Sioned Young founded Mwydro, a small business based in Caernarfon in 2019. Mwydro specialises in GIF Design, Workshops and Short-Form Video so we wanted to ask Sioned a few questions about her work!
Why did you decide to start your own animation business?
Mwydro was a greetings cards business originally. But during lockdown, as I was trying to promote my products on social media I realised that there were barely any GIFs in Cymraeg (the Welsh Language) for me to use to support my marketing efforts, so I thought why not answer the gap in the market and teach myself how to make Cymraeg GIFs for everyone to use! In time, this developed into businesses commissioning me to create bespoke GIFs for their brand.
By now I have designed nearly 1,000 GIFs made up of words, sayings and Welsh Place Names that have been seen more than 190 million times.
What inspires you?
With Cymraeg GIFs, my audience is my inspiration more often than not. I always want to create useful GIFs so I often ask for suggestions on Instagram Stories, or occasionally I will design GIFs live on Instagram Live, creating GIFs there and then depending on the request.
Otherwise, Cymru and my square mile also play a big part in my work’s inspiration. I’ve been fortunate to be commissioned to lead on several projects making surface designs for small businesses. All my design work contains a Welsh identity, from products with a Welsh wool pattern for Silver Cuddles company, to a modern interpretation of traditional Welsh costume for my design of Welsh Women ‘Dilys, Siân ac Elsi’ for Cwmni Clyd.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love that every day in the business is different and often it doesn’t feel like work. I often think back to being a child drawing cartoons after school, and it is a strange and exciting thing to be able to say that it’s now part of my work!
Which projects are you most proud of?
In July 2022 I secured a grant through the Welsh Government and M-SParc’s #HacYGymraeg project to fund a pilot project to go into schools to teach children how to design Welsh Place Name GIFs themselves. The pilot project ran from March – July 2023 and was hugely successful, giving young people a valuable opportunity to develop a new skill but also using art to identify the value of using and protecting Place Names and Cymraeg as a language.
The project has continued beyond the pilot period and by now I’ve visited over 50 schools, creating over 400 GIFs of Welsh Place Names. I’ve also had the opportunity to employ my first staff member through the project, the musician and playwright Tesni Hughes. Being able to give something back and help Tesni at the beginning of her career with lots of fun and valuable experiences is a lovely feeling.
What is the biggest challenge of working as a graphic designer?
I’m the only person in my family and my circle of friends to become self-employed, so mastering the essentials of running a business was difficult at first. As a Young Freelancer, reaching out for help through schemes such as Big Ideas Wales and Llwyddo’n Lleol made a world of difference in the development of my understanding and confidence with regards to the practical side of running a successful business.
What advice do you have for someone hoping to venture into this field?
Don’t be afraid to create and follow your own path! When I started my business I lacked confidence because I was a self-taught artist running my business part-time. With time I have come to learn that every artist’s journey is unique and daring to be creative is a much better way to spend my time than comparing myself to others.
When I lead my workshops in schools, sharing with the children that I’ve learnt my craft from watching tutorials on TikTok and YouTube during lockdown, it means the world to see them being inspired by that, knowing that anyone from any background can be an artist.
