Creative Design Ideas for Greeting Cards

With so many themes, occasions, events and reasons for printing greeting cards, it's practically impossible to list every type of greeting card design style in one place. Even more challenging is for graphic designers to come up with new and original designs that fit within established styles and themes. While originality still exists, the more it is exercised, the fewer opportunities new designers have to cash in on it. That doesn't mean you can't have an original take on an old design, however; which is the focus of this article that details creative design ideas for greeting cards.

Optical illusions

Optical illusions are a fan favorite, so if you can find (or create) an optical illusion that is relevant to the greeting card occasion you'll have a winning greeting card to print right off the bat. Some illusions include two-in-one images, hidden images, never-ending staircases and perpetual mirrors (which you might be able to pull off with a series of foil stamps, if you're an enterprising designer).

Oversized greeting cards

Oversized greeting cards used to be big in the market, but one hardly ever sees them any more. That's a shame, since the bigger the card, the bigger the love. Seriously, large greeting cards are impossible to ignore and good for a laugh any day. If you can tie in the oversized quality of your greeting cards with the occasion theme, all the better.

Otherworldly illustrations

Why do web designers and Halloween designers get to have all the fun? They wouldn't if you set out to create an amazingly intricate and colorful otherworldly illustration for your greeting cards. The new, the original, and mostly, the odd simply can't be ignored so any greeting card printed with a semi-freakish yet somehow-lovable illustration is destined to be a big hit. Outlandish stunts get publicity; outlandish greeting cards sell.

Simple and small

Most of these have focused on how you can be bigger and bolder with your greeting card designs, but some occasions call for a simple, small, quiet greeting card design. You can print small greeting cards with tiny text to be humorous; or, add a foil stamp outline to your (slightly larger) text for an elegant appeal. Couple these techniques with a top-down folding greeting card, and you'll have a small printed piece that makes a lasting impression on the recipient. When you print greeting cards, be sure to carefully choose your printing options and ask your online greeting card printing company for help if you need it. Choose a premium paper to help your designs have more flair; excellent choices include 16-point gloss cover stock and 13-point matte cover stock, the latter of which is made of recycled paper so you can go green while crafting incredibly imaginative greeting cards. You might additionally want to have your greeting cards UV coated for extra sheen and durability or add a foil stamp for fun and elegance. And don't forget to print matching envelopes to go along with your greeting cards!