Weekly Font Fix – Art Deco Fonts
Hello, fellow creatives! 🎨 Are you on the hunt for the perfect typeface to elevate your designs? Look no further! In this weekly blog series, “Font Fix,” I’ll be sharing a curated selection of stunning fonts that are not only free but also licensed for commercial use. Whether you’re crafting greeting cards, branding materials, or digital content, these fonts will add that extra flair to your projects. Join me as we explore unique styles and discover new favorites that will inspire your creativity and enhance your artistic endeavors. Let’s dive into this week’s font treasures!
Disclaimer:
These fonts are free, but to be safe always remember to check the specific licensing terms to ensure they meet your commercial use requirements.
Happy Designing!
Corrie
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Nuts & Bolts – Noted Greeting Card Expo 2024
Nuts & Bolts – Noted Greeting Card Expo 2024
Better late than never, here is my trip report from attending NOTED Greeting Card Expo & Gifted held 4/26 – 4/28.
This expo is the West Coast sister of NY NOW and NOTED. For the past few years, it’s been such a thrill (and horribly convenient) to attend a show practically in my backyard plus to be a tourist in my own city – the beautiful city by the bay, San Francisco!
Again, hosted at Fort Mason Center between the iconic Ghirardelli Square at the end of Fisherman’s Wharf and the Marina District, the view from this waterfront venue never gets old with a view of both the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island.
Here are some photos of the event which included catching up with familiar artists and industry contacts, meeting new artists and always a highlight, meeting in person any of our GCU artists.
This year I met with GCU Artist David Meeker who joined GCU back in 2007 and is also a SF Bay Area local. We discussed the early days of GCU, the many changes since 2007 as well as the changes in David’s art being more abstract and how to leverage his new portfolio for greeting cards.
Another wonderful meet up was with 2023’s GCU Founders’ Choice Best New Artist and Hottest Selling Birthday card – TMS International, represented by Kim Spanjersberg, Sales Director, and Saskia van Wingerden, Art Director, from the Netherlands.
We also caught up with the oh so colorful Andrew of That’s So Andrew, who we hope to have join GCU’s artist community soon.
Noteworthy Trends:
– profuse, heavy & lush floral designs
– the trade and charm of letterpress craft still shines
– pops of neon colors – lime, orange, highlighter yellow
– sweeping brush script designs as art not just text
– lots of puns – bananas galore
– more niche designers than last year – LGBTQ, adoption, Eid, Ramadan, Native American Indian, CNY (it’s taken them a while to serve the niche markets)
– strong female empowered voice and force – i am woman hear me roar
My role at the show can sometimes be awkward, straddling the role of e-tailer looking for artists to join GCU but at the same time looking at artists whose work competes with GCU’s. However the conversation gets easier every year as more and more artists understand the concept of community content and print on demand technology. They see the benefit of a passive source of income in parallel with their traditional brick and mortar retailer efforts. I always leave this show with a positive outlook that there is room for everyone in the greeting card space. Like art, there is something for everyone. The “paper people” here are a creative, supportive, and welcoming community.
See here re: GCU’s attendance at the GCA’s 35th LOUIE Awards night and other posts re: NOTED and the LOUIE Awards.
As part of the LOUIE Awards, there is a Consumer’s Choice Award which has just been announced. The people have voted and the Consumer’s Choice Award winner announced this year is this Friendship/Encouragement card by Cardideology.
Sadly, NOTED 2025 is being hosted in Las Vegas in July – yes, Vegas in July where the average high is 105 degrees. We will have to decide next year if we make the trip.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted New Cards: Valentine’s Day Photo Card Now and Then
Wanted Cards – Valentine’s Day Photo Card Now and Then
An interesting and popular twist on photo cards has been “then and now”. GCU has some for birthdays and wedding anniversaries featuring a placement of two photos – one older and one now to show and appreciate the passing of time. Perhaps this will resonate with shoppers on Valentine’s Day – maybe with a longtime valentine.
Please consider creating “Then and Now” Valentine’s Day photo cards that should go here:
Holidays >> Valentine’s Day >> Photo Cards / Your Picture Here cid#6189
and possibly a second fitting category if the card is for example relationship specific, message specific, name specific, etc:
>> Be My Valentine?
>> Customize for Any Relation
>> Name Specific
>> Years Together
Here are some shining examples for Birthday and Wedding Anniversary by GCU artist Robin Chaffin of Simply Put by Robin:
Note: cid# is the speed entry method of adding a category to your card via category id number (cid#) vs using search terms or click and hunt. See here on the blog:
To expedite the review of these cards, please check Fast Track Review on the card image details page when you create your card and add a Note for Reviewers like “for BLOG– Wanted Cards”.
Be inventive, be clever, be creative. Go for it!
