Greeting Card Designer

The Greeting Card Business: 101

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 14:43:00 +0000

Card Design Tips

Learn about the fundamentals of card design.

Greeting Card Sales Stats

Greeting Card Design Tips

Things to avoid in Card Design

Greeting Card Association Artist Guidelines

You know you are a greeting card designer when…

Starting a Card Business
Learn how to manufacture and sell your cards to retail stores.

How to Present Your Card Line

Test Marketing Your Card Line

Getting Your First Greeting Card Account

Getting Professional Feedback on Your Card Line

Pricing Your Cards

Pricing and Profits: The Tale of 2 Greeting Card Businesses

Good News for Indie Card Artists: New Sales Trends

Online Class: Design and Sell Your Own Cards

Starting a Card Line on Your Own

Backcopy:What to print on the back of your cards

List of Books on the Greeting Card Business

Book Review: How to Run a Greeting Card Business

Book Review: Pushing the Envelope

Setting up Card Ordering Codes

All About Envelopes

Greeting Card Quiz: How much do you know about the industry?

Ginger McCleskey, Greeting Card Rep, Talks about Trends

Greeting Card Buying Statistics

Marketing Cards
Learn how to market cards.

12 Unusual Ways To Market Your Greeting Cards

List of Trade Shows for Greeting Card & Gift Designers

How to Sell Art Through Social Media

List of Trade Magazines for Card and Gift Industry

How to Use Email to Sell Art & Get Leads

How to Sell Designs Online: Jude Maceren

Venues for Selling Greeting Cards Online

How to Find Greeting Card Sales Reps

The Handmade Card Business
Learn how to run a thriving handmade card business.

How to make a living in the Handmade Card Business

How to Set Up a Handmade Card Factory

Making Cards: Questions to Ask

Simplify Card Making for a Profit

Paying People to Make Your Cards

3 Parts of a Greeting Card

8 Advantages of the Handmade Card Business

Interview with Former Greetings etc. Editor, Kathy Krassner

Handmade Greeting Card Business Directory

Card Writing
Learn How to Write Greeting Card Sentiments.

Meet the Master of Greeting Card Writing

Audio Interview: Getting into the Greeting Card Writing Market

How Poets Can Write Greeting Card Verse

Interview with Hallmark Card Writer

Artist & Writer Submission Guidelines for Card Companies

Breaking into the Greeting Card Writing Market

How to Write Greeting Card Verse (VIDEO)

7 Mistakes Card Writers Make

Licensing Your Designs to Companies
Learn how to license your designs to publishers.

Submission Guidelines for Card Companies

How to Mail Promos of Your Designs to Card Companies

How to Organize Greeting Card Submissions

How to get Started in Art Licensing

How to Make a Good "Art Licensing Website."

How to Deal With Rejection: Tips for Card Designers

Resources on Greeting Cards and Licensing

Greeting Card Licensing Information from the UK

List of Licensing Agents in the US

Support
Learn how artists manage their time and set goals.

How to Make Time for Art

How to Start a Buddy Meeting System

How to Start an Art Licensing Support Group

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Books - The Greeting Card Business

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Start and Run a Greeting Card Business From a British author, whose country has a long history of greeting card design, she takes you step-by-step through the process of starting and running your business with lots of useful practical advice to help you, including: - Deciding what type of cards to produce - Finding your market - Dealing with printers - Copyright and licensing - Pricing and profit. Kate's note: Some specs are different (card sizes) since it is UK standards.

Greeting Card Design This volume features a vast array of fun, elegant, simple and imaginative greeting cards designed by internationally-known artists, illustrators and calligraphers. With over 300 full-color photographs of creative, popular, and inspiring greeting card designs, this invaluable sourcebook showcases the very best of what is happening in the industry today. Accompanying text explores the history of the greeting card industry and examines the major contributions from the leading innovative companies.

Where to Get Greeting Card Supplies

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Greeting Card Supplies

Here are some suppliers for greeting card manufacturers that were recommended by members of our facebook greeting card design group. Note: Company links change often. Also search for name on Google.

Cellophane Sleeves

Clear Bags

Clearbags.com

Uline

www.uline.com

has resealable clear bags in many sizes, has gifts boxes, and many other packaging products.

Cello Bags

www.cello-bags.net

(800) 791-5183

Studio Style

www.studiostyle.com

Search "Envelopes and Sleeves"

1-800-346-3063

Fine-Art World

www.fineart-world.com

Bags Unlimited

www.bagsunlimited.com

1-800-767-2247

Oakland Paper

www.oakpackaging.com

Photographers Edge

http://www.photographersedge.com/

Good site for easy DYI Cards, Packaging, display, and their catalog is an inspiration.

Amazon

Do a search for "Cello Bags."

Etsy Supplies

Do a search for "Cello Bags."

Display Equipment

Photographer's Edge

www.photographersedge.com

Many options of display from cardboard to floor spinners.

Under "Accessories and Supplies."

Clear Displays

http://cleardisplays.com

Beautiful clear display of all sizes.

Agronaut Displays

http://argonautpress.com/

Amazon

Search for "Card Display Rack."

Cardstock

Neenah Paper

neenahpaper.com

Red River Paper

www.redrivercatalog.com/

Scored cards in many sizes, envelopes, gift boxes, Great company!

Photographer's Edge

www.photographersedge.com

Amazon

Search for "Blank Card Stock."

Envelopes

Heinrich Envelope

www.heinrichenvelope.com

Envelope Mall

www.envelopemall.com

Envelopes.com

www.envelopes.com

Fancy Paper (Toronto)

http://fancypaper.ca

Art Licensing Tip: Create a greeting card from a square pattern.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 17:05:00 +0000

(Article is an excerpt from 20 Steps to Art Licensing on how to license art for greeting cards and gifts.)

Here is an example of how I converted a 7 x 7 inch piece of art into a 5 x 7 card, which was eventually licensed and published. If your art is a square pattern, select an element to be the central focus, and remove remaining details. Here is the art I started with. It is a textured background with poppy style flowers.

Then I cropped it to 5x7 and removed many of the flowers, and added a large open space for text.

I thought the white space needed to be framed, so I added a border.

I stepped back and evaluated the mood of the card. I thought it might be appropriate for a sympathy card, so I added text to express that sentiment.

Some companies don't request text because they want to write their own. But I tend to offer text anyway to help them visualize a possible message that might go with the image. Sometimes it is good to create a version of your card that is “ready to go” just in case they don't have time to write the text but need an extra card to add to a catalog.

I also tend to include optional inside text, and perhaps additional imagery, such as the following example.

Here is what the card looked like after the company published it.

They changed my font, edited the text, and adjusted the design. I think these were all great improvements. Their font feels more comforting than my playful bubbly font. Mine font would be more appropriate for birthdays or celebratory messages. Many companies evaluate cards all day, so I trust their keen sense of skill in deciding what a card should communicate before they print it.

New Greeting Card Business Resources

20 Steps to Art Licensing
Get Royalties for Designs
2nd edition 2017, 150 pages, Paperback

Get Your Cards Into Stores:
Find and Work with Sales Reps
2nd Edition, 2017 100 pages, Paperback

How to Start a Profitable Handmade Card Business

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 23:01:00 +0000

For over 15 years I ran a handmade card business with over 2,000 accounts and dozens of sales reps.

People often ask me how to make a living selling handmade cards. There is a big difference between making cards to sell in a craft market, and creating a handmade card manufacturing business. There is also a big difference between a commercially printed card business and a handmade card business. Craft cards are usually one-of-a-kind that can't always be repeated, and printed cards don't require as many supplies and hand skills as handmade.

Many designers have very different experiences in beginning a business, and here are some suggestions, of steps I took when starting out.

Step 1: Create a Handmade Card Line

Develop a line of 25-50 cards.

Make sure you are following industry standards such as: parts of a greeting card, backcopy, card codes, envelopes.

Also consider 3 basic card design tips on 3 things to avoid in a card design.

Order swatch books, envelope, paper and bag samples from suppliers.

Step 2: Get Feedback

Take cards around to local stores to get feedback. Don't try to sell them, just ask for professional advice.

Learn how to present your card line to reps or consultants.

Experiment with different designs and styles and get feedback from the Greeting Card Designer Facebook Group or professional consultants. Try to get feedback from at least 5 people or stores.

Don't rely on feedback from just friends, relatives, classmates, or anyone who doesn't work in the industry.

Communicate clearly that you want brutal honest feedback, and that you won't get your feelings hurt if they don't like them. Be ready to accept rejection and learn how to deal with rejection.

If they don't like the cards, make sure you never leave that meeting without taking notes on how you can improve the line and recommendations on what direction you might pursue.

Step 3: Refine and Adjust

Readjust your designs according to your feedback. If line needs to be completely redone, start at phase 1 again. If only minor adjustments are needed, perfect them. Expand designs you do well with, and drop cards that received negative responses.

Understand why you must manufacture on a large scale, so you can grow.

Learn about handmade card production and how to make a handmade card factory.

Think about how to simply your manufacturing.

Take the manufacturability test.

Understand your pricing and profits and what to avoid buying for your business.

