Christmas Greeting Card Trends 2017

Cards by Heidi Burton

What greeting card trends do you think we’ll see for this Christmas? Well three of our Greeting Card designing customers have been busy looking at industry trends, as well as getting business ready for this busy festive season. Have a read below christmas greeting cards trends…

Heidi Burton, Heidi Burton Illustration, www.etsy.com/shop/heidiburton: “I’m seeing an increased demand for customised and personalised designs with my own card making, so I expect this could be the case in the general greeting card market too. It seems that puns, wordplay and quotes are still strong, along with hand-drawn typography and calligraphy. Foil effects and laser cutting are popular – so it’s great that Printed.com offer these options! Current affairs and pop culture references mixed with festive cheer, and anthropomorphic creatures in festive attire seem to be on the up too.”

Amy Harwood, www.amyharwood.com: “I reckon we’ll see a lot of quirky cards this Christmas. As a customer, the cards that stand out to me are the ones that make me laugh, have a lovely message or remind me of someone I know. Puns, funny characters and sayings is something I’ll be experimenting with this Christmas. I’m dreaming of a prehistoric Christmas with dinosaurs getting up to all sorts of festive mischief!”

Deborah Leask, The Dimpse, www.thedimpse.co.uk: “I think we’re still going to see lots of calligraphy and handwritten style typography combined with metallic foiling and pastel colours such as blush pink. I think the rustic look is still going to be big, with Kraft paper and natural elements, as well as hand drawn doodle type styles and intricate designs. Also letterpress is still massive with that whole artisan maker vibe.”

Card by Amy Harwood

How do you incorporate trends into your designs while staying true to yourself and your ‘look’ at the same time?
 

Heidi: “I draw inspiration from personal experiences, observations, and random thoughts scribbled into my journals. If I incorporate a trend it would be something broad such as a colour or material. A lot of my work is autobiographical so it’s easy to stay true to myself and my style in that respect.”

 Amy: “I always stay true to the processes that I enjoy, such as painting with bright colours and hand lettering. The subject matter I’m drawn to is usually the same, mostly natures and animals, but I do experiment with trends to see if they sell in my shop or if it’s something I enjoy and would continue to explore in my work. I take inspiration from colour trends and apply different palettes in my illustrations every now and then to freshen them up a bit.”

Deborah: “I think it’s important to only take influence from trends and not go and completely immerse your designs in them, otherwise everyone will start looking the same! Introducing hints into your designs should ensure your unique style whilst keeping up with what people want to buy.”

Card by Deborah Leask

What’s the process of creating your greeting card range?

Heidi: “I rarely plan a card design. Usually an idea comes to me and I’ll think about the format that would suit it best, whether that be a card, a print, a notebook illustration, etc. I’ll sketch the idea and post it online to gauge popularity before deciding if it’s one to go to print. I always hand-illustrate cards for friends and family, and sometimes those designs make it to print too. They might be a bit niche because of their personalised nature rather than commercially popular, but it would be boring if we all produced the same designs anyway wouldn’t it!?”

Amy: “My designs rarely start as intentional greeting designs to be honest! If I’m playing with shapes or creating a pattern for another project, I end up doodling words that come to mind on the next page in my sketchbook. A couple of scans and a Photoshop session later and a Greeting Card design is born! I then experiment with layout before I export the file ready to send to print at Printed.com. Once photographed and packaged up, I list them on my website – www.amyharwood.com/shop”

Deborah: “Urgh, I’m normally way behind, so in a panic around September – October time I really get my act together! I start with sketching ideas, working and developing the ideas on the computer, then testing out to see if it works. After that it’s contacting suppliers and stockists and getting the range out there.”

What do you think of our customers and their thoughts on christmas greeting cards trends? Leave some of your own pearls of wisdom on creating greeting cards and the industry by commenting below!

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