Creating greeting cards can be an excellent addition to your illustration portfolio, whilst also offering an extra income stream. Here are five tips for designing memorable and eye-catching greeting cards:
- Understand your audience: Consider who your potential customer might be, what kind of cards they might like to send, and what their tastes and interests are.
- Consider your creative voice: As an illustrator you can consider what type of cards your visual style could suit. For example, if your style is bright and full of vibrant colour and quirky characters you might like to experiment with humorous messages. Alternatively, if your artist voice leans towards landscapes you might like to work on a range of more sincere and tranquil designs.
- Seasonal themes and annual events: In the greetings card industry there are clear peaks for card selling. Christmas, Valentines and Mothers Day are always a great time to sell new designs but of course, birthday card designs always come out on top! Make sure you have some designs clearly pitched for these occasions for relatability.
- Quality materials: Invest in high-quality paper stocks and printing processes to ensure your artwork is presented to the best possible standard. Do your research to understand eco-friendly greeting card options, and if you choose them, be sure to note these on the reverse of your card.
- Consider the collection as a whole: Consider your greeting card designs not as individual artworks but as a whole collection. How do they sit next to each other visually? Are they cohesive in tone and style? Creating a well-rounded and cohesive greeting card collection is key.
Want to work with Lauren to create your own range of cards? Contact me for 1:1 mentoring options!