Thinking of You Week: The Occasion Between the Occasions
Next week, September 21–27, is Thinking of You Week, an annual campaign organised by the UK Greeting Card Association. Now in its 12th year, the campaign encourages people to reach out with a card to friends, family, neighbours, colleagues and anyone who might appreciate a little lift.
But for greeting card artists, Thinking of You Week raises an interesting question:
What if we stopped thinking of “Thinking of You” as an occasion?
Birthdays are easy to identify. So are weddings, anniversaries, graduations and Christmas. Even difficult moments such as bereavement and illness have established card categories.
But life contains an enormous number of moments that fall somewhere between them.
There is no official occasion for I know you’re having a horrible month.
There isn’t a holiday for I haven’t heard from you lately and wanted you to know I haven’t forgotten you.
And nobody has yet declared National I Know You’re Taking Care of Everyone Else, But Who’s Taking Care of You? Day.
Perhaps that’s precisely why these cards can matter.
Design for a Situation, Not an Occasion
A general Thinking of You card has the advantage of working for almost anyone.
For artists selling at Greeting Card Universe, however, specificity can give us another way into the category.
Instead of starting with:
Who needs a Thinking of You card?
try asking:
When might someone suddenly wish they had a card to send?
That produces much more interesting possibilities.
Think about the friend who works night shifts and seems to inhabit an entirely different time zone from everyone else.
The long-distance gaming friend you’ve never actually met but have spoken to every week for six years.
The caregiver who is constantly asked how the person they’re caring for is doing, but rarely how they are doing.
The friend who disappears when life becomes overwhelming.
Someone whose recovery is progressing, just much more slowly than everyone expected.
The newly single person experiencing their first quiet weekend alone.
The person who moved away and insists they’re doing wonderfully, but probably wouldn’t mind finding something other than a bill in the mailbox.
None of these requires a major life event.
That is the point.
Look for the Emotional Micro-Moment
We often design cards around milestones. Thinking of You cards invite us to design around micro-moments instead.
Those can certainly be tender:
Just wanted you to know you’re on my mind.
But they don’t have to be.
A card for the night-shift worker might say:
While the Rest of Us Were Sleeping, You Apparently Kept Civilization Running.
A card for the friend who has gone unusually quiet:
No Need to Reply. Just Sending Proof That I Know Where You Live.
For a long-distance friendship:
Apparently Friendship Can Survive Several Thousand Miles and Both of Us Being Terrible at Answering Messages.
Humor can perform exactly the same emotional job as sentiment. Sometimes it performs it better.
And humor immediately opens up the visual possibilities too. These don’t all have to be flowers, hearts and peaceful landscapes. Cats, monsters, grumpy vegetables, retro office workers, cartoons and gloriously strange characters can say I’m thinking about you just as effectively.
Think Beyond the Usual Relationships
This is also an opportunity to look beyond the standard recipient list.
Thinking of You doesn’t have to mean Mother, Sister, Husband or Best Friend.
What about:
- a former coworker you still miss?
- an online friend?
- a neighbour who moved away?
- a former teacher?
- a deployed friend?
- a pet sitter who became a friend?
- an elderly relative living alone?
- someone spending their first holiday season after moving overseas?
- a friend going through exams?
- someone caring for a sick pet?
The more precisely we can imagine the recipient, the easier it becomes to imagine what somebody might actually want to say to them.
And somewhere among those very specific people may be a customer searching GCU for exactly that card.
Avoid Turning Everything Into Sympathy
There is an important distinction here.
Not every difficult period needs solemnity.
If every Thinking of You design aimed at someone having a hard time uses muted flowers, soft watercolors and deeply emotional wording, we risk quietly turning the whole category into Sympathy Lite.
Sometimes people want encouragement without discussing what happened.
Sometimes they want normality.
Sometimes they want a ridiculous cat.
A strong design might acknowledge the situation without requiring either the sender or recipient to name it:
Whatever This Week Is Doing, I’m On Your Side.
No Advice. No Inspirational Quotes. Just Me, Thinking of You.
Or:
I Can’t Fix It. I Can Send Cardboard.
That last approach also gives artists permission to explore illustration and humor styles that might look completely out of place on a traditional sympathy or get-well card.
And that’s a good thing.
Find the People Who Usually Don’t Get the Card
Here’s another useful brainstorming exercise.
Think about situations in which one person naturally receives all the attention.
Someone is seriously ill. Everyone asks after the patient. What about their partner or caregiver?
A child leaves for university. Everyone asks how the student is settling in. What about the parent suddenly staring at an empty bedroom?
Someone has a baby. The baby receives cards, gifts and attention. Perhaps an exhausted older sibling could use a little acknowledgment too.
A family pet is seriously ill. Everyone worries about the animal, but there may be a human sitting beside that pet who hasn’t slept properly in days.
Sometimes the most interesting card isn’t for the obvious recipient.