Make sure your cards are profitable. If they aren't profitable, make adjustments.

Calculate your costs and see if your designs are cost effective.

Keep receipts for all your supplies.

Research suppliers and find several suppliers that carry the materials you need. Compare prices and find the most reasonable one.

Step 4: Get Your Business in Order

All of the following activities may be done earlier in the business development process, but about this time is when you need to start thinking of these things.

Get a PO Box. Unless your home address is very stable, get a Post Office Box. This will help keep your business separate from your personal life.

Get licenses. A business license is obtained in the city where the business is located The zoning license is usually obtained with your business license, in the city where the business is located.

Do you want a fictitious name? If you create a name for your business, you need to get it approved with the county clerk.

Get a resale license so you don't have to pay sales tax on manufacturing supplies. A resale license is obtained at the State Board of Equalization.

Get a bank account. Open a checking account for your business, separate from your personal account.

Set up credit accounts with suppliers. Submit your resale number with suppliers you think you will be ordering from. Apply for a credit line.

Research Stores. Start searching for the types of stores that you feel your cards will do well in. Collect their names and addresses on index cards or a database.

Create a one page business plan. Make an outline of how much money you plan to spend and how much income you hope to make for the first 6 months.

Talk to a lawyer. Find a lawyer that will answer basic questions about copyrights, and protecting your designs.

Step 5: Get Your Paperwork in Order

Design a logo and create stationery letterhead. Include your business name, your mailing and shipping addresses, a telephone number and a one line slogan of your card line. An example of a description might be: "Greeting cards for a New Age" or "Handmade cards with a touch of humor".

Design a simple brochure that can be put into a loose leaf binder. Create an inexpensive brochure with all your card designs. Include a price sheet and ordering information.

Decide what stores you will approach first. Clarify specifically what stores you will approach and be prepared to sell.

Make sample deck. Prepare your sample deck with codes and prices per dozen/half dozen on the back.

Print or buy invoices, mailing labels. Order invoices and mailing labels with your business name, address and phone number on them.

Set up your books. Keep track of your supplier names and addresses, expenses, income, what cards sold per month, and any other information you need to refer to.

Create a bill. Design a simple form for billing labelled "Overdue Notice". You will have to remind stores when their 30 days are up, in case they forget to pay on time.

Step 6: Practicing Selling on a small scale

Make sure you have all your manufacturing supplies for at least sales of at least 2,000 cards.

Familiarize yourself with local sales trends and what kinds of card people buy. Sell cards to at least 5-10 stores in your community and learn the lifecycle of a card sale. You will also learn what your top sellers are, which will help you plan your card line for the future.

Get shipping boxes. If you are on a shoestring budget, find stores that throw out small boxes (make sure they have not had food in them) and start collecting them. Otherwise find a local supplier. You can order free priority tape, mailing labels and boxes from the post office, and they will also pick up your packages for free at your doorstep when you register online. Once your business picks up, you may want to investigate other shippers such as UPS and FEDEX.

Go around to local stores and try to sell your cards. Set a goal to get at least 10 accounts.

Step 7: Find Reps

Collect rep contacts. Before actually contacting reps, start collecting their names and territories, so you can contact them later.

Make sure you are ready for a rep.

Contact reps. Once you have determined that stores are buying and reordering your cards, you may be ready to contact reps.

Learn how to work with a rep and set up rep paperwork. Set aside a file folder for each rep. Keep records of your correspondence, commissions paid, commissions due, pre-printed labels of their mailing address (you use these a lot!).

Step 8: Prepare to Grow

Make sure you are ready to grow and that your suppliers are dependable. Are you able to order larger quantities? Do you need to readjust your line of credit? Can you manufacturer two, three or four times as many cards? Stock up on emergency supplies that are hard to find.

Evaluate workspace. Set up your workspace for assembly line work. Determine where you will store large amounts of supplies and how you will organize and label different boxes of cards.

Investigate or invest in computerized record keeping. Evaluate record keeping programs such as Quickbooks. Look for programs that track inventory and commissions. Take a class at a local adult school and see which program you like.

Design new cards every three months. Get into the pace of putting new cards out in the market about every three or four months.

Promote your line through industry publications and websites and learn the mistakes artists make when they send press releases.

See errors or bad links? email Greeting Card Designer Blog.

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Books on The Greeting Card Business

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Pushing the Envelope Things the small greeting card manufacturer needs to know about finding, recruiting and retaining a winning sales force can be found in this easy-to-read handbook. Written from both the manufacturer and sales rep perspectives, this nuts and bolts guide is full of industry information, sales tips and guidance for building successful and profitable rep relationships. Kate's Note: This book was written by my top selling sales rep in the country.

Should you license or self-publish your designs?

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 18:23:00 +0000

A lot of card designers ask me this question. Based on my experience of self-publishing for 15 years and licensing for about 5 years, I can say they are completely different ways of working in the greeting card industry. Here are the main differences I've found between the two. My opinion comes from running a full-time, self-supporting business in both industries.

Studio Space
The amount of space you need to run your own self-publishing business is dramatically larger than licensing. When you manufacture cards you need a large space for storage, packing, shipping and possible staffing. In licensing, at bare minimum, all you really need is a computer for sending digital images.

Decisions Over What Gets Published
When you self-publish, you have complete control over what gets published. If you want to create edgy, bohemian cards, you can do it. It is easy to design, print and sell a new design in as little as 2 weeks. If you try to license those same designs, you might not be able to get a publisher to take a chance them, especially if the topics are controversial. Also it might be 18 months before the card ends up on store shelves.

Costs
When you manufacture cards you take a financial risk. It’s possible you could spend several thousand dollars printing your own designs and not be able to sell them (that’s why you should start small with local stores), whereas in licensing there are very few costs other than buying a computer and a graphics program (which you probably already have). I do not count trade shows and advertising as an expense because I have not found them to be a very significant factor for success in either businesses.

Time Investment
Manufacturing cards is very time consuming. If you are successful, you will find most of your days involve the movement of card stock and packing boxes. In the evenings you will probably be doing paperwork, paying reps, tracking orders and other details. Also, employees, sales reps and stores depend on you, so you can’t just stop working and take a spontaneous vacation. In Licensing, you can work as much or little as you want, but the less you work, the less you will make. Also, when you submit cards for licensing, you don't know how many will be selected, so you may spend time creating several designs that are never published.

Income
I found self-publishing to be a more profitable and reliable income, mostly because I could respond to trends and steer the direction of my business. For example, the odds of my cards selling good one day in 2,000 stores, and then suddenly failing the next day was pretty slim. I could rely on those accounts, and I could add sales reps slowly as my business expanded. In licensing, an artists does not have control over what gets published or how long cards will stay on store shelves. Therefore, it is hard to predict income. The upside is that it is satisfying to create one piece of art and continue to get royalties from it several months or years later.

What is your experience licensing or self-publishing? Share your comments below or on the Greeting Card Designer Facebook Group.

Art Licensing Book

Getting a Job at a Greeting Card Company (updated 2017)

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 05:00:00 +0000

Where to Find Jobs in the Greeting Card and Gift Design Industry

Below are a list of specialty greeting card and gift companies who hire Art Director, Art Assistant, Associate Editor, Illustrator, Designer, Graphic Artist, Creative Specialist and other creative positions.

Check the employment links for continual updates.

Note: Company links change often. Check their home page for employment information.

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American Greetings
http://corporate.americangreetings.com/careers/whoweare.html
or go to homepage http://corporate.americangreetings.com/ and select "careers."
Greeting cards and gifts

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Hallmark
https://careers.hallmark.com/?utm_source=careersite
or go to homepage http://www.hallmark.com/ and select "careers" under "opportunities."
Greeting cards and gifts

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Papyrus
http://www.papyrusonline.com/about-papyrus/employment
or go to homepage http://www.papyrusonline.com/ and select "about us" and "employment."
Greeting cards and gifts

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DaySpring
http://about.dayspring.com/corporate/employment/
or go to homepage http://www.dayspring.com/ and select "about DaySpring" and "employment."
Religious greeting cards and gifts

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Leanin' Tree
http://www.leanintree.com/jobs.html
or go to homepage http://www.leanintree.com/ and select "employment."
Greeting cards and gifts

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Minted
http://www.minted.com/jobs
or go to homepage http://www.minted.com
Online greeting cards and gifts

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Chronicle Books
http://www.chroniclebooks.com/jobs
or go to homepage http://www.chroniclebooks.com/
Greeting cards and gifts

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Kathy Davis Studios
http://kathydavis.com/careers/
or go to homepage http://kathydavis.com/
Greeting cards and gifts

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Andrews McMeel Universal
http://www.amuniversal.com/amu/AMU_Careers.htm
or go to homepage http://www.amuniversal.com/index/
Greeting cards and gifts

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Design Design
https://www.designdesign.us/webforms/index/index/id/11/
or go to homepage https://www.designdesign.us/
Greeting cards and gifts

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Avanti Press
http://www.avantipress.com/get-in-touch/careers
or go to homepage http://www.avantipress.com/
Greeting cards and gifts

