Hector & Bert was co-founded by Martin Lett and Philip Murrills. Both have extensive print industry careers and have come together to pool their skills and knowledge to create a fantastic eco friendly wrapping paper brand.
But before we learn about Martin and Phil, why is the company called Hector & Bert? Company names and brand names can be tricky to come up with. Fortunately our pet names can up in brainstorming and we thought ‘Hector and Bert’ had a nice ring to it! The names had a quirky and fun sound, which we thought perfectly matched the brand identity and products we wanted we create,
Hector is certainly the senior partner; he is an 18 year old British Shorthair Cat who loves to be snuggled in a blanket, or preferably curled up on Phil’s lap.
Bert(ha) is a six year old English Bulldog. Unlike some bulldogs she likes going out for walks. If given the chance she loves stealing other dogs balls and stubbornly keeps hold of them much to Martin’s embarrassment! Unfortunately for Hector she also loves to chase cats. A meet up between Hector and Bert seems off the cards for now! We hope to feature both Hector and Bert on our eco friendly wrapping paper designs as we know our customers will love them as much as we do.
Martin studied business at Loughborough University and joined a print company called Marstan Press in 2006. Alongside sales and operational roles and responsibilities, Martin took care of all the company’s marketing. This is where Martin and Phil worked closely together. Martin would come up with a creative concept and scribble it out on paper. Phil then worked his creative magic, transforming scrawlings into professional looking marketing material.
In 2019 Martin joined Elle Media where he developed knowledge of the greeting card and wrapping paper niche markets. Following a few years out of the print industry, working within the HR and Health & Safety support market, Martin has jumped back into the print sector with the launch of Hector & Bert.
Phil has spent his career as a graphic designer, working for a number of printing companies including Marstan Press (where he met Martin), and Screaming Colour. Whilst working for print companies allowed Phil to work with some of the largest companies in the UK, it was his personal commissions that allowed him to fully use his creative talents.
Adept at creating characters and cartoons, Phil has illustrated books, created comic book graphics and painted wall murals. A keen forager, Phil has hand drawn a range of beautiful flora and fungi illustrations as part of his portfolio. No doubt we will see some of these illustrations come to life on our eco friendly wrapping paper.