It’s for the person standing just outside the spotlight.
Don’t Put “Thinking of You Week” on the Card
Thinking of You Week gives us the prompt to design these cards.
It doesn’t necessarily need to appear in the designs themselves.
A card specifically mentioning September’s Thinking of You Week has a very short selling season.
A card for the friend who disappears when life gets loud can sell twelve months of the year.
That’s the useful creative challenge here:
Use the event as inspiration, not expiration.
Try This Before Designing Your Next Card
Before opening your graphics program, finish this sentence:
This card is for someone who…
Don’t stop at needs cheering up.
Keep going until you can see the person.
This card is for someone who has been caring for their mother for six months and is exhausted.
This card is for someone who moved across the country and misses their old friends.
This card is for an online friend you have never met in person.
This card is for someone whose beloved pet is seriously ill.
This card is for the friend who retreats when they’re overwhelmed.
This card is for someone starting over and pretending they’re much less terrified than they actually are.
Now design that card.
It may ultimately belong under Thinking of You, Friendship, Encouragement, Miss You, Support or another GCU category. That’s fine.
The category is where we put it.
The person is who we’re designing it for.
And that degree of specificity can create the little moment we’re always hoping for when a customer encounters one of our designs:
That’s it. That’s exactly the card I was looking for.
The Occasion Between the Occasions
The Greeting Card Association describes Thinking of You Week as an opportunity to reach out, connect and create a wave of caring through sending cards.
For artists, perhaps it can also serve as an annual reminder to look beyond the dates printed on the calendar.
Because some of the most meaningful reasons to send a greeting card aren’t printed there at all.
There may be no birthday.
No anniversary.
No holiday.
No congratulations to offer and no official milestone to mark.
Sometimes somebody simply crosses your mind and you realise it’s been too long.
Sometimes you know they’re struggling.
Sometimes you suspect they could use a laugh.
Sometimes you just want a small piece of cardboard to travel across town, across the country or across the world and quietly say:
I thought of you.
And perhaps that’s occasion enough.
Find Out More
Thinking of You Week 2026 takes place September 21–27. The Greeting Card Association has information about the campaign, ideas for getting involved and promotional resources available on its website:
Greeting Card Association: Thinking of You Week
Happy Designing!
Corrie
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Wanted Cards Extra: Halloween Off the Beaten Track II
Part Two: Strange Little Niches
Welcome back to the less crowded corners of Halloween. In Part One, we looked at cards inspired by real-life situations and relationships. This time, we’re venturing into stranger territory: unusual pets, forgotten traditions, special interests and Halloween cards that don’t need a single smiling pumpkin to make their point.
Halloween for Particular Pets
Black cats receive much of the Halloween attention, but every breed and species is capable of looking ridiculous in a costume.
Artists could create cards featuring particular dog and cat breeds, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, reptiles, horses, goats or even pet chickens. Pet owners often search for artwork that resembles their own animal, making breed-specific designs especially useful.
Design ideas:
- A stubborn bulldog dressed as Frankenstein’s monster.
- A fluffy Persian cat wearing a tiny vampire cape.
- A parrot trying to eat its witch’s hat.
- A rabbit dressed as an extremely unconvincing werewolf.
- A horse and rider in matching ghost costumes.
Text ideas:
- Happy Howl-o-ween!
- I’m only wearing this because snacks were promised.
- Have a purrfectly spooky Halloween.
- Tiny costume. Enormous attitude.
- May your Halloween contain more treats than trips to the vet.
Halloween After Pet Loss
This subject needs a much softer touch. Halloween can stir memories of a pet who always greeted trick-or-treaters, wore a costume or sat beside the pumpkin display.
A remembrance card might feature a peaceful moonlit scene, a pawprint among autumn leaves or a beloved pet with subtle celestial symbolism.
Text ideas:
- Remembering the little spirit who made every Halloween sweeter.
- Some companions never stop walking beside us.
- Gone from sight, but forever part of your autumn memories.
- Thinking of you and the faithful friend you miss so much.
- A beautiful little soul is still watching over your home.
Accessible and Inclusive Halloween
Traditional Halloween imagery often assumes that everyone can attend a party, eat the candy and walk from door to door. Cards acknowledging different ways of celebrating could be both inclusive and genuinely useful.
Possible subjects include:
- Food allergies
- Sensory-friendly celebrations
- Alcohol-free Halloween
- Wheelchair and mobility-scooter users
- Chronic illness
- Children who communicate differently
Humor can certainly work, but the person should be included in the fun rather than made into the joke.
Text ideas:
- All treats, no spirits.
- Different celebration. Same Halloween magic.
- Every body deserves a little Halloween fun.
- Rolling into Halloween in frightening style.
- No costume required—you’re already spectacular.
Historical and Folkloric Halloween
Halloween has a fascinating history beyond plastic pumpkins and supermarket candy. Artists who enjoy research could explore vintage, folkloric and regional traditions.