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Paper Source
http://www.papersource.com/about/jobs.html
or go to homepage http://www.papersource.com/
Greeting cards and gifts

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Lang
http://thelangcompanies.com/careers/
or go to homepage http://www.lang.com/
Greeting cards and gifts

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Moo
https://www.moo.com/us/about/jobs.html
or go to homepage https://www.moo.com/us/
Online card, stationery and business cards

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Job Posts from ECard Companies Who Make Greeting Card Apps

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Touchnote
https://www.touchnote.com/#/info/jobs
or go to homepage: https://www.touchnote.com/#/home
Greeting Card App

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Someecards
or go to homepage: http://www.someecards.com/page/jobs
http://www.someecards.com/
Greeting Card App

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Ink Cards

or go to homepage: https://sincerely.com/about#jobs

https://sincerely.com/ink

Greeting Card App

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Hallmark eCards

http://hallmarklabs.theresumator.com/

or go to homepage: https://www.hallmarkecards.com/

Greeting Card App

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Books on Developing a Design Career

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Burn Your Portfolio: Stuff they don't teach you in design school, but shouldMichael Janda, owner of the Utah-based design firm Riser, uses humor to dispense nugget after nugget of hard-won advice collected over the last decade from the personal successes and failures he has faced running his own agency. In this surprisingly funny, but incredibly practical advice guide, Janda's advice on teamwork and collaboration, relationship building, managing clients, bidding work, production processes, and more will resonate with creative professionals of all stripes.

The Essential Guide to Business for Artists and Designers
A book for artists, makers, designers, and photographers looking to set up and establish an arts practice or design business within the visual arts and creative industries and who want to learn aspects of setting up and growing a profitable enterprise such as:Building successful negotiation tactics, Promoting social media presence, Legal, tax and intellectual property issues, Setting up a website and Looking at future trends.

Artist's Graphic Designer's Market
For people who want to expand a career in fine art, illustration, or design. The Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market a reference guide to help develop their careers and navigate the changing business landscape. It introduces a whole host of new features and guarantees the most up-to-date, individually verified market contacts possible.

ART/WORK: Everything You Need to Know (and Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career

In addition to drawing on their own experiences, Bhandari and Melber interviewed nearly one hundred curators, dealers, and other arts professionals, in cities across the country, about what they expect from and look for in artists. The authors also talked to a host of artists about their careers and the lessons they've learned navigating the art world. The book is full of their entertaining anecdotes and candid advice.

Art, Inc.: The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist Learn how to: Set actionable goals • Diversify your income • Manage your bookkeeping • Copyright your work • Promote with social media • Build a standout website • Exhibit with galleries • Sell and price your work • License your art • Acquire an agent

Books for Card Designers

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Most of these books I own and recommend for learning about the card business. Some are out of print, but used copies can be found online. They cover themes such as starting a card business, writing text, designing cards, technical skills, copyrights and marketing your work.

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The Greeting Card Business

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Get Your Greeting Cards Into Stores: How to Find and Work With Sales Reps (Updated 2017 paperback) If you like to make greeting cards, this book explains how to get your cards into stores and sell them nationwide. Learn about changing trends in the indie card market and niche opportunities available for artists. Book includes detailed guidelines on pricing cards for a profit, getting professional feedback on your designs, finding sales representatives, pitching your card line to them, approaching stores, and the industry standards you should follow. Information is also applicable to gift items, such as magnets, journals and calendars.

Start and Run a Greeting Card Business From a British author, whose country has a long history of greeting card design, she takes you step-by-step through the process of starting and running your business with lots of useful practical advice to help you, including: - Deciding what type of cards to produce - Finding your market - Dealing with printers - Copyright and licensing - Pricing and profit. Kate's note: Some specs are different (card sizes) since it is UK standards.

Greeting Card Design This volume features a vast array of fun, elegant, simple and imaginative greeting cards designed by internationally-known artists, illustrators and calligraphers. With over 300 full-color photographs of creative, popular, and inspiring greeting card designs, this invaluable sourcebook showcases the very best of what is happening in the industry today. Accompanying text explores the history of the greeting card industry and examines the major contributions from the leading innovative companies.

Pushing the Envelope Things the small greeting card manufacturer needs to know about finding, recruiting and retaining a winning sales force can be found in this easy-to-read handbook. Written from both the manufacturer and sales rep perspectives, this nuts and bolts guide is full of industry information, sales tips and guidance for building successful and profitable rep relationships. Kate's Note: This book was written by my top selling sales rep in the country.

Greeting Card Design and Illustration 12 step-by-step demonstrations show how to create successful greeting cards Samples of 130 actual greeting cards Twelve step-by-step demonstrations by professional greeting card artists show you how to combine basic illustration techniques with the eight most popular mediums. This art technique book is a comprehensive and practical guide to all aspects of designing and creating professional greeting cards.Samples of 130 actual greeting cards.leads you through every stage of the design process.

Painting Greeting Cards for Fun and Profit The author and a group of other successful greeting card artists offer friendly and practical business advice on all aspects of producing, publishing, pricing, packaging and marketing greeting cards

By the Batch Innovative new ideas for creating fabulous cards (and envelopes, tags, and bookmarks) in batches, with impressive results. The wide range of techniques presented includes everything from the tried and true (rubber stamping) to the unexpected (polymer clay), from the spontaneous (smudge-and-smear) to the whimsical (shaped cards). And author Judi Kauffman shows precisely how to put pedal to the metal and create whole batches of cards in just one sitting. Kate's Note: See my book review here with photos and information.

Mary Engelbreit: The Art and the Artist This book is about her path into art licensing and greeting card design. She is now a successful licensor, her career spans over decades, and she was awarded "best art license of the year" by LIMA. Kate’s Note: See my book review on "7 things I learned from Mary". This book is one of the more encouraging and practical books I've read in awhile. She confirmed my inherent belief that if someone tries to impose rules and prerequisites on entering this career, someone else will come along, break all the rules, and become successful.

The Very Best from Hallmark: Greeting Cards Through the Years. This collection of 750 of Hallmark's best takes readers through seven decades of birthdays, births, trips, holidays, get well wishes, graduations, and more. The story of this remarkable company is as fascinating as the cards.

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Licensing Art - Selling Designs for Royalties

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License to Draw is a fresh new perspective on monetizing your creative pursuits, reflecting changes in the market and more ways to make money with your art. Successful artist and writer Ronnie Walter has has written a detailed handbook that includes how to figure out what kind of artist you are, how to develop the right presentation for the right clients and an in-depth look at the essentials of a good contract. Written in a friendly and readable style, you'll find inspiration, motivation and a step by step explanation of how to dive into art licensing.

20 Steps to Art Licensing: How to Sell Your Designs to Card and Gift Companies A booklet on how to license your art to companies that publish greeting cards, and manufacture coffee mugs, magnets, wall hangings, kitchen items, and dozens of other gift items. This booklet covers 20 basic steps from how to prepare your art, to what companies to contact. It includes topics on: How to find agents, classes and what trade shows to attend. There are extensive resources on social media, licensing community groups, copyrights, and lists of interviews with professional designers.

Licensing Art 101, Publishing and Licensing Your Artwork for ProfitThis comprehensive handbook guides readers step-by-step through the licensing and publishing industry. It contains a wealth of ideas and practical examples of how to increase income through licensing reproduction rights to manufacturers and publishers of greeting cards, posters, calendars, and more. This book provides assistance from an expert, allowing readers to educate themselves and gain a competitive edge. Readers learn about: negotiating fees, exhibiting in trade shows, protecting their rights, and more. Over three hundred professional contacts are listed.

Licensing Art and Design: A Professional's Guide to Licensing and Royalty Agreements This text shows the designer, illustrator, photographer or fine artist how to increase income by licensing creative images. Coverage includes: copyright, patent and trademark law; licensing agreements; maximizing royalties; negotiation checklists; model agreements; finding manufacturers; and licensing in cyberspace.

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Writing Greeting Card Text

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You Can Write Greeting Cards This hands-on guide features practical instruction and exercises that teach beginners how to survey the market, find their niche, and write greetings cards that say just the right thing. Kate's Note: See my interview with the author here.

7 Mistakes Greeting Card Writers Make Booklet on common mistakes greeting card writers make and what to avoid when submitting greeting card verse to publishers. Today, greeting card publishers are shying away from traditional stereotypes, and may even include pets as family members. This article talks about how to create a trendy card that reflects the contemporary world we live in, and how to use our own personal experiences to create great card verse. Topics include: how to avoid limiting the market of who could buy your card, when to use adjectives, how not to creating card for enemies, how to write like people talk and a list of why card sentiment submissions are often rejected. The good news is you can increase your odds of success by 60% by doing a few simple things. BONUS: Includes a list of card publishers and their guidelines, links to writer interviews, and exercises for creating good verse.

The Freelance Writing for Greeting Card Companies This book targets important areas a writer needs to know in regards to being self-employed, as well as, how to own a small greeting card business. It covers Internet to explore the technology which has opened the door for freelance writers and artists. You will find web sites that will offer a variety of freelance writers opportunities never before known or unreachable outside the Internet world such as: chat rooms, bulletin boards, or forums so writers can communicate with other writers. This type of networking is ideal for finding answers or obtaining valuable information about a company, organizations, writing groups, and available resources.