Mindy Rosso
GCU Community Manager
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Dash of Inspiration: November 2024 Design Challenge
Here is the LAST challenge of the year! Hard to believe yet another year has passed, but oh what fun we’ve had! Now for a final challenge this year, we are going to end the year with a push on your creativity.
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Theme: Fusion Design
Requirements:
- Create a brand new design by choosing at least FOUR items from the list of eight objects below and create a greeting card design. You may use more than four, all of them, or add additional items, including people and animals – but a minimum of four from the list must be clearly visible and important elements in the overall card design and message.
shoes, pencil, paint brush, chocolate, needle & thread, sofa, bow, flag
- Write your own verse/message, be creative and write a message that clearly speaks to your imagery, occasion and recipient.
- No Stock card creations will be accepted.
- Blank verse will not be considered for entry in this challenge.
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Entry Deadline: Saturday, November 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 approved and 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: November Design Challenge Submission and include the link to this blog post.
- Only ONE card per artist per challenge.
- Submissions must be NEW, no existing designs.
- Your entry must meet the Challenge Requirements 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’. 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, Professionalism 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: 13.34k!
- 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!
- 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 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 2024!
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 2024!
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Tips:
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Nuts & Bolts – Design Change Inside Verse
Nuts & Bolts – Design Change Inside Verse
We often see shoppers, especially during winter holiday sales, sending a design change customrequest asking for the insideverse to be changed by the artist. The shopper can do this themselves!
Simply reply to the shopper sharing that they can customize the inside of ALL cards.
Consider using this statement in your replies to such requests:
“As with all GCU cards, you can add your own text to the inside to personalize it. In fact, you can even change the existing inside text on any of our cards and even upload your own photo or image to the inside at no additional cost.”
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted New Cards Extra: Thank You Manager – Supervisor
As a greeting card designer, we know that crafting the perfect message for a manager or supervisor can be a delightful challenge. Whether it’s a heartfelt thank you or a cheerful birthday wish, finding the right words is essential to convey appreciation while maintaining professionalism.
In this post, I’m excited to share a collection of fun and creative greeting card ideas tailored specifically for those in leadership roles. From clever quips about office life to lighthearted acknowledgments of their hard work, these messages are designed to bring a smile to your boss’s face and strengthen workplace relationships.
Join me as we explore unique and engaging card texts that strike the perfect balance between humor and gratitude. Let’s make those special moments memorable with words that resonate, all while showcasing the art of thoughtful design. Get ready to elevate your greeting card game and bring joy to your workplace celebrations!
Thank You Card Text Ideas For a Manager
Witty and Appreciative
- Thanks for being our captain and steering this ship through both calm and stormy seas. We’d be lost without your leadership (and your secret stash of office snacks).
- To the manager who feels like they might be Google at times – I appreciate all of the answers, even when I forget to phrase my questions as proper search queries.
- Cheers to the boss who considers “deadline” merely a suggestion and “overtime” an opportunity for team bonding. Your flexible approach keeps us sane.
Humorous and Grateful
- You’re the ideal combination of being in the know yet still micromanaging everything. It’s an art form, really.
- Happy Boss’ Day! I maintain my career and sense of humor because of your inspirational sayings. Who knew “Get back to work” could be so motivating?
- Thanks for making simple to work long hours. We live for your leadership and your uncanny ability to schedule meetings that could’ve been emails.
For a Supervisor
Playful and Appreciative
- Working under your supervision is like a game show. Guess what’s on the agenda today! Thanks for keeping us on our toes.
- You’re the superhero who saves us from ourselves. Thanks for swooping in with solutions when we’re drowning in spreadsheets.
- To the supervisor who turns our mistakes into “learning opportunities” – your optimism is both inspiring and slightly terrifying. Thanks for believing in us!
Lighthearted and Thankful
- Thanks for being the kind of supervisor who understands that Monday blues are real and coffee breaks are essential survival tactics.
- Your open-door policy is legendary. The door is always open for us to leave… I mean, to seek your valuable advice. Thanks for always being there!
- We appreciate your talent for turning hour-long meetings into day-long adventures. Time flies when you’re having fun, right?
Remember, the key is to balance humor with genuine appreciation. These messages acknowledge the manager’s or supervisor’s role while adding a touch of lightheartedness that can strengthen workplace relationships.
Birthday Card Text Ideas For a Manager
Playful and Professional
- Happy Birthday to the boss who’s mastered the art of looking busy while scrolling through cat memes. Your multitasking skills are truly inspirational!
- Congratulations on leveling up! May your new year be filled with fewer meetings and more cake breaks. Happy Birthday, Boss!
- It’s your birthday! Time to celebrate the day our fearless leader was born. The office printer sensed your impending arrival and jammed in anticipation.
Witty and Warm
- Happy Birthday to the manager who can turn a crisis into a team-building exercise. Here’s to another year of creative problem-solving!