Design ideas:
- Victorian Halloween parties and fortune-telling games
- Soul cakes and souling
- Apple bobbing
- Turnip jack-o’-lanterns
- Scottish, Irish, Welsh or Manx folklore
- Antique Halloween postcards
- Old herbalists and wise women
- Local ghost stories and legendary creatures
Día de los Muertos should be treated thoughtfully as its own cultural observance rather than used as interchangeable Halloween decoration.
Text ideas:
- May the old stories find you by candlelight.
- Before pumpkins, there were turnips—and they were considerably more alarming.
- Have an old-fashioned, apple-bobbing, fortune-telling Halloween.
- The veil is thin. Try not to poke it.
- Old traditions. Restless spirits. One unforgettable night.
Halloween Hobbies and Personalities
Combining Halloween with a hobby, occupation or personality gives artists an almost endless supply of niche ideas.
Try Halloween cards for:
- Book lovers
- Gardeners
- Knitters and crocheters
- Gamers
- Bakers
- Coffee lovers
- Archaeologists
- Genealogists
- Artists and photographers
- Campers
- Teachers and librarians
- Scientists
- Computer programmers
Text ideas:
- Just one more chapter… said the skeleton.
- There’s a little witch in every good gardener.
- Eat, drink and be scary—but first, coffee.
- Crochet like your yarn is possessed.
- My ancestors didn’t answer, but several unrelated ghosts did.
- May your Wi-Fi be strong and your browser history remain buried.
- Bake the world a little scarier.
Quiet and Beautiful Halloween Cards
Halloween does not always have to be funny, frightening or covered in bright orange lettering.
There is room for elegant cards featuring moonlight, autumn woods, moths, ravens, celestial skies, antique botanical illustrations and quiet ghostly figures. These designs could be particularly suitable for friendship, romance, encouragement and “thinking of you” messages.
Text ideas:
- Meet me where the moonlight touches the autumn leaves.
- Thinking of you as the nights grow darker.
- Even in the shadows, you are never alone.
- May a little autumn magic find its way to you.
- Some souls recognize each other—even in the dark.
- Under every October moon, I’m grateful for you.
Halloween Without the Usual Monsters
Another way to escape the busiest categories is to replace familiar Halloween characters with something unexpected.
Imagine:
- Aliens misunderstanding trick-or-treating
- Mermaids celebrating beneath a full moon
- Dinosaurs in tiny costumes
- Garden gnomes defending their sweets
- Robots attempting to calculate the correct level of scariness
- Ancient Egyptian mummies complaining about inaccurate costumes
- Mythological creatures attending a neighborhood Halloween party
Text ideas:
- Take me to your candy.
- Calculating appropriate level of spookiness…
- Your mummy would be proud.
- Trick-or-treating: a strange but efficient human ritual.
- Have a monstrously unusual Halloween.
One Final Halloween Challenge
Before creating your next card, try finishing this sentence:
“This card is for the person who…”
If the answer is simply “likes Halloween,” the idea may still be too broad. But if it is for the night-shift nurse who loves vampires, the rabbit owner whose pet resents its tiny witch’s hat, the genealogy enthusiast trying to contact the wrong ancestors or the friend who prefers moths and moonlight to smiling pumpkins—then you may have found something worth creating.
The busiest Halloween categories may already be crowded, but there are still plenty of strange little doors waiting to be opened. Choose one, step inside and see what is lurking there.
Happy Designing!
Corrie
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Wanted Cards Extra: Halloween Off the Beaten Track
Part One: Real Life Gets Spooky
Halloween is certainly not short of greeting cards. GCU already has plenty of witches, pumpkins, ghosts, black cats and skeletons. That doesn’t mean artists should pack away their cauldrons—it simply means we need to wander a little farther into the fog.
Instead of creating another general “Happy Halloween” card, think about who the card is for or what is happening in their life. A niche card may have a smaller audience, but it also faces less competition and has a much better chance of being exactly what somebody is searching for.
Here are some real-life Halloween niches worth exploring.
Halloween for People Who Don’t Like Halloween
Not everyone wants to attend a costume party, answer the door fifty times or watch horror films until three in the morning. Some people would much rather close the curtains, turn off the porch light and pretend they aren’t home.
That reluctance is perfect material for dry, relatable humor.
Design ideas:
- Two ghosts sitting comfortably on a sofa beside an untouched party invitation.
- An introvert hiding under a blanket while the doorbell rings.
- A witch cancelling her plans and settling down with tea and a book.
- A grumpy cat beside a bowl of untouched Halloween candy.
Text ideas:
- “We could go haunting.” “That sounds like going out.”
- My Halloween costume is someone who isn’t home.
- Trick or treat? I choose neither.
- Have a comfortably spooky Halloween.