How to Write and Sell Greeting Cards, Bumper Stickers, T-Shirts and Other Fun Stuff A successful freelancer shares her years of experience and advice in writing for the "social expression market".

Finding the Right Words: Perfect Phrases to Personalize Your Greeting Cards More than three dozen ways to say "Happy Birthday” for new family members...even pets. Includes thoughtful condolences for personalizing sympathy cards and congratulatory wishes for weddings and anniversaries. There are helpful hints to simplify card-sending and a monthly calendar for birthdays and anniversaries. This is a book of phrases for all occasions.

Write Greeting Cards Like a Pro Moore knows the ins and outs of the greeting card business. In this hands-on guide, she offers practical instruction, idea joggers, and exercises that will teach you how to survey the market, find your niche, and write greeting cards that say just the right thing. From humor to inspirational writing, Moore profiles the special needs of each greeting card category and also shows you how to spot new trends, so you can write the cards
publishers are seeking today.

Thinking of You: A Card Greeting for Every Occasion This little books helps to jump start your thinking to make messages for cards.

A Guide to Greeting Card Writing All forms are discussed in detail: conventional verse and prose, personal relationship cards, humor, juvenile, inspirational, etc. Detailed info on how to submit and sell your work to greeting card markets. All the nuts and bolts of both the creative art and the publishing market.

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Card Making Ideas

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The Complete Photo Guide to Cardmaking This book includes step-by-step photographed instructions for a wide range of techniques, as well as projects to accompany each area of card making. All paper-crafting techniques that can be employed for card making are thoroughly covered, including a comprehensive description of paper types available, folding options and techniques, coloring and image transfer methods, and adding embellishments. Inside, you'll also find methods for using a computer to design and print cards. More than 80 projects give you lots of ideas and inspiration to create cards of your own, using the techniques you've learned. Unique envelope templates and a helpful source list are included.

The Encyclopedia of Greeting Card Tools & Techniques Featuring hundreds of handmade cards from leading artists, plus step-by-step photographs of key skills.Sidebars on today's most creative card makers showcase their areas of expertise, from Dee Gruenig's rubber-stamp designs to Alli Bartkowski's quilling.

Start with a Scan A guide on how to transform raw, scanned images into attractive, finished illustrations. Filled with hundreds of illustrations, it starts by covering the technical basics of scanning, and provides the information needed to get images out of the computer and onto the printed page. The rest of the book shows how to scan almost anything (burlap, clip art, family photographs, found objects) to create a quality piece of artwork. Learn how to create textures and backgrounds, transform photos into graphics, and work with type. Two chapters discuss scanning images for the Web and using scanned images in arts and crafts projects. Book is a resource for scanner users who want to focus on illustrative techniques rather than technical issues.

Creative Lettering: Techniques and Tips from Top Artists

Sixteen calligraphers, painters, collagists, card makers, fiber artists, and graphic designers—give their personal perspectives on lettering. They all offer their favorite tools, how they use them, their signature technique with step-by-step instructions and photos, and an alphabet sampler of their own font.

Uncommon Cards: Stationery Made with Found Treasures, Recycled Objects, and a Little Imagination

This DIY guide contains eight sheets of cardstock and basic stitch patterns that can be completed with nothing more than a needle and thread, either by hand or machine, transforming a blank card into a whimsical, inspired, one-of-a-kind design. The perfect expression for birthdays, graduations, or a simple thinking- of-you note, each design incorporates inexpensive and easy to find household items such as strips of fabric, brightly colored plastics, handmade stamps, and more.

The Print Making Book: Projects and Techniques in the Art of Hand-Printing

Techniques include relief-, screen- and mono- printing – all using tools and materials that are easy to source and use at home in your kitchen, bathroom, or garden. There are easy-to-use templates, step-by-step illustrations, and full-color photography throughout.

Clean and Simple Cards: Celebrate the Basics of Design Theory

More than 45 card designs are provided, with full instructions and close-ups that display card details, and the book includes source lists for recommended supplies to replicate the designs at home. The uncomplicated projects make the book suitable for beginners, and more advanced crafters will appreciate the outline of design theory that enriches their existing card-making experience. The basic tools and techniques of card creation are also covered, from stamping to hand-coloring.

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Marketing Your Cards and Designs

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Unusual Ways to Market Your Greeting Cards and 22 Places to Get Your Designs FeaturedA booklet on how to get your cards noticed in non-traditional ways. Everything from why you should send cards to your dentist, to how to get special features in national publications. Great tips for designers who are starting out and want to get their cards into the hands of people beyond friends and family. Special Section: Submissions guidelines and contacts for 22 Gift Industry publications and professional gift industry blogs that seek out new greeting card designs to feature for free.

Selling Art Online The Creative Guide to Turning Your Artistic Work into Cash Selling Art Online shows you several ways you can take your art, and be a creative entrepreneur. For an illustrator, artist, designer, photographer or any variety of visual creator. It gives you tools to do more with the work you have, providing you new opportunity for more revenue and exposure.

Straight Advice: How to Market Art Online Now Barney Davey has 30 years of experience helping artists get their work to market. Topics include: How to Market Art Online, Marketing Art Online, Understanding The Value of a, Customer Persona, Websites for Artists, E-Commerce, Domain, Names, Email Marketing for Artists, Marketing Automation, Blogging and Social Media.

The Essential Guide to Business for Artists and Designers This book is for artists, makers, designers, and photographers looking to set up and establish an arts practice or design business.Topics include: Building networks and successful negotiation tactics, Promoting an engaging social media presence, Business planning and money management, Overview of legal, tax and intellectual property issues, Setting up a website and trading online, Exploiting innovation and future trends.

Burn Your Portfolio: Stuff they don't teach you in design school, but should. Michael Janda, owner of the Utah-based design firm Riser, uses humor to dispense nugget after nugget of hard-won advice collected over the last decade from the personal successes and failures he has faced running his own agency. In this surprisingly funny, but incredibly practical advice guide, Janda's advice on teamwork and collaboration, relationship building, managing clients, bidding work, production processes, and more will resonate with creative professionals of all stripes.

Artist's Graphic Designer's Market For people who want to expand a career in fine art, illustration, or design. The Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market a reference guide to help develop their careers and navigate the changing business landscape. It introduces a whole host of new features and guarantees the most up-to-date, individually verified market contacts possible.

Etsy Excellence: The Simple Guide to Creating a Thriving Etsy Business In this book, top Etsy sellers share the tools that have helped them, the changes they made o get better results, and their advice for achieving and sustaining a successful Etsy shop. Topics include: Photograph your products for maximum appeal, Create a unique Etsy shop that stands out, Write winning product descriptions, Price your goods appropriately, Market your products effectively on social media platforms, Maintain lasting relationships with your Etsy customers, Diversify your Etsy product offerings.

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Legal

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The Copyright Zone: A Legal Guide For Photographers and Artists In The Digital Age If you license or publish images, this guide is as indispensable as your camera. It provides specific information on the legal rights of photographers, illustrators, artists, covering intellectual property, copyright, and business concerns in an easy-to-read, accessible manner. The Copyright Zone, Second Edition covers: what is and isn’t copyrightable, copyright registration, fair use, model releases, contracts and invoices, pricing and negotiation, and much more.

Legal Guide for the Visual Artist This book provides legal guidance for any visual artist involved with creative work. Topics covered: developments in copyright, artists in artist-gallery relationships, First Amendment protections for graffiti art and the sale of art in public spaces, cases dealing with art and privacy, model contract for Web site design. The book also covers copyrights, moral rights, contracts, licensing, sales, special risks and protections for art and artists, book publishing, video and multimedia works, leases, taxation, estate planning, museums, collecting, grants, and how to find the best professional advisers and attorneys. In addition, the book teaches strategies for negotiation, gives information to help with further action, contains many sample legal forms and contracts, and shows how to locate artists' groups and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts organizations.

Would you lose all your art if your computer was stolen today?

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 14:33:00 +0000

This could have been an artist's letter.

Just like a parent would be alarmed if they found out their child was not wearing a seat belt, I often have been alarmed when I find out a designer does not have an online backup system of their art.

If your digital art is irreplaceable, then you really need to get an online storage system because it is in a different location from your computer. External hard drives that you plug into your computer are not sufficient, because they can be damaged in a fire or stolen.

I spent a whole weekend working on a piece of art and realized the next day I accidentally lost it! That is like getting a punch in the stomach. It feels like you need to have trauma counseling.

Luckily I realized my offline backup system would allow me to go back to a specific time period and retrieve the file ("versioning" ). I could pick the 2:00, 3:00 or 4:00 and day of the art in different states of development. I didn't realize that, I thought a backup only meant you could get the last copy.

There are many online backup systems to choose from. I tried Crashplan and Carbonite but ended up using Backblaze for $5 a month because it was the most user-friendly and had unlimited storage. And I like that it backs up automatically in the background so I never have to think about it.

I know many people never think they will lose their art, or that they have an external drive to store things on, but I also know artists whose computers have been stolen and hard drive crashed. It's happened to me. As one graphic designer told me "it's not if it will happen, it's when it will happen."

