Our journey began in 1998 at our kitchen table in Birmingham with a shared dream of running our own business together. 

Julie, driven by a passion for photography, took on the role of a self-taught photographer, while Mick, with his practical  DIY skills, became a self-taught picture-framer. 

As we poured our hearts into our work, our business began to grow before our eyes.

Our expertise in black and white child portraits quickly garnered attention, and Julie’s paparazzi-style wedding photography earned us a prestigious National award. With each success, our humble beginnings in the school playground expanded, and soon we found ourselves needing to extend our house to welcome clients.

Life became extremely busy and full on and our original idea of wanting to be more home-based and around for the children was becoming compromised.

Clients were at our house evenings and weekends and Julie was constantly driving around the country photographing weddings.

So in 2002, seeking a better work/life balance, we made a bold decision to embark on a life-changing adventure. We took a leap of faith and purchased a charming yet run-down old farmhouse in the French countryside.

Packing up our cherished possessions, including camera equipment, picture-framing tools, and of course, the children and Duncan the dog, we embraced a new chapter—La Vie Francaise and the promise of a different pace of life.

With boundless energy and determination, we immersed ourselves in renovations, breathing life into the old farmhouse.

As we threw ourselves into life in the French countryside and the challenges of homework with the children, our passion for photography and art continued to thrive.

Then there was a bit in the middle… In 2009 we temporarily moved back to the UK so that our children could do their GCSE’s and ‘A’ Levels. We moved to Leamington Spa where we rented a photography and picture framing studio, coupled with a bustling high street shop, which became a hub for our child portrait and wedding photography.

It was here that we created our photographic collage company Life in Squares. 

And it was here that our love of font was born! The Georgian town of Leamington Spa, sparked Julie’s fascination with fonts and signage.

Her keen eye for detail led her to photograph the elegant, quirky and colourful fonts that the town was full of, igniting the inspiration for what would become our Fonted venture.

Fast forward to 2015, when we moved back to France before eventually selling our beloved farmhouse in 2018. Upon re-locating back to the UK we bought an old victorian B&B  (another renovation project!!) in the seaside town of Llandudno in North Wales. And have a guess what … beautiful font everywhere from the grand Victorian hotels, pubs and shops to old theatres and mosaic floors!

 Another fast -forward to today and we’re back out there, exploring various regions in the UK, collecting letters of all shapes and sizes adding to our ever-growing bank of  countrywide font. 

We are driven by the excitement of turning these (usually unseen) signs from pubs, shops, hotels and buildings into a stunning and eclectic catalogue of typography from around the country…and beyond! 

We are thrilled to share our passion with you and to be able to offer you not just a one-of-a-kind  piece of visually captivating artwork  but also a slice of local  and cultural heritage.

Thank you for being a part of our story.