Halloween at Work
There are surprisingly few occupations that cannot be improved by adding a witch’s hat.
Cards for colleagues, bosses, employees and particular professions can combine Halloween imagery with familiar workplace frustrations.
Design ideas:
- A witch in Human Resources reviewing acceptable cauldron use.
- A skeleton still waiting for the meeting to end.
- A vampire happily working the night shift.
- A ghost haunting the office photocopier.
- A teacher controlling a classroom full of tiny monsters.
- A nurse rewrapping a mummy’s loose bandages.
Text ideas:
- Another meeting that could have been a séance.
- I’ve been waiting for this meeting to end since 1847.
- Wishing you frighteningly few emails this Halloween.
- Night shift? Finally, a schedule a vampire can appreciate.
- Happy Halloween to the only person keeping this haunted house running.
Halloween Milestones
Life continues even while the undead are roaming the streets. A Halloween card can become more meaningful when it celebrates something happening in the recipient’s life.
Consider:
- First Halloween in a new home
- Baby’s first Halloween
- First Halloween as newlyweds
- New pet’s first Halloween
- First Halloween at college
- Retirement at Halloween
- Halloween engagements and anniversaries
- Pregnancy or grandparent announcements
Text ideas:
- Congratulations on your new haunt!
- May your new home be filled with happy spirits.
- Our little pumpkin’s first Halloween.
- You’ve created a tiny monster. Congratulations!
- Our first Halloween as Mr. and Mrs. Monster.
- A little boo is due!
- Something sweet is brewing…
Long-Distance Halloween
Halloween friendship cards often remain quite general. There is room for cards addressed to long-distance friends, adult children away at college, online friends, deployed family members and long-distance partners.
Text ideas:
- Sending a little boo from me to you.
- Miles apart, but still haunting each other.
- No matter how far away you are, you’re still part of my coven.
- I miss your face—even when it’s wearing a terrifying mask.
- Our friendship is stronger than distance, bad Wi-Fi and ancient curses.
Halloween for Older Adults
Halloween designs frequently focus on children, young partygoers or glamorous young witches. Why not feature older characters who are stylish, mischievous and thoroughly unimpressed by the supernatural?
Design ideas:
- Two elderly witches comparing broomstick upgrades.
- A glamorous older vampire refusing to reveal her age.
- A grandmother judging every trick-or-treater’s costume.
- An older couple sitting on the porch, secretly keeping the best candy.
- A woman discovering that her “witch costume” is her usual gardening outfit.
Text ideas:
- Too old for trick-or-treating. Young enough to steal the good candy.
- You’re not old. You’re an ancient and powerful being.
- Another Halloween—and still no sign of maturity.
- Vintage, mysterious and possibly immortal.
Midlife and Menopause Humor
Hot flashes, sleepless nights, mood swings and forgetfulness already sound suspiciously like symptoms of supernatural possession. Midlife Halloween humor could be a wonderfully specific niche for friends who understand one another.
Text ideas:
- It’s not a haunting. It’s a hot flash.
- I don’t need a cauldron. I’m already boiling.
- Possessed? No, just menopausal.
- The witching hour is any hour after someone annoys me.
- My broom still flies. I’ve just forgotten where I parked it.
- Too hot to haunt.
Halloween Get-Well Cards
Being ill, recovering from surgery or spending Halloween in hospital can feel particularly miserable. A gently humorous seasonal card could brighten someone’s day without pretending everything is wonderful.
Design ideas:
- A mummy wearing fresh bandages and holding a get-well balloon.
- A skeleton waiting for an X-ray.
- A witch making medicinal soup instead of a potion.
- A ghost resting beneath a blanket in fluffy slippers.
Text ideas:
- Rest, recover and leave the haunting to someone else.
- Sorry you’re feeling a little under the spell.
- Sending you a cauldron full of healing wishes.
- Get well soon—you’ve looked frightening long enough.
- Hope you’re back among the living very soon.
Unusual Halloween Relationships
Instead of stopping at “For My Wife” or “For My Grandson,” consider relationships that are less frequently represented:
- Stepparents and stepchildren
- Chosen family
- Adult siblings and cousins
- Neighbors and roommates
- Online friends
- Work besties
- Caregivers
- Ex-partners who remained friends
- “Like a daughter,” “like a son” or “like a grandchild”
Text ideas:
- So glad you’re part of my chosen coven.
- Good neighbors bring candy. Great neighbors help hide the bodies.
- Happy Halloween to the roommate who knows where all the skeletons are hidden.
- We may be exes, but at least we’re not complete strangers with matching curses.
- Families like ours aren’t made by magic—but they can feel magical.
And we’re not finished wandering through the fog. Tomorrow in Part Two, we’ll explore pet-specific designs, accessible celebrations, old Halloween traditions, hobby-based humor and cards for those who prefer their Halloween quiet, beautiful and just a little mysterious.
Happy Designing!