Artist & Writer Submission Guidelines for Card Companies

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 19:17:00 +0000

ARTIST and WRITERS GUIDELINES

Compiled and Updated by Kate Harper

Want to submit your art or writing to a greeting card company? Check out the links below for company submission guidelines.

*Note: The following information may change. For updates, look on their main website for current guidelines. At the time of this post, all companies have guidelines on their website, but that link can often change. If you see a change, contact GreetingCard Designer Blog.

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Additional Companies Who License for Gifts and Housewares:

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Artaissance
http://www.artthatfits.com
Guidelines:

http://www.artthatfits.com/art/ForArtists.aspx

Art in Motion
http://www.artinmotion.com/
Guidelines:

http://www.artinmotion.com/Content/Detail/SubmitYourArt

Arts Uniq'
http://artsuniq.com
Guidelines:

http://artsuniq.com/guidelines.asp

The Art Group

http://www.artgroup.com
Guidelines:

http://www.artgroup.com/artist-services/submit-art/

Ad-Lines

http://www.ad-lines.com
Fill Out form: http://www.ad-lines.com/

Andrews McMeel

http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/
Guidelines:

http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/submissions.html#_submissions

Brown Trout publishers

http://www.browntrout.com
Guidelines:

http://www.browntrout.com/submissions

Barrington Studios

http://barringtonstudiosltd.com
Guidelines:

http://barringtonstudiosltd.com/bsl/submission.html

Bentley Publishing Group
http://www.bentleyglobalarts.com
Guidelines:

http://www.bentleyglobalarts.com/home/submissions

Bottman Design

http://bottman.com
http://bottman.com/contact

Bonartique

http://www.bonartique.com

Canadian Art Prints
http://www.canadianartprints.com
Guidelines:

http://capandwinndevon.com/licensing/licensing-for-artists/

Chronicle Books
http://www.chroniclebooks.com
Guidelines:

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/our-company/submissions/adult-trade

Cape Shore

http://www.cape-shore.com
Guidelines:

https://www.cape-shore.com/artist-submissions

Carpentree
http://carpentree.com

Daisy Company

http://www.daisiecompany.com/

Decal Girl

http://www.decalgirl.com
Guidelines:

https://www.decalgirl.com/workwithus/licensing/

Design Ideas

http://www.designideas.net
Guidelines:

https://www.designideas.net/Work-with-Us/

Editions Limited
http://www.editionslimited.com
Guidelines:

http://www.editionslimited.com/submitart.asp

Elsa L

http://www2.elsal.com
Guidelines:
Look under Contact Tab/Art Submissions

Fiddlers Elbow

http://www.fiddlerselbow.com
Guidelines: licensing@fiddlerselbow.com

Gelaskins

http://www.gelaskins.com
Guidelines:
https://www.gelaskins.com/pages/faq

Galaxy of Graphics

http://www.galaxyofgraphics.com
Guidelines:

http://www.galaxyofgraphics.com/submit.php

Garven

http://garvenllc.com

(See contact page for "freelance art" submissions.)

Graphique de France

http://www.graphiquedefrance.com

(Scroll to bottom of page to "Art Submissions")

Gift Wrap Company

http://www.giftwrapcompany.com/
Guidelines:
https://www.giftwrapcompany.com/about-us/

Gallison/Mudpuppy
http://www.galison.com
Guidelines:

http://www.galison.com/About-GalisonMudpuppy-W7C0.aspx

Hollins Gifts
http://hollinsgifts.com
Guidelines:

http://hollinsgifts.com/artist-submission/

Hay House
http://www.hayhouse.com
Guidelines:

http://www.hayhouse.com/artwork_submissions.php

Icon Shoes
http://www.iconshoes.com
Guidelines:

http://www.iconshoes.com/faqs.asp

(Scroll down to "how are images selected")

Kurtovich
http://kurtovich.com
Guidelines:

http://kurtovich.com/contact-details/

email art samples to kevin@kkprod.co.nz for approval, and they present to buyers.

The Lang Company
http://www.lang.com
Guidelines:

http://www.lang.com/frequently_asked_questions#g2

(Scroll down to "Art Submissions")

Leisure Arts

http://leisurearts.com
Guidelines:

http://www.leisurearts.com/design-submission-guide/

Masterpiece Puzzles
http://www.masterpiecesinc.com
Guidelines:

http://www.masterpiecesinc.com/AboutUs/ArtistSubmissions.aspx

Moda Fabric
http://www.unitednotions.com
Submit to:

cfreydberg@unitednotions.com

Meadwestvaco

http://www.mead.com
Guidelines:

http://www.mead.com/mead/faq
(Scroll down to "General questions")

Nouvelles Images
http://www.nouvellesimages.com
Guidelines:

http://www.nouvellesimages.com/artists-79.html

Oopsy Daisy
http://www.oopsydaisy.com
Submit to: artist@oopsydaisy.com

Phoenix Trading
https://www.phoenix-trading.co.uk

http://www.phoenix-trading.co.uk/web/corp

Pine Ridge Art
https://www.pineridgeart.com
Guidelines:

https://www.pineridgeart.com/generic.htm?ecinfo=faq

(Scroll down to "General FAQ.")

Plaid Craft
http://www.pgrahamdunn.com
Guidelines:

http://plaidonline.com/ideas/default.aspx

Peter Pauper Press
http://www.peterpauper.com
Guidelines:

http://www.peterpauper.com/submission.php

Robert Kaufman
http://www.robertkaufman.com
Guidelines:

http://www.robertkaufman.com/artwork/

SunsOut, Inc.

http://www.sunsout.com
Guidelines:

http://www.sunsout.com/contact-us/
(See Product Submissions Section)

Trends International

http://www.trendsinternational.com
Guidelines:

https://trendsinternational.com/artwork-submission/

Toland Home Garden

http://www.tolandhomegarden.com
Guidelines:

http://www.tolandhomegarden.com/Scripts/PublicSite/?template=contact_thg

Unicorn Graphics
http://www.unicorngraphics.com
Guidelines:

http://www.unicorngraphics.com/unicorn/submission.asp

US Games

http://www.usgamesinc.com
Guidelines:

http://www.usgamesinc.com/pages.php?pageid=11

Warner Press
http://www.warnerpress.org
Guidelines:

http://www.warnerpress.org/custom.aspx?id=3

York Wallcoverings
http://www.yorkwall.com
Guidelines:

http://www.yorkwall.com/static/other/contact

(Fill out form and select "art submission inquiry" and you will receive a pdf.)

See an Error? Dead Link? Contact Kate

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The Greeting Card Business

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Dealing With Rejection: Tips for Card Designers

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 03:48:00 +0000

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Dealing With Rejection (Part 1 of 5)

You've decided to start a card business and you've been working on designs for six weeks. Your friends love them. Your mom loves them. Your coworkers love them. You think they'll be hot sellers.

In your car, on the way to the printer, you decide to stop by the local card store to show them to Sally, the owner.

With a smile, you pull out your cards and wait for Sally's reaction….but slowly, like a candle melting in Death Valley, you can see it in her face... she doesn't like them.

Your heart hits the ground as she tells you what all the problems are, but you don’t hear anything because your stomach hurts, even though she continues to give you great advice for the next 10 minutes.

Rejection hurts. You slowly wrap up the cards, put them back in your bag, and decide on the spot you want to go back to school and become a radiology technician.

WAIT....STOP! REWIND this story. What happened here?
This isn't a story about rejection. This is a story about an artist who doesn’t know what to do when their designs are rejected.

Book on strategies.

Remember, rejection is not a bad thing. It's a great opportunity to learn from an expert!

Most professionals in the card industry are happy to help artists who are willing to adjust and try new things. Ask Sally what your next step should be. Just like envelopes and paper are part of the card business, so is rejection.

Your goal in card design, is to get emotionally close to your customer. Rejection by a store can help you steer your art towards knowing your customer. Just make sure you never leave a meeting without a notebook full of advice. Find out WHY you were rejected. Otherwise, rejection will only be experienced as something negative.

In the story above, imagine what would've happened if the artist just drove to the printer first, and not the card store? Not only would she experience rejection, but she also would have lost money by printing a poor design! This artist was really smart to seek out professional advice, and not just limit it to family and friends.

I experienced similar feelings when I started my business. My first two card lines were rejected, but I went on to try a third, a forth and a fifth, a sixth, most of which were successful. Store buyers were even willing to meet with me after hours and help me. The more I tried, the better things got.

If you are ready to give up and go to radiology school, first stop and ask yourself these ten questions below, so you can learn how to deal with rejection in a more rational way.

10 Questions to ask when you're Rejected
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Part 1
Introduction

Part 2
Tip 1: Are you approaching the right market?
Tip 2: Are you trying to sell handmade cards to a drugstore chain, or in a rural area?
Tip 3: Did you get feedback on "why not"?

Part 3
Tip 4: Is this just one person's opinion?
Tip 5: Are you taking rejection personally?
Tip 6: Are you willing to make adjustments?

