Nuts & Bolts: Card Series Review Process Reminder
As a reminder, when you are submitting a new design that you intend to as a series (a near identical image with minor changes only like age or relationship), please be sure to follow the Concept Series Review Process.
Please submit ONE series concept card into FAST TRACK with a request to review for a series in the Notes to Reviewers. Please include your intended use, for example; a relationship series, an age series, intended to use for various occasions, etc, as this will assist us in evaluating the series.
In cases where one small detail will change, eg, age or relationship cards, please submit an age or relationship version for your series request so we can evaluate text placement, etc.
Here is an example of a series; near identical image with variations for relationship and grade level. Cards by GCU artist Teri Francis of Squirrel Hugger.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted New Cards: Sip & See Baby Shower Invitations
Growing in popularity are baby showers after the baby is born giving friends and family a chance to “see” the baby and “sip” on a beverage of choice. This takes some pressure off the new parents who may not want to acquiesce to many home visitors but provide a fun opportunity for a baby viewing. Kind of like a meet and greet but for baby!
These cards should go here:
Invitations >> Baby Shower >> Sip & See Party cid#37474
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:
https://gcucommunity.com/2022/06/10/nuts-and-bolts-new-artist-enhancements/
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!
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Freebie Wednesday: Free Nature Backgrounds
Only available on the Hungry Jpeg site for another 6 days, so don’t miss out.
Comes with complete License.
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Dash of Inspiration: April 2023 Design Challenge
It’s time to truly test your creative juices, so let’s get rolling …
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Theme: Fusion Design
Requirements:
- Create a brand new design by choosing at least THREE items from the list of eight objects below and create a greeting card design. You may use more than three, all of them, or add additional items, including people and animals – but a minimum of three from the list must be clearly visible and important elements in the overall card design and message.
Hat, calendar, watch, basket, violin, remote control, hand, apple
- 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: Sunday, April 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 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: April 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 58,000 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: 12.9K!
- 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 10,800 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 2023!
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 10,800 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 2023!
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Tips:
- Dash of Inspiration: Composition – Balance of Elements
- Nuts and Bolts: The Right Image
- Nuts and Bolts: Don’t Fall Into These Traps!
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Be inspired to create and learn something new!
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Nuts & Bolts: Reminder March 2023 Design Challenge
It’s the last day to submit your entries for March’s Stock Card Design Challenge.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted New Cards: Deaconess Ordination Invitation
https://gcucommunity.com/2022/06/10/nuts-and-bolts-new-artist-enhancements/
Be inventive, be clever, be creative. Go for it!
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Freebie Wednesday: Berry Blossoms Watercolors
Only available on the Hungry Jpeg site for another 6 days, so don’t miss out.
Comes with complete License.
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Wanted New Cards: Easter from our Family to Yours
In the past couple of years, we have certainly had to find the humor of the countless “you can’t make this stuff up” circumstances. One current head scratching phenomenon is the soaring price of eggs.
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:
https://gcucommunity.com/2022/06/10/nuts-and-bolts-new-artist-enhancements/
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!
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Freebie Wednesday: Westjava Script Font
Freebie of the week is Westjava! An artistic expressional handwritten font with strong characters.
Westjava is a original handwritten typeface, inspired from several written everyday sources. Perfect for your next design, such as printed quotes, handwritten quotes, invitations, cards, product packaging, merchandise, social media & greeting cards, headline magazine, headers, and anything else you can imagine.
Only available on the Hungry Jpeg site for another 6 days, so don’t miss out.
Comes with complete License.
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Nuts & Bolts: Design Change Inside Verse
We see shoppers often sending a design change custom request asking for the inside verse to be changed by the artist. Simply reply to the shopper sharing that ALL cards can be customized on the inside.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
GCU Community 