Kate Harper's Blog: 2/12/12

Do you have an interesting card design? Want a lot of people to see it? Want design feedback? I'm always looking for new cards to post and review on this blog for educational purposes.

WHAT YOU GET:

Show your card to thousands of people!

This blog has over 30,000 visitors, followers and subscribers monthly. It is a great opportunity to promote your art. Readers include card publishers, editors, designers, sales reps and retail stores.

-Kate

HOW TO SUBMIT

• Send card by email to GCDBlog@gmail.com (1 card per email message).

• Send .jpg or .png format

• Ideal resolution: minimum 72 dpi.

• Ideal size: Exactly 600 pixels wide (it will fill the whole blog screen without a slow download)

• Embed your contact info on the art (see example below).

You can put your info on the design or below the design. Just make sure it is part of the jpg image.

• If your card has a white background, include a black border around the card (see example).

• If your card has inside text, you can add a second jpg file in your email, but please put a black border around card if background is white. Otherwise it will disappear into the background.

• Send holiday cards during the holiday season. For example: send Valentine cards in January and February and Christmas cards in November and December.

• Use email Subject Line: BLOG CARD SUBMISSION
For holiday cards use: BLOG CARD SUBMISSION: CHRISTMAS (or whatever holiday).

• Be prepared that I might comment on card designs for educational purposes. Just like a book review, I often say why I like something and may suggest ways to improve a design. I'm a reasonable person, so I won't post cards just to criticize them. My readers and artists often tell me they value my feedback because they learn tips on card design.

EXAMPLE

→ Include Contact Information
→ Make sure your contact info is easy to read if it is 3 inches wide.

BOOKS FOR THE CARD DESIGN

These are books I own and recommend. Some may be out of print, but used copies may be available. Check link.

Start & Run a Greeting Cards Business Book covers starting a card business in the UK. Good basic info, but financial/measurement info is in different monetary units.

Greeting Card Design Book that shows examples of professional card design.

Publishing Your Art as Cards How to make and sell your own cards for an extra income.

Pushing the Envelope How to work with greeting card sales reps.

Complete Guide to Greeting Card Design and Illustration Great Book on understanding the greeting card profession and how to develop a style.

1000 Handmade Greetings: creative cards and clever correspondence This is not a simple craft book for hobbyists,instead it is a picture book of professionally handmade cards by leading companies and designers.

By the Batch: Creative Cards, Postcards, Envelopes & More Book that addresses how to "manufacture" handmade greeting cards.

How to Write and Sell Greeting Cards, Bumper Stickers, Tshirts and Other Fun Stuff

Sell the Fun Stuff: Writers' and Artists' Market Guidelines for Greeting Cards, Posters, Rubber Stamps, T-Shirts, Aprons, Bumper Stickers, and More!

Writing Card Sentiments

Freelance Writing for Greeting Cards Another good book on how to write for cards professionally.

You Can Write Your Own Greeting Cards Clear guidelines on how to write card sentiments professionally.

Finding the Right Words One of many basic books of this series that tells you how to add words products, cards, etc.

Licensing Your Art to Companies

Licensing Art and Design

Licensing Art 101 Good beginners guide on the art licensing business.

2011 Artist's and Graphic Designer's Market List of greeting card companies, art licensees and agents.Detailed information on submission guidelines.

Gift and Product Design

Start with a Scan One of a kind book that tells you how to transform your art into a scan and what to do with it from there.

Design Your Own Repeat Patterns Simple book on learning repeats.

Twentieth-Century Pattern Design Great book for inspiration and creative approaches to designing patterns.

How to Break into Product Design Overview of product design in all industries.

Designing a Digital Portfolio Shows you how to put a digital portfolio together for the modern era.

Mary Engelbreit: The Art And The Artist Amazing story of how Mary ended up doing licensing.

Principles of Pattern Design Good info on pattern design

Imagery on Fabric Basic info on putting images onto fabric.

Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing Yearly updated guidelines for pricing for people in art careers.

5,000 Years of Textiles Far East, Americas, Africa, Scandinavia, and Egyptian. Good for studying fabric design.

Abstract Design and How to Create It Over 380 illustrations, diagrams, designs, border patterns and textile patterns.

Creative Illustration Workshop Exercises for integrating illustration with other mixed-media techniques, and scan and layer your illustrations using a computer.

Print Workshop Hand-Printing Techniques for low budgets. Interesting ways to put imagery on products. Perhaps a good technique for putting our designs on model items to show what they would look like on real products.

Digital Alchemy Printmaking techniques for fine art and how to transfer images to a variety of surfaces. It includes decals and skins.

Critical Mass Cutting-edge developments in international printmaking. Since printmaking is fundamental in most surface design concepts, this book's goal is a modern approach on a traditional printmaking.

Tradeshows and Booth Design