Part 4
Tip 7: Have you thought about luck and timing?
Tip 8: Are you making weekly goals?
Tip 9: Are you in the waiting phase?

Part 5
Tip 10: Who in your life really wants you to succeed?

What kind of Greeting Cards do People Buy?

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 18:16:00 +0000

I asked Meryl Hooker some questions about the retail scene and what artists should know about greeting card trends.

She has worked with many independent card designers as a greeting card sales rep, won several awards for her sales skills and has a special talent of pinpointing what people want. When I worked with her, she was often my top selling rep.

She is now the card and gift buyer at Pulp, a trendy store in Washington DC. (more bio below).

What do customers want these days?

One thing I see every day is that people still want, and actively seek out contemporary items that reflect who they are. We have a national drugstore chain one block away from the store and people could choose to get their cards there, but they come to Pulp instead. That says something to me about the quality of product and aesthetic our customer base is willing to pay for.

Going from a manufacturer's sales reps to a greeting card buyer at a store, my plot point has moved and I'm closer to the customer than I was. I am exposed to vast amounts of raw, uncensored data every day in terms of what customers want, think, and are willing to spend.

For the independent card designer, what do you think they should pay attention to? What should they stay away from?

My best advice for independent card designers is:

Build the strongest, most cohesive, sellable line you can.
Create a strong collection of birthday, thank you, sympathy, wedding and baby cards.
Blank cards still have legs provided the designs are strong.
Learn how to run a business and understand it is, first and foremost, a business.
Learn about the industry from both the creative and retail side.
Ship on time.
Be professional and easy to work with.
Stick with a traditional 5x7 size and stay away from square cards.

I recently interviewed six stores who sell handmade cards and they all said card sales have increased over the last 2 years What do you attribute this to?

People have an innate need to connect with other people. As sexy and convenient as social platforms are, ultimately, they lack human warmth. You can't send a text to the birthday boy at the party when you hand him the gift and even in our practically etiquetteless society, you still can't email your condolences.

At the end of the day, each of us wants to feel connected to other people and just the right card can express how we feel. No matter how tech savvy any of us is or becomes, we can't get away from that basic need.
The primary thing I've noticed is how much paper we still sell at Pulp. Cards have always been a key category and I'm really happy to say it continues to be true. I've seen so many independently owned stores move away from greeting cards as a major category in favor of gift items so I was pleasantly surprised to see that cards are still cranking at our registers.

As a buyer, what are the important things you look for, when selecting cards for the store?

I am primarily looking for a solid lines that will meet the needs of my customers in terms of purpose, price and design. Every card on my shelves must pass the "why would someone send this card?" test. The price has to be consistent with the type and quality of the card and, most importantly, the design has to fit in with the Pulp brand. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of card lines that I personally love but will not bring into the store because they aren't the right fit. Believe me, it's hard to turn so many brilliant companies away, but the business manager side of my job has the final say over the creative, artistic buying side.

MORE ABOUT MERYL

Meryl Hooker is an independent business development expert dedicated to helping locally owned businesses thrive in a big box world. She is an internationally recognized speaker, consultant and writer currently serving as the General Manager & Buyer at PULP in Washington, DC. In 2012, Meryl retired after nearly 15 years of serving as a Mid-Atlantic sales representative for greeting card and gift companies.

She was a partner at Center Aisle Group and co-authored a book for the greeting card industry "Pushing the Envelope: the Small Greeting Card Manufacturer’s Guide to Working With Sales Reps" and"Showtime! The Greeting Card and Gift Company’s Guide to Trade Show Success".

A self-described sales nerd, Meryl takes great pride in the fact she’s seen the legendary rock band, KISS, 19 times – and counting—and openly credits KISS, Inc., as the model and inspiration for her business structure and success.

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The Greeting Card Business

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New "Divorce" Coloring Book

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 19:14:00 +0000

Here is a recent example of a page from my funny coloring book for women about divorce and breakups!

My Article for Huffington Post on the Creative Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 17:29:00 +0000

I wanted to share an article I wrote for the Huffington Post on the creative journey. Read entire article here.

Designing T-shirt

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 21:10:00 +0000

Designing T-shirts are very different than designing other gift products, because you have to think of how many different colors your image will look good on. You also have to consider how the image will fall on a man, woman or child's torso.

Faith Makes Things Possible, Not Easy.

Good News for Indie Card Artists: New Sales Trends

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 03:35:00 +0000

If you publish your own cards, or design handmade cards, there are some positive trends leaning your way.

Since most sales statistics for the card industry are based on figures from large or publicly traded corporations, it is hard to know what is going on in the independent card market.

To find out what is happening in the alternative card industry, I interviewed six independently owned gift and card stores in Berkeley. I talked to ten different people and asked them what trends they are seeing in card sales. Some of the best news was that there is an increase in sales of handmade and hand-embellished cards.

Here are the notes from my interviews:

SALES TRENDS

Here are what the stores reported on sales trends:

All stores reported an increase in greeting card sales over the last two years. When I asked them to respond to negative news articles I'd read on the greeting card industry, they felt those statistics did not apply to their store.

The gift oriented stores reported that cards are a popular item in their store and customers often look at the racks.

Most stores are selling more artistic, handmade and local artist's cards.

One store manager who had a significant increase in card sales this year attributed it to "people want to touch paper again."

One stationery store reported that it was common for a customer to come to the register with $35-$40 worth of greeting cards. He said that customers will buy a lot of cards because they like a particular art style or theme (and not necessarily because they need greeting cards).

One upscale greeting card store is expanding to two local branches.

All the stores said they felt they served a completely different market than chain stores that carry greeting cards. One store reported "People who buy cards in our store take time to evaluate them. People who are just running errands or need to buy a card out of an obligation tend to buy cards in drugstore chains."

CUSTOMER TRENDS

Here are what the stores reported on customer trends:

Buyers are now willing to spend $5 per card.

Younger "hipster" buyers are coming into the market.

Two stores reported that customers will buy cards to keep and frame for inspiration.

One store reported that their customers often ask for help when selecting a card.

Some stores reported that customers ask about "the story" behind the card publisher or the artist.

One store clerk said she received special training on learning about the artists, and the different paper qualities of cards.

CARD DESIGN TRENDS

Here are what the stores reported on card design trends:

More cards are now being packaged and protected in individual cellophane bags because they are handmade or have embellishments added.

Almost every store strongly emphasized that their customers buy cards for the interesting imagery, and not for text. Text is not as important as it might have been in the past.

One store said trends are moving towards "thought-provoking" imagery. These are images that make the customer ask "what is this about?"

Here are some examples of images the stores pointed out as being good sellers:

A moose riding a bicycle.

Mute-colored, over-sized serious clown with a tiny head.

A loosely drawn ballerina with glitter sprinkled on it.

A geometric-shaped man that only covered a small edge of the card.

Green letter press card with a man's exterior head and internal ribs.

*Note: None of these cards had words on them.

Two stores reported that they make a point of encouraging customers to come up with their own text for the inside. One store specifically advises customers to search on google if they get stuck. These stores seem to prefer blank cards.

ADVICE FOR ARTISTS

I asked stores what they suggest artists do if they want to succeed in the card business today. Here are their responses:

Pay special attention to your image. It is more important today than it used to be.

Witty text isn't as necessary as it used to be. For example, leaving it blank or just saying "happy birthday" can be good enough.

Designers should create more cards that can be bought any day of the year (and not limit them to an occasion).

Artists should try to make cards that are curious and unpredictable.

If an artist is just starting out, they should focus on creating Birthday, Thank You, Valentine's day and blank cards (no words).

One store said that artists should be very careful about over-investing financially. She said some of her favorite designers did not display at a recent gift show* and she later found out they had quit the business because they couldn't afford it.

*Kate's note: Some gift show fees can range from $5,000-$8000.

CONCLUSION

While my informal survey was limited to Northern California, the responses are also consistent with the IBIS World Procurement Report on the state of the greeting card industry. This report stated that overall corporate card sales were down, but that "Areas of growth are likely small geographic areas and niches in the market."

If you are an independent designer or handmade artist, what is your experience?

Join a Community of Card Designers

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 21:23:00 +0000

Here is information on our new greeting card community group. I like the idea that someone can ask "where can I find a good printer?" and 25 people respond. I also like meeting designers and writers from all over the world, and seeing pictures of their studios.

"REALLY?!"

This is a great way to learn skills, network with colleagues, access resources, and get news from a variety of talented people in the industry.

Therefore, I have set up a private community group on Facebook, called Greeting Card Designer.

Want to find a printer? Get feedback on your art? Meet other designers? Have a laugh? Join here, introduce yourself, and post a picture of your studio!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/greetingcarddesigner/

~

Ebooks by Kate Harper

You can support this blog by ordering Kate's e-Booklets starting at only .99 cents! They can be read on your kindle, ipad, ipod, cellphone, or your computer. Lending options available. You can also view the list of all recommended greeting card books by a variety of authors.

Venues for Selling Greeting Cards Online

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 18:15:00 +0000

As the greeting card industry changes, I've noticed a dramatic expansion of cards being sold online in a variety of ways: through apps, crowdsourcing, Print-on-demand, and eStores.