Corrie
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Nuts & Bolts – 37th Louie Awards Winners
On August 17th, NOTED and the Greeting Card Association’s 37th Louie Awards ceremony were held in Louisville, Kentucky and the winning cards were announced!
The full list of this year’s winners can be found here. Click on the category and then scroll to the bottom to see the three finalists and the winning cards.
Here is a nice summary from Stationery Trends.
Vote for your favorite card! From all of these winners, there will be a Consumer’s Choice Award that will be celebrated at next year’s Louie Awards. Place your vote!
You can now vote for the Consumer’s Choice Award! To vote for the Consumer’s Choice award that is voted on by the general public. Vote here! Voting closes September 30th.
Last year’s Consumer’s Choice Award winner announced this year is this New Knee card.
Judging notes are now available for all Louie Award submissions. We will email the notes and scores to these GCU artists whose cards we submitted to the 37th Annual Louies.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
mindy@gcuniverse.com
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5 Creative Trends Greeting Card Artists Should Watch This Week
The creative world never sits still for very long. New design directions, tools, seasonal aesthetics and visual trends keep bubbling up, and some of them have real potential for greeting card artists.
Here are five developments worth keeping an eye on this week, especially if you are looking for fresh ideas for card design, illustration, typography, humor or seasonal work.
1. Greeting Card Award Winners Show What Stands Out
The 2026 Louie Awards recently highlighted some of the strongest work in the greeting card industry, with entries from a wide range of stationery brands and designers.
Awards like these are useful because they give us a snapshot of what professional judges are responding to right now: strong concepts, distinctive voices, thoughtful craftsmanship and cards that feel memorable rather than generic.
Why this matters for GCU artists
As polished imagery becomes easier to create, originality becomes even more important. A strong card idea, clever message, unusual visual treatment or recognizable personal style can still make a design stand out in a crowded marketplace.
2. Minimalism and Maximalism Are Happily Coexisting
One of the more interesting things happening in design right now is that two almost opposite styles are thriving at the same time.
On one side we are seeing clean layouts, restrained color palettes and editorial simplicity. On the other, there is a strong appetite for richer color, stripes, ornament, florals, texture and playful maximalism.
Rather than choosing one camp, designers are increasingly mixing the two.
Why this matters for GCU artists
A simple card layout can become much more distinctive with one deliberately over-the-top element: an enormous bow, dramatic typography, an ornate border, a theatrical stripe or a beautifully excessive floral detail.
Think clean structure with one element that refuses to behave.
3. AI Editing Tools Are Becoming More Precise
Creative AI tools are moving beyond generating complete images from scratch. Newer editing approaches are increasingly focused on making targeted changes to specific parts of an existing image.
That means creators can keep the composition, character or atmosphere they already like and adjust only the troublesome part.
Why this matters for GCU artists
This could make AI-assisted illustration much more practical for greeting card work.
Instead of regenerating an entire image because one hand, prop, expression or background detail is wrong, artists may increasingly be able to fix individual elements while preserving the rest of the design.
That is a much more useful workflow for finished card artwork.
4. Christmas 2026 Is Leaning Toward Nostalgia With Polish
Christmas design is showing signs of becoming richer, warmer and slightly more sophisticated.
We are seeing interest in vintage-inspired imagery, elegant serif typography, deeper seasonal colors such as cranberry, merlot, pine and champagne, and tactile details such as layered paper effects, die cuts and decorative framing.
The overall mood feels nostalgic, but not old-fashioned.
Why this matters for GCU artists
This creates plenty of room for artists who enjoy vintage, Victorian, mid-century or traditional Christmas imagery.
The trick is to borrow the visual language of the past without simply recreating it.
A vintage-looking image paired with modern humor, unexpected wording or a contemporary color palette can feel wonderfully fresh.
Let 1955 provide the wardrobe. Let 2026 write the punchline.
5. AI Is Becoming More Culturally Specific
Another interesting development is the growing push toward AI systems that better understand regional cultures, languages and visual traditions.
Instead of producing the same broadly Western-looking imagery for every prompt, future tools are likely to become better at handling culturally specific clothing, decorative traditions, celebrations, architecture and symbolism.
Why this matters for GCU artists
Greeting cards are deeply connected to culture, family traditions and celebrations.
Better culturally specific tools could open the door to more authentic card designs for holidays, communities and occasions that are currently poorly represented in generic image generators.
That could also help artists explore smaller and more specialized card categories with greater confidence.
The Bigger Creative Trend
There is an interesting thread connecting all five of these developments.
As technology makes polished imagery easier to produce, specificity becomes more valuable.
A distinctive sense of humor, unusual subject matter, culturally meaningful details, expressive typography, tactile-looking illustration and a recognizable artistic voice may become increasingly important.
In other words, the future may not belong to the artist who can make the most perfect image.
It may belong to the artist whose work is unmistakably theirs.
