Card Therapy

Feeling Blue, Need a chuckle? Here's a crash course in making your own cards.

Things to avoid in Card Design Tip 2

Black and White Cards

Black and white cards, with no other colors, can be difficult to sell. Unless you are using block prints or paper with a deckled edge, your chances of selling a card with these two colors can be limiting. Black and white cards don't always jump out at customers on the store shelf. Remember, you are competing with all the other multiple colored cards.

If you add color to a predominantly black and white card, you can use colored paper with a colored envelope. You can also try unusual patterns or textures. Be creative and throw a splash of red or orange onto the card by using a rubber stamp.

3 Things to avoid in Card Design

Faces

There are a few things you might want to think about when it comes to making the design. Putting realistic faces on cards can be risky. You can run into legal problems if you print a photograph of someone who has not given you permission.

Also, customers often have a specific person in mind when they buy a card. If someone wants a birthday card for their mother and the picture on the card is of a young model, they may feel it’s inappropriate for their mother. A Hispanic or Afro-American customer may not want to buy a Caucasian face.

If you have to use faces, make them vague, so they don't look like anyone in particular. The only exception to this would be if you are specializing in a line of ethnic cards or are using caricatures in humorous cards.


Black and White Cards



Black and white cards, with no other colors, can be difficult to sell. Unless you are using block prints or paper with a deckled edge, your chances of selling a card with these two colors can be limiting. Black and white cards don't always jump out at customers on the store shelf. Remember, you are competing with all the other multiple colored cards.

If you add color to a predominantly black and white card, you can use colored paper with a colored envelope. You can also try unusual patterns or textures. Be creative and throw a splash of red or orange onto the card by using a rubber stamp.


Horizontal cards


Horizontal cards are a problem for retail stores. Although they might be more attractive and easier to design, they use up too much shelf space. Every square inch of retail space is worth money and horizontal cards take up more space than vertical ones.

This doesn't mean that you can't design this type of card, but avoid designing your entire line with horizontal cards, so the store has a choice.

Great Website for Free-Form Painting

This is a great, award winning website where you can paint like Jackson Pollock. Just click once and move your mouse around and make beautiful paint splattered design. It doesn't feel like you are on a computer at all!

Breaking into the Greeting Card Writing Market

Article and resources for greeting card writers.

About This Blog

Editor

Kate Harper is a professional greeting card designer and has written for Lark Books, San Francisco Examiner, and National Public Radio, along with several independent publications. Kate cards designs have been published by Recycled Paper Greetings, American Greetings, Leanin' Tree, and Design House Greetings. She has designed over 200 gift items that are sold in Target, Cost Plus, Trader Joe's, Bed Bath & Beyond, Fedex, along with hundreds of independent retailers.


Guest Writers

Kathy Krassner former editor-in-chief of Greetings etc. magazine, is the owner of Krassner Communications, a writing-services firm specializing in the stationery and gift industries, based in Ringoes, NJ. krascom@yahoo.com

Meryl Hooker is a manufacturers representative, writer, speaker, sales coach and all around Sales Rockstar. She is the writer of “Road Rage”, a blog about repping and selling and co-author of the forthcoming book, Pushing The Envelope: The Small Greeting Card Manufacturer’s Guide to Working with Sales Reps (Center Aisle Press, May 2010). She lives in Washington, DC and can be reached via www.merylhookersales.com

Mike Hartnett Creative Leisure News, serving professionals in the arts & crafts industry.

Tara Reed is very active online and using new internet tools in her business, Tara has also created a resource for artists looking for recommendations for learning and implementing their creative businesses online. You can see what she has discovered at www.ArtMarketingWithTara.com

Jim Marcotte and his wife, artist and author Ronnie Walter, founded Two Town Studios in 2000. Two Town Studios is a successful art licensing and brand development agency representing 8 experienced artists.

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10 More Days to Enter Free book Raffle

Submit your favorite Card Design Tip to be posted on this blog. Whoever sends the most unusual tip will receive a copy of the Greeting Card Book By the Batch by Judi Kauffman. Afterward, tips will be posted here. Deadline June 10th. Submit a many as you want. (All emails will be kept private) Email Submission Here.

New Art Licensing Info

Art of Licensing Magazine has new information on updates of Art Licensing Trends.