- They say age is just a number, but in your case, it’s a highly classified piece of information. Happy Birthday to our enigmatic leader!
- Wishing a fantastic birthday to the boss who’s perfected the “I’m listening” nod during long meetings. Your acting skills deserve an Oscar!
For a Supervisor
Humorous and Heartfelt
- Happy Birthday to the supervisor who’s seen it all, heard it all, and somehow still hasn’t fired us all. We appreciate your patience!
- Congrats on another trip around the sun! May your coffee be strong and your Monday meetings be short in the coming year.
- It’s your special day! We considered getting you a “World’s Best Supervisor” mug, but we figured you already have a cabinet full. Happy Birthday!
Lighthearted and Appreciative
- Happy Birthday to the supervisor who’s always got our backs… and occasionally our front when we’re trying to sneak out early. Thanks for being awesome!
- Wishing a wonderful birthday to the person who turns our workplace chaos into somewhat organized chaos. You’re the glue that holds us together!
- To our favorite supervisor: May your birthday be as delightful as the moment when you approve our time-off requests. Have a great one!
Remember to tailor these messages based on your relationship with your manager or supervisor and their sense of humor. The goal is to celebrate their birthday while acknowledging their role in a fun, lighthearted way that brings a smile to their face.
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Wanted New Cards: Thank You Manager / Supervisor
Wanted Cards – Thank You Manager / Supervisor
We have many cards for ‘bosses” but in some work environments that title is too formal or not descriptive enough while “manager” or “supervisor” is more fitting.
Please consider creating Thank You cards for a Manager as well as a Supervisor. They should go here collectively:
Occasions >> Thank You >> Occupation Specific >> Manager / Supervisor cid#38366
also consider Birthdays for these specific titles here:
Birthday >> Occupation Specific >> Manager / Supervisor cid#38368
Note: cid# is the speed entry method of adding a category to your card via category id number (cid#) vs using search terms or click and hunt. See here on the blog:
To expedite the review of these cards, please check Fast Track Review on the card image details page when you create your card and add a Note for Reviewers like “for BLOG– Wanted Cards”.
Consider using Stock Card Creations to create new cards quickly. These cards are automatically set for expedited review so no need to Fast Track. Remember, when you’re submitting your new stock card, add a little note about the intended category in your Notes to Reviewers.
Be inventive, be clever, be creative. Go for it!
Mindy Rosso
GCU Community Manager
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Weekly Font Fix – Halloween Edition
Hello, fellow creatives! 🎨 Are you on the hunt for the perfect typeface to elevate your designs? Look no further! In this weekly blog series, “Font Fix,” I’ll be sharing a curated selection of stunning fonts that are not only free but also licensed for commercial use. Whether you’re crafting greeting cards, branding materials, or digital content, these fonts will add that extra flair to your projects. Join me as we explore unique styles and discover new favorites that will inspire your creativity and enhance your artistic endeavors. Let’s dive into this week’s font treasures!
Disclaimer:
These fonts are free, but to be safe always remember to check the specific licensing terms to ensure they meet your commercial use requirements.
Happy Designing!
Corrie
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Nuts & Bolts – Temp Private Gallery Workaround
Nuts & Bolts – Temp Private Gallery Workaround
As reported on the forum, there is an issue accessing cards in artists’ Private Gallery. Our tech team is working on the corrective action that should be applied soon. Until then, here is a workaround in changing the link to share with your shopper.
Remove everything after the product id in the url. For example:
This link from the private gallery won’t work:
https://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/unleash-the-joy-staffordshire-terrier-17523 74/?aid=649594
However this link will:
https://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/unleash-the-joy-staffordshire-terrier-17523 74
We apologize for any inconveniences.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
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Nuts & Bolts – Custom Card Requests, Be Holiday Ready
Nuts & Bolts – Custom Card Requests, Be Holiday Ready
Custom design requests provide a wonderful opportunity to delight a shopper! Some requests are a simple color or word change while others are more involved resulting in a new design altogether.
During the holiday season, shoppers are understandably choosy with their holiday card choices so GCU sees many custom requests during this time of year. Holiday card sales are beginning to pick up for early shoppers and we are starting to see many custom design requests.
A very common request is to change wording in the cover design like a relationship or holiday sentiment, like Merry Christmas to Season’s Greetings or vice versa. When you create a holiday card consider offering it in a variety of popular holiday sentiments like the following by GCU artist Sandra Rose Designs:
Please see this related posting for more about Custom Requests.
See this prior Custom Card Requests, Holiday Ready and here for more tips and examples
TIPS
* There can be up to a 24 hour delay in your updated message displaying on the site.
* Since there are often email deliver-ability issues it is wise to check the Manage Custom Request tool periodically to make sure you have not overlooked any requests. See these recent custom design request improvements.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
GCU Community 