Three Ideas to Explore
If you are looking for somewhere to start this week, you might try:
- Create a card with a very clean composition and one deliberately extravagant element.
- Experiment with a vintage Christmas aesthetic paired with thoroughly modern wording.
- Look through underrepresented GCU categories and consider whether culturally specific or highly niche imagery could offer new opportunities.
Sometimes trends are most useful not as instructions, but as little doors.
You only need one of them to lead somewhere interesting.
Greeting Card Association – Louie Awards
https://www.greetingcard.org/louie-awards/
Home & Giftware Magazine – Trends in the Greetings Turret
https://giftwaremagazine.com/trends-in-the-greetings-turret/
Adobe – New Photoshop Innovations & AI Markup
Photoshop innovations
AI Markup in Photoshop
Brookhollow Cards – 2026 Holiday Card Trends
https://www.brookhollowcards.com/business-holiday-card-trends.aspx
Autumn Fair 2026
https://www.autumnfair.com/
Adobe, MCIT & HUMAIN – Culturally Specific AI Initiative
https://news.adobe.com/news/2026/08/adobe-mcit-and-humain-expand-partnership
Happy Designing!
Corrie
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Dash of Inspiration: September Design Challenge
Well the “One Word One Object” challenge went over so well, here is a variation of that challenge and if you haven’t already heard, we have a NEW forum! So be sure to go visit and sign up. Check it out
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Theme: One Word One Noun Inspiration Challenge
This is how it works:
I will give you a word which you MUST INCLUDE in your card FRONT message. In addition, I will give you a NOUN that must be in the card front imagery.
Any theme, any category, any recipient … wherever your creativity takes you is great, as long as the imagery, message and category choice all cohesively work together.
I know this is new and different, so if you have questions please use the comment section to ask, so that both your question and the response is there for everyone’s benefit.
Requirements:
The card front message this month INCLUDES the word: Listen– and the Noun that must be on the card front is: Water– a pond, a lake, an ocean, a puddle, in a glass, rain – as long as water is prominent enough to be an important visual element in the design/theme.
- Create a new design with a card front message that INCLUDES the word “Listen” and somewhere in the design elements is water.
- Any category which your card speaks to.
- No Stock card creations will be accepted.
- Blank verse will not be considered for entry in this challenge.
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Entry Deadline: Wednesday, September 30th
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How to Enter: Post the PID (card number) and the URL (public storefront link – please WAIT for the card to be available in the public marketplace, please DO NOT post a link to your Manage Cards area) as a post in the challenge blog. We’ll forward your entry to the jury.
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Category:
Any
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Rules:
- Submission must meet GCU’s Submission Guidelines and be Approved through the usual Review Cycle– Fast Track your submission with this in the Notes to Reviewer: September Design Challenge Submission here is the link to the blog post: (include THIS blog post URL)
- Only ONE card per artist per challenge.
- Submissions must be NEW, no existing designs.
- Your entry must meet the Challenge Requirements and Theme or it will not be included in the challenge.
- Stock Card Creations entries will not be accepted.
- Your designs should differ from those already offered in the category of your choice to offer shoppers a variety of choices, not more of the same.
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BLIND Judging: We hope each of you enters every month. Entries are submitted anonymously for judging by the GCU Challenge Jury which means that before and during the challenge, judges do not have any way of knowing what artist is behind each entry. This eliminates any and all concerns with ‘favoritism’. Results will post on the Community Blog. The jury will judge the entries on the following criteria:
- How well the card meets the Challenge Requirements and Theme.
- How well the card speaks to the Category the artist chooses for the card submission.
- Creativity, Execution and Marketability.
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Winners: 1st Place:
- The winning designer’s card and store will be featured on the GCU Public Blog – the blog which customers view and follow.
- As well as featured on the GCU Public Facebook Page – over 55,000 followers, now THAT’S exposure!
- The winning card will be Design of the Day following the announcement of the winners (within 48-hours).
EXCEPTION: Horizontal (landscape) cards may not be featured as DOD due to GCU Home Page space restrictions. In these cases, GCU will choose a different vertically oriented card from your store to feature as DOD. Thank you for your understanding and apologies for this limitation.
- The winning card will be added to the Greeting Card Universe Design Challenge Winners Pinterest Board – currently GCU’s Pinterest Page followers: 14.9k!
- The winning card, should the artist choose, may be referenced in a new series by the winning artist and he/she may Fast Track all cards in the new series (being sure to give the Challenge URL and winning card PID in your Notes to Reviewer for each card in this series).
- Winning card will be included in a marketing email to over 100,000 customers!
- The winning designer’s card and store will be offered an Artist Interview to be featured on the GCU Community Blog.
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Winning card will be posted on GCU’s Instagram with 10.6k followers and counting!
- GCU will create a Meet the Team board for the winning artist under the Pinterest GCU account where the winning artist will be able to pin and promote her own storefront and all that makes them a unique card designer and one of GCU’s artistic community team member.
