Wanted New Cards: Thank You for the Tour
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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Font Frenzy: Be Perky Script
Be Perky Script is a joyful handwritten font by LovePower and comes with a complete Commercial License.
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Rainbow Connection: Unique march Colors
Here are some Unique March Colors I found on the internet this week:
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Nuts and Bolts: Freshen up a Saturated Category
GCU strongly encourages artists to create cards for categories in need, those with few to no cards. We discourage adding new cards to a saturated, or heavily populated category. However that is if your submissions are simply “more of the same”. No matter how populated a category there is sure to be a style, subject matter or sentiment that has gone uncovered.
So if you intend to submit to a heavily populated category here are a few tips.
1. BEFORE designing, review the current offerings in the category to see what is being offered and more importantly what is NOT being offered.
2. If your idea addresses something fresh and new for the category, go ahead and design and submit it.
3. When you submit, add in your Notes to the Reviewer something like “I did my homework and there are currently no Chinese crested dogs offered in the Chinese New Year category. Please consider this a fresh addition to a populated category”.
4. Wait for the results of the review before creating more submissions based on the original design.
In addition to adding variety to a populated category, another excellent reason to do is to offer fresh designs to repeat shoppers. GCU shoppers tend to be return shoppers. But if they return to the same category year after year and don’t see new choices they may bore and go elsewhere. So although you may have a top selling card in a category, don’t rest on your laurels and assume it will sell year after year after year. Identify new designs you can add to the same category that appeal to repeat shoppers, especially if they are a fan of your work.
TIP: Pssst, Persian New Year could use some new designs, Feel free to submit for FastTrack review.
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted New Cards: Personal Trainer
Props are always in order for the person that pumps you up (mentally and physically), trims you down, and motivates you to sweat it out even when you have nothing left to give. Please consider creating cards to give thanks and credit to Personal Trainers on National Personal Trainer Awareness Day (celebrated January 2).
Holidays >> Occupational Awareness Observation >> National Personal Trainer Awareness Day
Also props due to becoming a Certified Personal Trainer. Category in need of cards also.
Occasions >> Congratulations >> Becoming a Licensed / Certified >> Personal Trainer
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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Nuts and Bolts: Dedicate yourself to the Details
Tip: Read these good tips on when to edit an existing card vs creating a new one.
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted New Cards: Pet Cancer
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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Dash of Inspiration: March 2017 Design Challenge
March is rolling in and this California artist hopes it brings more sun than rain and snow! Let’s have some fun with our imagination this month …
Theme: Create Your Own Superhero
Requirements:
- Imagery should be appropriate for the recipients.Superheroes can be any living being from young to old, from feathers to fur, or from alien to monster – just be creative and unique!
- CAUTION: Do your diligent research to ensure you are not infringing on any copyright version of a superhero such as; Superman, etc.
- Your superhero must match the overall message, occasion, and recipient.
- Blank verse will not be considered for entry in this challenge.
NOTE: Please keep in mind that “super hero” in the design or metadata is not permitted as it is a trademark of Marvel and DC Comics. However separate by a comma is “super, hero”is accepted.
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Entry Deadline: Friday, March 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 that is well-suited for your superhero 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: March 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 categories above 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 46,000 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.
- Nuts and Bolts: Homework Always Pays Off
- Dash of Inspiration: Don’t be a Copy Cat
- Tips and Tricks: Sources and Credit
- Nuts and Bolts: The Right Image
- Dash of Inspiration: Marketability – Occasion/Gender/Age Specific
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Be inspired to create and learn something new!
I am the volunteer ‘artist’ for my local wildlife rehabilitation non-profit organization who after designing their new logo a couple of years ago, they requested I create a superhero mascot for them to gain the attention of a ‘younger’ crowd. So, this is Tri County Wildlife Care’s new mascot “T.C.” – this was my inspiration for this challenge. Though not a card, I hope it offers inspiration to create your own superhero and put it to great use!
©Doreen Erhardt and Tri County Wildlife Care
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Nuts and Bolts: Best of 2016 Feature Page
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted New Cards: Preemie Milestones
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!
GCU Community 