Nuts and Bolts: Make the Unexpected Work
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Wanted New Cards: Adoption Finalization Party Invitations
We have a categorie that needs your attention:
At the moment there are 4 cards in this category.
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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Rainbow Connection: Color Palette Ideas
Get inspiration for new card designs at ICB Color Palette Ideas
or how about Design Seeds
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Wanted New Cards: National Healthcare Volunteer Week
We have two brandnew categories that need your attention:
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 2016 Design Challenge
Our March 2016 Winners are:
1st Place goes to Sun At Night Studios with PID 1426534
©Sun At Night Studios – 1st Place Winner
2nd Place is Awarded to: Stacia Gorge with PID 1429314
©Stacia Gorge – 2nd Place Winner
February is now over, all your exciting new cards have been entered into “The Race is On” Challenge and the judges will begin deliberating over those designs beginning today. In the meantime, it’s time for us to move on to the March Dash of Inspiration Design Challenge. You ready? Here we go …
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Theme: Business Classic Expressions
This month’s challenge will help fill a category at GCU which could use a fresh infusion of great cards. Business terms and buzz words (phrases) are popular right now in the world of corporate business and that’s what this challenge is asking you to create.
Requirements:
- A strong business message on both the card front and inside verse is required.
- The imagery must have a professional look and overall feel. Any medium is acceptable.
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Entry Deadline: Thursday, March 31st, 2016
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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: Business > Business Favorites Cards > Classic Expressions
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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.
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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 28,000 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: 1.3K!
- 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!
- Winning card will be Twitted to GCU’s followers which is over 1,500 and growing.
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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Tips:
The tips this month are for places to research for this challenge theme.
- 52 Most Common Business Idioms from the New York Times
- The Most Common Business Idioms
- 40 Useful Business English Expressions
- Thesaurus of Business and Management Terms
- Top Trending Business Buzzwords in 2015
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Here is my example for this month’s theme:
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Get creative! Be inspired! Have fun!
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Thank you to all our participants:
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Rainbow Connection: Monthly Mood Boards
Lets get some inspiration for Spring with these fresh Monthly Mood Boards from Studio Calico.
Like February
or March
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Nuts and Bolts: Punctuation – Exclamation Point Abuse
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Wanted New Cards: Getting your Wheelchair / Walker
We have a brandnew categorie that needs your attention:
At the moment there are 1 card in this category.
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: Bralyn Script
The Hungry JPEG has a lovely $1 script font on offer called Bralyn Script by Van Roem.
Bralyn Monoline Script is a new modern calligraphy Script font, combines from copperplate to contemporary typeface, classic and elegant touch. With extra bouncy curves & loops, Bralyn Script is guaranteed to make your text stand out – perfect for logos, printed quotes, invitations, cards, product packaging, headers and whatever your imagination holds.
Bralyn Monoline Script features 271 glyphs and alternate character contain with opentype features. Stylistic alternates, Swash Alternates, Ligature and more.
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Rainbow Connection: PatternCurator
PatternCurator is a trend forecast company focused on print, pattern & color inspiration. Their goal is to inspire artists and designers. PatternCurator is trend obsessed – especially when it comes to print, pattern & color. This obsession has them scouring the world, looking at anything and everything that could be current and upcoming trends. They provide an inspiration resource for design professionals and aspiring designers alike.
Here is an example of one of their mood boards. They state all their sources with clickable links and there are plenty of choices saving it to social media like facebook and pinterest.
GCU Community 