- 10 free greeting card credits added to your GCU account. Apply them at checkout and they never expire.
- A Design Challenge GCU digital award for 2026!
2nd Place:
- Your submission will be Design of the Day the following week of announcing the Challenge winners (within 7-days).
EXCEPTION: Horizontal (landscape) cards may not be featured as DOD due to GCU Home Page space restrictions. In these cases, GCU will choose a different vertically oriented card from your store to feature as DOD. Thank you for your understanding and apologies for this limitation.
- Your card will be added to the Greeting Card Universe Design Challenge Winners Pinterest Board.
- Winning card will be included in a marketing email to over 100,000 customers!
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Winning card will be posted on GCU’s Instagram with 10.6k followers and counting!
- 5 free greeting card credits added to your GCU account. Apply them at checkout and they never expire.
- A Design Challenge GCU digital award for 2026!
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Tips:
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Be inspired to create and learn something new!
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NEW GCU Forum!
Hello, fellow GCU artists!
Some of you know me from the Design Challenges, others, GCU veterans like me, know me from years of conversations on the old forum and blog posts.
As most of you are aware, the old forum has become inaccessible to most. It’s old and GCU has no control over upgrading or fixing the software. Several times over the past couple of years, I’ve been asked by Corrie or Mindy to post something on the forum.
Community Manager, Mindy, mentioned that GCU had been considering a new Discourse forum, which would be a time-consuming transition thus it was low on the priority list. I volunteered to take a peek and see if it had all the bells and whistles we wanted in a new forum. And it did!
Having been part of GCU’s community since 2009 and still having access to the old forum via an old Windows 7 platform, I knew that I could discern the important information from the old posts. GCU enlisted my help and I was happy to transfer the 18-years of essential communications from the old forum to the new one. I also felt I could setup the new forum so that it served our community of artists well. This is why you will see many of the new forum posts authored by my account. I will remain an active forum Admin for GCU. Still an artist, just like you, just one who longed for the old days when artists had a place where we could gather and share, inspire and teach each other. I hope you’re as excited for this refresh as I am!
READY to go see it?
1- If you are using a Windows operating system that is older than Windows 10, you may need to upgrade to Windows 10, or preferable Windows 11, to access the new forum. The old Windows systems (I know from experience) simply no longer communicates with the outside world consistently.
2- When you create your login on the new forum, BE SURE to use your same GCU Artist login that you have now. Doing so will ensure that any thread that links to something on the GCU site can be viewed properly.
NOTE: This is a private forum for GCU, therefore new logins must be approved by Admin, so please be patient.
3- When you first access the forum after creating a login, you will see this post generated by the system:
https://discourse.greetingcarduniverse.com/t/welcome-to-gcu-forum/5
If you follow the instructions and click on the “Your Profile” link, it will take you to where you can add your Profile Picture – a photo of you, or like me, your business logo used on GCU. Click SAVE and that’s all you need to do on that screen. There are instructions in my Tip Post below on how to add your GCU Storefront Link to your Profile.
After that, go to this thread posted by me which will give tips on how to maneuver the new forum:
https://discourse.greetingcarduniverse.com/t/welcome-gcu-artists-to-our-new-forum/279
See you there!
Start here to get started: https://discourse.greetingcarduniverse.com/
Doreen Erhardt
https://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/salonofartgreetings
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The deadline for our August Design Challenge: Cards for Specific Occupations is getting close, so here’s a little last-minute inspiration for anyone still looking for that perfect idea!
Remember, this month we’re not just looking for a card featuring an occupation. Your entry should combine a specific occupation + an appropriate occasion + a pun that fits the profession. The wording and imagery should work together, with great typography and a polished, professional design adding that extra something.
And don’t feel you have to stick with doctors, nurses, teachers and other familiar professions. There’s a whole working world out there waiting to be turned into greeting cards. Think plumbers, archaeologists, baristas, dog groomers, electricians, librarians, mechanics, florists, geologists and beyond.
