Critique Clinic – August 19-21, 2011
How does it work? For three days a week (Friday-Sunday midnight), I will open the clinic to any artist who wants an honest peer review and critique of a card which gets plenty of clicks but no sales, so something’s probably not quite right, or you’ve got a new design you want to test drive, or you’re unsure about the marketability of a card. Or perhaps you’re a newbie who isn’t sure if a recently submitted card is up to a marketable standard. Anyone is welcome to participate. In fact, I encourage everyone to at least look at the cards in question and read the critique comments – you may learn something. The purpose of the clinic is to help artists improve the commercial appeal and marketability of their cards.
THE RULES
- ONE card per artist only.
- Card must be for sale at Greeting Card Universe.
- We will take an unlimited number of artists, including those who have submitted recently, HOWEVER I reserve the right to close a clinic for the day if the submissions become overwhelming. If the clinic has been closed, and you submit a card, your comment will be deleted.
- To submit a card for critique, post a link to the card’s details page at GCU in the comments section of this clinic post.
- Any artist is free to comment and/or give a critique of a submitted card. HOWEVER, post-and-run comments like “great card” or “you suck” will not be tolerated, nor will abuse. Criticism should be constructive, not destructive. Play nice or you will be banned.
- I also won’t tolerate temper tantrums if you decide your “artistic integrity” is being stepped on because you asked for a critique, and someone told you the photo you’re using isn’t in focus. If you can’t take honest criticism, don’t submit. Once gets you a warning; twice and you’re banned from submitting in the future.
- Artists who critique may do so by giving their opinion, posting an example of another card, or pointing the submitter to a video, on-line article, or other helpful suggestion.
- Don’t forget that artists who are giving you tips and helpful advice are volunteering their time and trouble. Be nice. A link back to their store on your website or blog is appreciated (but not mandatory).
- You are free not to take any advice offered. There’s no guarantee any card will be a bestseller, so don’t come into the clinic with unrealistic expectations.
- Rules may change as we go along and we see how things turn out, okay?
So without any further ado, I declare this week’s Critique Clinic open!
GCU Community 
Here is a snowman card. I just changed the front verse from Merry Christmas to We wish you a Merry Christmas a few days ago. I have had 100 clicks..no sales..Maybe I’ll have to wait, because I just changed the front verse 3 days ago..Anyway HELP…
http://artist.greetingcarduniverse.com/-Snow+family+with+scarves,hats+and+holly-greeting+card-836858
Thanks,
Donna Collins
I like the card, Donna. I like your title and the product description. You may want to beef up your keywords a little, like adding merry christmas and holly. As for the clicks/no sales, it’s a bit early for the Christmas card rush.
Have you considered making this into a series of relationship specific cards?
Corrie
Thanks Corrie…Your GREAT!
I like the card – I would also suggest it would be ideal for the ‘from our family to yours’ category.
Great Idea Marion, Thanks.
Donna, I would use “cheery” or “happy” and maybe hats and
scarves in the keywords. Otherwise, I love the card and I
tweeted your store and “liked” it on Facebook. Very cute
cards!
This is a sunrise photograph taken at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet SC.
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/-Fiancee+birthday,+Sunrise+Huntington+Beach+State+park+SC-greeting+card-848439?aid=151326
To be honest, the photo is okay. What I think may be holding your card back is the front text and inside sentiment. I’d put “Happy Birthday to My Fiancee” on the front, then some nice romantic verse on the inside, maybe something that mentions a sunset to tie it together.
Corrie
This photograph is nice. I can’t see the foreground well enough with all the copyright text on it to tell whether the foreground is in good focus and the blacks are free from color noise so that it prints well … if so, its a nice image for a greeting card.
However … I agree with Corrie, a sunset card like this gives a feeling of either romance, solitude and/or peace, so your text/verse needs to support the emotion and category. One of the things GCU is looking for now with their new guidelines is how well the front of the card speaks to the category. As your card stands when submitted here, it does not speak to the category.
Keep in mind that sunrise/sunsets are the 2nd most popular things to photograph is the world … that translates into millions and millions of sunset pictures. You can make yours stand out by giving it a voice to tell a story.
Hi Donna -CUTE card, I think maybe although is does say Christmas in a sense, I think of snow and snowmen during the season, BUT maybe if you changed the text to Season’s Greetings or Happy Holidays? The color, snow and snowmen as of late, convey more of a generic holiday greeting. Or change the color scheme to red and green and throw a Christmas tree in the background ? Maybe have one of both to satisfy both markets.
Happy Friday,
This Valentine’s Day card has 63 clicks, it’s in cue to be reformatted for the new process.
Any suggestins?
PID # 755929 http://artist.greetingcarduniverse.com/shopping/cb.asp?keyword=755929&button.x=50&button.y=9
Nice colors. I question why you’ve put the word “Day” so far down at the bottom of the card when there is room to you to include it after the word Valentine’s above. Also, your font doesn’t exactly work – it’s a very formal script font when your design is quite modern. I’d choose a different font as well.
Corrie
The one little thing I noticed is the white polka dot that runs into the text. That would bug me, and I would probably figure ot a way to eliminate it.
Stephanie
Happy day! Would really appreciate your input. I’ve been working on these golden roses for an anniversary card and can’t seem to come up with something that shows off their vibrancy. I tend to like the darker colors but have noticed that pastels and lighter colors seem to sell better. Here are three samples of same card from my private gallery. Any suggestions? Thanks, Kati
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/shopping/viewdetails.asp?pid=854626&aid=137290
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/shopping/viewdetails.asp?pid=854624&aid=137290
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/shopping/viewdetails.asp?pid=854623&aid=137290
I looked at the first one. I don’t know… the color of the roses looks kind of dull to me – I’m not sure if that’s due to the flowers themselves, or the background it’s on. Have you tried a white background? Or a white background with a very subtle pattern? That might make the roses pop a little more. Also, you might do better to add a nice verse to the inside.