These are venuse for card designers to sell cards, and others seek out submissions from designers. This list is a result of recommendations by people who have used them.

*Please note: Website links can often change. If a link does not work, do a simple search on Google for the Venue

eStores: Artist to Consumer Venues

These companies usually allow an artist to post their cards on their site and then when a customer orders, the artist makes and ships the cards.

Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/
Artist sets price and ships product. Artist pays fees for website usage and sales commission.

Lilyshop
http://www.lilyshop.com/
Artist sets price and ships product. Artist pays site a sales commission.

Bonanza
http://www.bonanza.com/
Artist sets price and ships product. Artist pays site a sales commission.

Written Cards
www.WrittenCards.com
Submission Guidelines: http://www.writtencards.com/how-it-works.html

LOL Cards
http://www.lolcard.co.uk/index.php
Submissions: http://www.lolcard.co.uk/submit-card_design.php
10% Commission.

Print on Demand Card Venues (POD)

These companies allow artists to post card designs on their website. When a customer orders, the POD company makes and ships the cards.

Greeting Card Universe
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/
Submit: http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/about/questions.asp
Artist is paid percentage of units sold.

Cafe Press
http://www.cafepress.com/
Submit: http://www.cafepress.com/uploaddesign
Artist receives profit after manufacturing cost. Some fees apply for premium memberships.

Zazzle
http://www.zazzle.com/
Submit: http://www.zazzle.com/sell
Artist receives royalty from sales. POD that sells everything you could think of. Free to set up and sell, Set your own pricing, and return policy. Had good results with very little work.

Zoggin
http://www.zoggin.com/index.php

Society6
www.society6.com
iPhone cases, tshirts, art prints, notecards, tote bags

Fine art America
www.fineartamerica.com
Allows one to sell originals or prints. You can also use their marketing services and POD.

Moo
http://us.moo.com/
Allows you to print different greeting cards on every card in the run (starts at 25)

Red Bubble
http://www.redbubble.com/

App Makers

These companies usually sell cards through apps on mobile devices. Designs are usually curated and selected by the app makers. Many companies allow the customer to write card text and pay to have it mailed, stamped and sent to the recipient. Many of the app makers also have a companion website for ordering.

Felt
http://www.feltapp.com/
Send an email to design@feltapp.com
Your email should include: 6 card designs and a short statement about why your creative genius and why Felt app is a good fit for you.

Thankster
http://www.thankster.com/
submit: http://www.thankster.com/contents/view/submit_yours

Just Wink
https://www.justwink.com/app
Submit to American Greetings http://corporate.americangreetings.com/contact.html

FStop
http://www.fstopimages.com/
License: http://www.fstopimages.com/pages/license-images/
Submit: http://www.fstopimages.com/pages/submit/

Additional Card App Companies (Guidelines Not Available At This Time):

Sincerely http://sincerely.com/contact
Red Stamp https://www.redstamp.com/
Artogram http://www.artogramapp.com/
Ecard Express http://www.ecardexpress.ca/
Bucketlabs http://www.bucketlabs.net/
Cartolina http://www.cartolinaapps.com/
fStop http://www.fstopimages.com/fcardsinfo/

Call-Outs

These companies post projects by clients who are looking for a designer. Theses companies have greeting card and stationery categories.

* Design Crowd
http://www.designcrowd.com/
Submissions: http://designers.designcrowd.com/stationery
Has a stationery category.

99 Designs
How to submit your designs.
Connecting designers to freelance work.

Crowdsourcing

These companies usually curate what designs they promote. They often have design challenges for artists and will feature, print and sell a design based on what their website fans vote for.

Minted
http://www.minted.com/
Submissions: http://www.minted.com/contest
Cash award plus 6% royalty.

ModCloth
Type in "cards" in the search bar.
http://www.modcloth.com/
Submissions:http://blog.modcloth.com/category/news-contests/

Threadless
https://www.threadless.com/

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Greeting Card Books

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If You Worry...

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 04:34:00 +0000

Heard this quote yesterday and made a piece of art out of it. A great piece of advice.

Getting into the Greeting Card Business: New Online Class

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 17:15:00 +0000

I have collaborated with skillshare.com to create an online course on Getting into the Greeting Card Business. The content is based on my experience of working in the industry for over 20 years, and from publishing over 1,000 cards.

When:
Anytime. Class is self-paced with student/teacher feedback on your final project in the skillshare gallery.

How to Register:

Cost: $20

In this class you will learn:

The fundamentals of professional card design.
Transforming art into a greeting card.
Writing sentiments.
Making designs "market-ready" according to industry standards.
Top selling occasions.
How to turn one card into a larger "collection".
How to make a card out of any image.
Handmade cards.
Where and how to sell cards (including online).
Licensing art on cards.
Manufacturing and distributing nationally.

The class includes:

8 Units
14 videos
39 steps
Final project
Feedback

Do you make "mail art?"

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 17:00:00 +0000

Mail Art is a process where strangers (or friends) mail each other their handmade art on the back of a postcard. Often it is done around a specific theme. Here are some more examples from my blog mail art gallery.

Also check out Kim's IMGirl etsy store (example below) for some really great mail art.

IMGirl

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 17:28:00 +0000

Most of these books I own and recommend for learning about the card business. Some are out of print, but used copies are still available online. They cover themes such as starting a card business, writing text, designing cards, technical skills and marketing your work.

Get Your Greeting Cards Into Stores: How to Find and Work With Sales Reps If you already make your own greeting cards, this book explains how to get your cards into stores and sell them sell nationwide. Included are guidelines on: how to price your cards for a profit, how to get professional feedback, where to find a sales representative and and what industry standards you should follow. All the information is also applicable to gift items, such as magnets, journals, calendars, collectibles, etc. Chapter topics: Getting Professional Feedback, Getting Your First Account, Pricing and Profits, Sales Reps 101, Where to Find Reps, Rep Readiness Checklist, Pitching Your Line to a Rep and Working With Reps.

Greeting Card Design and Illustration 12 step-by-step demonstrations show how to create successful greeting cards Samples of 130 actual greeting cards Twelve step-by-step demonstrations by professional greeting card artists show you how to combine basic illustration techniques with the eight most popular mediums. This art technique book is a comprehensive and practical guide to all aspects of designing and creating professional greeting cards.Samples of 130 actual greeting cards.leads you through every stage of the design process.

Painting Greeting Cards for Fun and Profit The author and a group of other successful greeting card artists offer friendly and practical business advice on all aspects of producing, publishing, pricing, packaging and marketing greeting cards

By the Batch Innovative new ideas for creating fabulous cards (and envelopes, tags, and bookmarks) in batches, with impressive results. The wide range of techniques presented includes everything from the tried and true (rubber stamping) to the unexpected (polymer clay), from the spontaneous (smudge-and-smear) to the whimsical (shaped cards). And author Judi Kauffman shows precisely how to put pedal to the metal and create whole batches of cards in just one sitting. Kate's Note: See my book review here with photos and information.

Mary Engelbreit: The Art and the Artist This book is about her path into art licensing and greeting card design. She is now a successful licensor, her career spans over decades, and she was awarded "best art license of the year" by LIMA. Kate’s Note: See my book review on "7 things I learned from Mary". This book is one of the more encouraging and practical books I've read in awhile. She confirmed my inherent belief that if someone tries to impose rules and prerequisites on entering this career, someone else will come along, break all the rules, and become successful.

The Very Best from Hallmark: Greeting Cards Through the Years. This collection of 750 of Hallmark's best takes readers through seven decades of birthdays, births, trips, holidays, get well wishes, graduations, and more. The story of this remarkable company is as fascinating as the cards.

20 Steps to Art Licensing: How to Sell Your Designs to Card and Gift Companies A booklet on how to license your art to companies that publish greeting cards, and manufacture coffee mugs, magnets, wall hangings, kitchen items, and dozens of other gift items. This booklet covers 20 basic steps from how to prepare your art, to what companies to contact. It includes topics on: How to find agents, classes and what trade shows to attend. There are extensive resources on social media, licensing community groups, copyrights, and lists of interviews with professional designers.

Licensing Art 101, Publishing and Licensing Your Artwork for ProfitThis comprehensive handbook guides readers step-by-step through the licensing and publishing industry. It contains a wealth of ideas and practical examples of how to increase income through licensing reproduction rights to manufacturers and publishers of greeting cards, posters, calendars, and more. This book provides assistance from an expert, allowing readers to educate themselves and gain a competitive edge. Readers learn about: negotiating fees, exhibiting in trade shows, protecting their rights, and more. Over three hundred professional contacts are listed.

Licensing Art and Design: A Professional's Guide to Licensing and Royalty Agreements This text shows the designer, illustrator, photographer or fine artist how to increase income by licensing creative images. Coverage includes: copyright, patent and trademark law; licensing agreements; maximizing royalties; negotiation checklists; model agreements; finding manufacturers; and licensing in cyberspace.

