Creative Photo Card Design Ideas

Photo cards have quickly caught on as a popular way to invite friends and family members to events and to share special memories with loved ones. And with today's powerful yet easy-to-use graphic design software, there's no reason to settle for the bland photo with a cheesy clip art photo adjacent to Times New Roman - or even the dreaded Comic Sans - when you can create an amazing and unique design that will dazzle recipients. Read on for some creative photo card design ideas.

Make a search collage

Instead of a single photo, make a collage out of your photo cards. But don't just make any collage. Start by assembling your collage as usual, then go through and find items that made it onto your collage. Place a colored bar to the side, top or bottom of your photo cards with a list of items to find. These might include a blue hat, a musical instrument, a dog, any object being held by someone in your photos or just about anything else. If you have the skills you can be even more mischievous by including fictional characters, elves or goblins in with your search collage photo cards.

Up close and personal

Instead of the traditional mugshot for your photo cards, try a real up close and personal shot. Examples include a million-dollar smile, vixen eyes, a special hairstyle and an engagement ring adorned hand. Your goal is to offer a close-up shot that reveals either something about an upcoming occasion or a unique personal attribute. Close-up photo cards can be every bit as endearing as mug shots, and then some.

Superimpose photos

Again drawing on the power and ease of use of today's graphic design software, you can superimpose photos in unique places, historical settings, wonderful lands, on distant planets and anywhere else imaginable. One fun way to announce a wedding would be to take full-length photos of the bride and groom and then superimpose them on top of a wedding cake.

Action shots

So many photo cards contain portrait shots that they've practically lost all originality - and personality. Instead of a portrait, why not put action shots on your photo cards that depict your subjects doing the things they love most? Your photo cards might depict children playing soccer or jumping in a leaf pile, adults might be scuba diving or lounging in a swing, or even a buddy playing a round of poker. Don't be afraid to use props and stage the action, either; the more dynamic your photo cards, the more creative they'll turn out. No matter what type of design you create for your photo cards, be sure to print them on premium paper so your designs brim with brilliance. For best results, choose 14-point gloss cover stock that has a glossy sheen on both sides, or 13-point matte cover stock that has a deep rich sheen and is printed on recycled paper.