To get those creative gears turning, here are some occupation and occasion combinations you could play with:
| Occupation | Occasion | Pun / Text Idea |
|---|---|---|
| Electrician | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Is Positively Electrifying! |
| Electrician | Congratulations | Watt an Achievement! |
| Plumber | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Is Flush With Fun! |
| Carpenter | Birthday | Nailed Another Year! |
| Carpenter | Congratulations | You Nailed It! |
| Dentist | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Is Flossome! |
| Dentist | Congratulations | Now THAT’S Something to Smile About! |
| Optometrist | Birthday | Eye See a Fantastic Birthday Ahead! |
| Optometrist | Congratulations | Your Future Is Looking 20/20! |
| Baker | Birthday | Another Year Older? Piece of Cake. |
| Baker | Congratulations | You Really Rose to the Occasion! |
| Chef | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Is Well Done! |
| Chef | Congratulations | You’ve Got the Recipe for Success! |
| Barista | Birthday | Have a Brew-tiful Birthday! |
| Barista | Thank You | Thanks a Latte for Everything You Do! |
| Teacher | Birthday | You Deserve an A+ Birthday! |
| Teacher | Retirement | No More Mondays. Class Dismissed! |
| Librarian | Birthday | Another Year for the Books! |
| Librarian | Retirement | Time to Start a Brand-New Chapter. |
| Accountant | Birthday | Another Year? Don’t Worry, We Won’t Audit the Number. |
| Accountant | Congratulations | Your Success Really Adds Up! |
| Mechanic | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Fires on All Cylinders! |
| Pilot | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Really Takes Off! |
| Pilot | Retirement | Time to Wing It! Happy Retirement. |
| Flight Attendant | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Is First Class! |
| Florist | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Is Blooming Wonderful! |
| Florist | Congratulations | Look at You, Blooming Brilliant! |
| Gardener | Birthday | Another Year Older? You’re Growing on Me. |
| Gardener | Retirement | Time to Put Down Some Roots and Relax. |
| Veterinarian | Birthday | Have a Pawsitively Wonderful Birthday! |
| Dog Groomer | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Is Fur-bulous! |
| Hairdresser | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Is a Cut Above the Rest! |
| Hairdresser | Congratulations | You’re Shear Genius! |
| Photographer | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Is Picture Perfect! |
| Architect | Birthday | Hope You Have a Well-Designed Birthday! |
| Construction Worker | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Is Built for Fun! |
| Firefighter | Birthday | Another Birthday? You’re Still Smokin’! |
| Mail Carrier | Birthday | Special Delivery: One Very Happy Birthday! |
| Farmer | Birthday | Hay! It’s Your Birthday! |
| Farmer | Congratulations | You’re Outstanding in Your Field! |
| Meteorologist | Birthday | Forecast: 100% Chance of Birthday Cake! |
| Archaeologist | Birthday | You’re Not Old. You’re Historically Significant. |
| Archaeologist | Retirement | Time to Dig Into Retirement! |
| Geologist | Birthday | You Rock. Period. |
| Geologist | Congratulations | That’s a Gneiss Achievement! |
| Astronomer | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Is Out of This World! |
| Musician | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Hits All the Right Notes! |
| Tailor / Seamstress | Birthday | Hope Your Birthday Suits You Perfectly! |
| Welder | Anniversary | Still a Perfect Match After All These Years. |
| Beekeeper | Congratulations | Hive Five! You Did It! |
| Locksmith | Congratulations | You Hold the Key to Success! |
| Roofer | Birthday | It’s Your Birthday. Raise the Roof! |
| Window Cleaner | Congratulations | Your Future Looks Crystal Clear! |
| Train Conductor | Congratulations | You’re on the Right Track! |
| Butcher | Congratulations | You’re a Cut Above the Rest! |
Think Beyond the Usual Occupations
One way to make your entry stand out is to explore occupations that don’t often get their own greeting cards. Consider beekeepers, locksmiths, surveyors, translators, park rangers, tattoo artists, museum curators, piano tuners, crane operators, delivery drivers, crossing guards, dog walkers, window cleaners, zookeepers, undertakers, librarians or archaeologists.
The more specific the occupation, the more opportunities you may find for clever visual wordplay.
Instead of simply creating “Happy Birthday to a Nurse,” for example, look for an idea where the occupation, occasion, wording and image all depend on one another. That’s where a simple pun can become a genuinely memorable card.
Hopefully one of these ideas sparks something, or sends you wandering down an entirely different pun-filled path.
The deadline is almost here, so pick an occupation, put it to work and show us what you’ve got!
Happy Designing!
Corrie
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Nuts & Bolts – Reminder August 2026 Design Challenge
Monday, August 31st is the last day to submit your entries for August’s Stock Card Design Challenge. But don’t wait until the last day in case your design needs edits before approval.
See here:
Theme: Cards for Specific Occupations
and important note:
Choose an occupation and occasion and create a card specifically for that combination, and add a suitable PUN that pairs with the occupation.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
mindy@gcuniverse.com
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Nuts & Bolts – New Artist Forum Coming 8/31/26
Nuts & Bolts – New Artist Forum Coming 8/31/26
We have wonderful and long-overdue news! GCU’s Forum has long been a communications hub for our artist community. It has shared important company-specific announcements, as well as helpful tips, feedback and valued camaraderie.
Lately, the Forum has not been fully functional, which has hampered our communications with and among artists.
On 8/31/26 we will announce a new Forum! Please stay tuned here for all the details and how to get started.
Thank you for your patience regarding the limitations of our old Forum. We are very excited to reinvigorate communications with our community.
Mindy Rosso
GCU Community Manager
mindy@gcuniverse.com
GCU Community 