7 Mistakes Greeting Card Writers Make Booklet on common mistakes greeting card writers make and what to avoid when submitting greeting card verse to publishers. Today, greeting card publishers are shying away from traditional stereotypes, and may even include pets as family members. This article talks about how to create a trendy card that reflects the contemporary world we live in, and how to use our own personal experiences to create great card verse. Topics include: how to avoid limiting the market of who could buy your card, when to use adjectives, how not to creating card for enemies, how to write like people talk and a list of why card sentiment submissions are often rejected. The good news is you can increase your odds of success by 60% by doing a few simple things. BONUS: Includes a list of card publishers and their guidelines, links to writer interviews, and exercises for creating good verse.

The Freelance Writing for Greeting Card Companies This book targets important areas a writer needs to know in regards to being self-employed, as well as, how to own a small greeting card business. It covers Internet to explore the technology which has opened the door for freelance writers and artists. You will find web sites that will offer a variety of freelance writers opportunities never before known or unreachable outside the Internet world such as: chat rooms, bulletin boards, or forums so writers can communicate with other writers. This type of networking is ideal for finding answers or obtaining valuable information about a company, organizations, writing groups, and available resources.

How to Write and Sell Greeting Cards, Bumper Stickers, T-Shirts and Other Fun Stuff A successful freelancer shares her years of experience and advice in writing for the "social expression market".

Finding the Right Words: Perfect Phrases to Personalize Your Greeting Cards More than three dozen ways to say "Happy Birthday” for new family members...even pets. Includes thoughtful condolences for personalizing sympathy cards and congratulatory wishes for weddings and anniversaries. There are helpful hints to simplify card-sending and a monthly calendar for birthdays and anniversaries. This is a book of phrases for all occasions.

Write Greeting Cards Like a Pro Moore knows the ins and outs of the greeting card business. In this hands-on guide, she offers practical instruction, idea joggers, and exercises that will teach you how to survey the market, find your niche, and write greeting cards that say just the right thing. From humor to inspirational writing, Moore profiles the special needs of each greeting card category and also shows you how to spot new trends, so you can write the cards

publishers are seeking today.

Thinking of You: A Card Greeting for Every Occasion This little books helps to jump start your thinking to make messages for cards.

A Guide to Greeting Card Writing All forms are discussed in detail: conventional verse and prose, personal relationship cards, humor, juvenile, inspirational, etc. Detailed info on how to submit and sell your work to greeting card markets. All the nuts and bolts of both the creative art and the publishing market.

Handmade Greetings This book is a showcase of 1000 contemporary hand-designed greeting cards, with examples that feature a wide array of paper craft techniques, including: paper cutting, paper stencils, stamping, punching, stitchery, monoprints, screenprints, paper piecing, and more.

Selling Art Online The Creative Guide to Turning Your Artistic Work into Cash Selling Art Online shows you several ways you can take your art, and be a creative entrepreneur. For an illustrator, artist, designer, photographer or any variety of visual creator. It gives you tools to do more with the work you have, providing you new opportunity for more revenue and exposure.

Straight Advice: How to Market Art Online Now Barney Davey has 30 years of experience helping artists get their work to market. Topics include: How to Market Art Online, Marketing Art Online, Understanding The Value of a, Customer Persona, Websites for Artists, E-Commerce, Domain, Names, Email Marketing for Artists, Marketing Automation, Blogging and Social Media.

The Essential Guide to Business for Artists and Designers This book is for artists, makers, designers, and photographers looking to set up and establish an arts practice or design business.Topics include: Building networks and successful negotiation tactics, Promoting an engaging social media presence, Business planning and money management, Overview of legal, tax and intellectual property issues, Setting up a website and trading online, Exploiting innovation and future trends.

Burn Your Portfolio: Stuff they don't teach you in design school, but should. Michael Janda, owner of the Utah-based design firm Riser, uses humor to dispense nugget after nugget of hard-won advice collected over the last decade from the personal successes and failures he has faced running his own agency. In this surprisingly funny, but incredibly practical advice guide, Janda's advice on teamwork and collaboration, relationship building, managing clients, bidding work, production processes, and more will resonate with creative professionals of all stripes.

Artist's Graphic Designer's Market For people who want to expand a career in fine art, illustration, or design. The Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market a reference guide to help develop their careers and navigate the changing business landscape. It introduces a whole host of new features and guarantees the most up-to-date, individually verified market contacts possible.

Etsy Excellence: The Simple Guide to Creating a Thriving Etsy Business In this book, top Etsy sellers share the tools that have helped them, the changes they made o get better results, and their advice for achieving and sustaining a successful Etsy shop. Topics include: Photograph your products for maximum appeal, Create a unique Etsy shop that stands out, Write winning product descriptions, Price your goods appropriately, Market your products effectively on social media platforms, Maintain lasting relationships with your Etsy customers, Diversify your Etsy product offerings.

Legal Guide for the Visual Artist This book provides legal guidance for any visual artist involved with creative work. Topics covered: developments in copyright, artists in artist-gallery relationships, First Amendment protections for graffiti art and the sale of art in public spaces, cases dealing with art and privacy, model contract for Web site design. The book also covers copyrights, moral rights, contracts, licensing, sales, special risks and protections for art and artists, book publishing, video and multimedia works, leases, taxation, estate planning, museums, collecting, grants, and how to find the best professional advisers and attorneys. In addition, the book teaches strategies for negotiation, gives information to help with further action, contains many sample legal forms and contracts, and shows how to locate artists' groups and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts organizations.

Free Alternatives to Photoshop

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 18:50:00 +0000

It appears that Adobe is going down the path of charging a subscription for their software (instead of an artist being able to buy it outright). So you never really "own" the software. You are merely renting it.

If you are like me, you are not a fan of subscriptions. I believe you should be able to resell it or give it away when you are finished with it, as long as you follow the licensing guidelines.

Here are 10 free alternatives on the Gizmodo website. Read about them here: http://gizmodo.com/5974500/10-photoshop-alternatives-that-are-totally-free

1. GIMP (cross-platform)

2. Paint.NET (Windows-only)

3. Pixlr (web-based)

4. Splashup (web-based)

5. Inkscape (cross-platform)

6. Seashore (Mac-only)

7. Pixia (Windows-only)

8. Photo Pos Pro (Windows only)

9. Picasa (cross-platform)

10. Photoplus (Windows only)

How to Make a Series of Cards from one Image

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 17:11:00 +0000

I had a fun greeting card Video Meeting yesterday with a blog reader Susan Gutnik and one of the many things we discussed was one of her new card concepts. I thought it might be interesting to readers to see how an artist can make a variety of cards from one image.

In the example below, I started with Susan's card image of a red pepper, and then used photoshop to experiment with different styles. These simple mockups only took me about 15 minutes and they are a good example of how an artist might explore different ways to work with imagery.

The learn more about Susan's work, go to her website www.GR8-PL8S-4U.com She also has some fun license plate cards with creative messages on them.

Are Trade Shows Dying?

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 22:10:00 +0000

It's no secret that over the last decade gift shows are declining, both in exhibitors and attendees. It's not just in the gift industry, but in almost every product industry. So what is the future of trade shows?

I believe if trade shows are expected to survive, they must incorporate more technology in functional ways, such as:

Open the show to end consumers for crowdsourcing. Allow people to vote and rate products in real time (like Threadless did to develop an estimated 30 million dollars T-shirt company) which will generate outside buzz. It also allows wholesalers to get feedback directly from the public before manufacturing a product. Instead, they can gauge popularity, which will also help buyers and reps predict what will sell.

Divide vendor booths into "themed" sections of the show, and create a circular seated "lounge" area in each section. Have snacks, seating and a kiosk of product powerpoint presentations in the background. This allows for relaxed social interactions among buyers and sellers.

Plan daily free "events" and demonstrations in the booths, instead of having a static display. Have the show organizer coordinate all the events on eventbrite. Then attendees can register for the events ahead of time. Popular events can add more sections as needed.

Use Ustream to broadcast the event as if it were a TV show.

Do podcast interviews on the floor with key attendees, and post them on itunes.This way, anyone subscribed to the RSS feed will get it both now and in the future.

Invite people to the show who cannot physically be there. Include them by:

-Using Google hangouts for small group meetings.

-Using Google helpouts for one-on-one consultations.

-Using Ohours to auto-schedule a series of virtual meetings.

-Offering live educational webinars for remote attendees.

-Allowing them to register for events which are streamed live.

Create Youtube videos of product demonstrations in the booths. Post all videos in one location on a youtube channel.

Use your badge QR code to download preformated digital-friendly catalogs that can be delivered to your tablet on the spot.

Don't force buyers to take home paper that might end up in the hotel trash can. Instead offer to send documents to a person's kindle app where they can read it in leisure time or on the airplane. Optimize digital product images for mobile devices so buyers can download them, take them home and mull over products without having to go from website to website.

I think the future of trade shows might be like the annual tradeshow in Boston called "Inbound." It has grown from 1,000 to 10,000 attendees in 3 years. They avoid using rows of booths. Instead, they have lounge gathering areas.

What are thoughts on tradeshows? Leave your comment below or on my Facebook page.

Anatomy of a Christmas Card

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Harper) — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 17:02:00 +0000

Here's a great infographic on the greeting card business (click to enlarge) from moo.com printer.