Corrie
Thanks Corrie, They seem to show up more on the darker backgrounds. Didn’t add verse yet because haven’t decided on which one to use. These are just sample fronts. Will try a white background.
Hi Kati – I looked at all three. To show off a flowers vibrancy, you often have to let it stand alone. Corrie suggested a a white background with a very subtle pattern and that’s what I would do. I find these roses to be in need of softening. Maybe because none of the roses are fully open or the angle they were shot, or the fact that you’ve removed them from their natural background … not sure what it is, but I find them anything but soft and romantic, vibrant yes, but not soft.
If it was my rose photo I would add a dreamy feel to the roses to give them a romantic feeling and let them stand alone without having to fight background colors and elements other than your text.
Thanks Doreen. Is this better? http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/shopping/viewdetails.asp?pid=854755&aid=137290
Not sure how to soften, but gave it a try.
Hi Kati – It is better, all of it. I will say that the harsh lighting on those roses (when the photo was taken) really needs to be toned down. Do you know how to do that? Use a curve to bring down the highlights a bit and increase the mid-tones. Or duplicate the rose layer and then use a Multiply Blending mode and take the opacity of that 2nd layer down until you’ve enriched and darkened the roses. Give it a try if you can, if you can’t the layout is certainly more pleasing!
Did any of that make sense? LOL!
Thanks Doreen. I used the curve and it just seems to fade out the image. I am now trying to figure out the Multiply Blending mode. Have an old Photoshop CS so may be different than the newer ones. Do have Photoshop Elements 9 that came with my intuos and maybe I can do something there. Will keep working at it. Just an amateur photographer. I came upon the beautiful field of yellow roses this spring and it took my breath away. Took about 50 photos and hope I can use a few. It was almost noon when I took photos, so not the best timing. Really appreciate the time you give to all of us. I use so much of the information you share.
You’re welcome Kati – Don’t worry as in all things … it takes practice, practice, practice…hahaha!. All Photoshop versions have Multiply as a blend mode. It will be very dark and ugly at first, so remember the key is to reduce the opacity of this new layer down to barely noticeable…just enough to darken the tonal values a bit.
Here is a short article I wrote a couple years ago which might give you some helpful tips for the next time you are able to enjoy photographing in outdoor lighting that is not optimum 🙂
Hey…the link didn’t show…. More coffee please 🙂
http://salonofartnewsletter.weebly.com/1/post/2011/01/photography-tip-for-july-2009.html
Great advise -thanks I will work on these suggestions.
755929 Well I have some changes and changed the inside text as well. NOW I just realized ALL the photo cards I reformatted to png files after changing them ended up in my private gallery. – thus this one is in my private gallery 😦
We can still see your private gallery cards Caryn…here is it:
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/-For+my+Teacher-+Valentines+Day-greeting+card-755929?aid=137659
It looks SO much better! Well done!
Thanks Doreen, they were simple tweaks too. Big difference
Happy Weekend everyone. Here I am again, with another card. I created this one quite a while ago with watercolor and colored pencils http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/-I+love+you+-+Cute+Mouse+in+Love+with+Cheese+Heart-greeting+card-639202?aid=141408 (It still has my maiden name initials)
It was one of my first cards on GCU, but people don’t seem to like it. Wondering if anyone has an idea what the problem is. Thank you so much, again.
Gerda
Hi Gerda – I certainly don’t think it’s the image, that’s the cutest little mouse I’ve ever seen. I think it’s your lack of text on the front to let people know what occasion or message the card is offering. The cheese heart does not jump out at you as a heart … at first.
So I think you just need to work on a verse that expands your idea and allows you to put something on the front to draw people in.
Hi Doreen, thank you so much. You are probably right. I’ll try to come up with a better text for a certain occaision. I will also try to work on the heart in photoshop. Thank you again for your time and suggestions! And also – thank you for letting me know, that the product description of the wing in a sling – arm, shoulder card had an ooopsie! 🙂 Have a great sunday! Gerda
This is a new design. Just wondering what others here will think about the marketability of this idea and the design:
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/-Have+a+Happy+Birthday+Or+else-greeting+card-851384?aid=138159
Thanks!
John J.
Hi John – Well, personally I love it. The green text is blended well to represent spray paint and your image I find delightful. The message is cute and I think will go over well. There may be some that will balk at this design because of how it connects to a ‘touchy subject’, but I don’t think that will effect your sales. I don’t see a thing worth changing, so wait and see what Corrie offers … this is her expertise.
Good luck!
Thanks Doreen! I was worried about that ‘touchy subject’ aspect also. I had originally designed it to have an image on the inside with a small trash can for all the trash from the front to be neatly placed inside it and a humorus disclaimer underneath saying something like “all grafitti on this card was simulated, no actual walls were defaced in the making of this greeting”. Since we can’t have inside images I abandoned that idea. Do you think the disclaimer would work? Or, even be needed?
Thanks,
John J.
I don’t actually think the disclaimer is needed. My feeling is that the more you leave this card open for interpretation the less you touch the ‘touchy subject’.
Corrie will have a better handle on this than I however, so wait to hear what she contributes. In the meantime I would improve your keywords to at least include humor, funny … and add a description.
I can see where you’re going with the design. Yes, it indeed a “touchy” subject (gangs and graffiti), but you never know – it has youth appeal and humor on its side. I’d say to try it out, see where it goes.
Corrie
Thanks Doreen and Corrie! I’ll work on the key words a description and see how it goes!
John