsaw puzzles like it. The jigsaw puzzle box itself is housed in a booksleeve (to mimic the style of fancy coffee table books), the puzzle boxes use thicker GSM (pick up a puzzle box and squeeze it, I bet it’s flimsier than mine!). The packaging shows no exposed brown cardboard either, it’s full bleed coloured art-paper to create a beautiful finish. I also de-bossed the writing on the box with a metallic shine effect so the ‘Ponder Designs’ writing on the side catches the light. Because of all this effort in their design, they are intended to be savoured and kept forever, rather than stuffing away in a games cupboard. So to a degree, there’s a sustainable shopping element here as I want people to keep and collect the puzzles in the same way people collect and keep coffee table books - Vogue thinks so too!
We Care About More Than Profit
I’ve always thought that good business contributes to the community in which it operates in more ways than one. I’m only small right now, but for every sale, Ponder will donate $1 to Khan Academy (a non-for-profit that provides free education). I intend to align charities to future puzzle topics to create a closed loop where I’m not just benefiting from sales, but so are the people and communities that the topics are about.
So in a nutshell, Ponder creates meaningful products for everyday play. We are on a mission to help the world embrace slower moments with jigsaw puzzles that encourage you to slow down and reconnect. Our puzzles are unique, designed to display on coffee tables and perfect gifts for people who like to think deeply about the world and deeply about the impact of their purchases.
I hope this story has been entertaining or interesting for you.
Explore our range here.
Lots of love,
Georgia / Founder