Rainbow Connection: Red, White and Blue
The theme for the GCU Design Challenge for the month July is Red, White and Blue. Here is some inspiration:
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Nuts and Bolts: Custom Card Requests: Tips III
By giving it a bit of thought it’s often possible to give a new twist to an existing design that I have already created, to satisfy a request for a new card. I tend to feel slightly guilty about this as it obviously doesn’t take as long to re-work an existing idea as it does to draw something from scratch, but experience has taught me that just because I have slaved over an idea for hours it is no more likely to be a sales winner than something that hasn’t taken anywhere nearly as long.
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted New Cards: Tattoo Cards
Note: Be sure to include related terms in your card metadata like: tattoo, tat, tatted, ink, inked, body art.
We’d like you to create at least one card for these categories using the Stock Cards function (Bigstock) or your own graphic designs.
Remember, when you’re submitting your new card, add a little note about the intended category in your Notes to Reviewers. Be inventive, be clever, be creative. Go for it!
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Freebie Wednesday: 26 Old Laurels Graphic
Freebie Wednesday: 26 Old Laurel Graphics.
Get these amazing illustrations – 1 AI, 1 EPS, 27 PDF and 26 PNG – ideal for use in a wide range of creative projects.
26 laurels illustrations (al vectors) came from high resolution scanned pictures.
This product comes with a complete commercial license.
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Rainbow Connection: Succulant Summer Color Schemes
More Succulant Summer Color Schemes I found on the internet this week:
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Nuts and Bolts: Ellipses, Shoppers Do Care
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted New Cards: Relation Specific Name Day
We’d like you to create at least one card for these categories using the Stock Cards function (Bigstock) or your own graphic designs.
Remember, when you’re submitting your new card, add a little note about the intended category in your Notes to Reviewers. Be inventive, be clever, be creative. Go for it!
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Freebie Wednesday:
Northern Woodland: Animals and plants in ethnic style is a vector clip package designed by Olga Belova and includes 47 vector clip arts (5 eps files + 47 png files with a transparent background). Png files are saved in high resolution 300dpi. The vector eps files are easily edited. Northern Woodland is only free for a limited time (hurry!! just 2,5 days left!)
All freebies come with a Commercial License.
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Rainbow Connection: Fresh Summer Hues II
Get inspired with some more Fresh Summer Hues I found on the internet this week:
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Dash of Inspiration: July 2018 Design Challenge
WOW! Summer is definitely here in California and July always brings up a feeling of patriotism here in the states. That leads us to our theme for this month’s design challenge – so here we go …
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Theme: Red, White and Blue
Requirements:
- Red, White and Blue is the color scheme. Other colors may be included, but these colors must be prominent in the design.
- Patriotic cards for USA are obviously welcomed, but ANY category and design featuring this color palette will be accepted and could be the winning card.
- Write your own verse/message, be creative and write a message that clearly speaks to your imagery, occasion and recipient.
- Blank verse will not be considered for entry in this challenge.
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Entry Deadline: Tuesday, July 31st
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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 category which fits your theme and message.
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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: July 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 – nearly 56,000 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: 2K!
- 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!
- NEW starting this month, 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.
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Winning card will be posted on GCU’s Instagram with 2,000 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.
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 2,000 followers and counting!
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Tips:
Check out these tips, tricks, freebies, and tutorials from our own GCU Community Blog which might be helpful in this month’s Challenge.
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Be inspired to create and learn something new!
GCU Community 