My Holiday Cards: 5th Design

DESIGN 5: FRONT



DESIGN 5: INSIDE
Message: “Brightest days and warmest nights/may your holidays be filled with joy.”



DESIGN 5: BACK
Specs: Horizontal 5×7 card on archival linen with the inside design spanning the inside spread vertically, folded in the middle.
Do you know this family? Help them win a prize by leaving a comment about their card design!

What I love about this design — I had SO much fun working with this family! The picture on the back of the card is one of my all-time favorite images, a spontaneous family hug with mom and dad’s faces showing natural, unposed smiles as they gaze into the eyes of their adolescent children. Who wouldn’t want to memorialize a picture like that by putting it on a Christmas card? It’s perfect! Even so, I didn’t want it to compete too heavily with the front of the card, so I gave it a washed texture to make it just a bit more subtle than the front. When I went to this family’s home to deliver prints (including that picture on the back as a 16×20!) their home and yard were decorated to the nines with lights and beautiful ornaments. I wanted to bring that out in the card by giving the front an all-decked-out-for-Christmas theme. I kept the inside simple to balance the decked-out front, again, mimicking the family’s style of a fun exterior with one simple theme: family is everything.

Click here for contest details, but be sure to click your browser’s “back” button to get back to this post so that you can leave a comment about THIS card design, especially if you are commenting in order to help your friends win the prize!

Cheers! And thanks for visiting the blog!

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 10th, 2008 at 7:55 am and is filed under contest, design and tagged with greeting card. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

45 Responses to “My Holiday Cards: 5th Design”

1. Alan Goodwin says:

   January 16, 2008 at 4:36 pm

   Wonderful Card. This is my first comment on any blog ever, but it is such an awesome card that I couldn’t help myself but to comment.
2. LORI says:

   January 16, 2008 at 3:20 pm

   VERY COOL. DIFFERENT, WHICH I LIKE.
   GOOD JOB
3. linda from edison says:

   January 14, 2008 at 11:47 pm

   This is my favorite card out of the bunch so it gets my vote. I know there’s more coming, but still…..

   I won’t comment on the photography itself but rather the design of the card. You might remember than I am an artist who does graphic design freelance so when something grabs me, I love to say it. And this one does. First of all, I like that the family is wearing cold weather garb. It is a card that comes, after all, in the winter and I think it should be current, rather than others at the beach with summer themes, etc.

   I love the layering on the front, the way that the top rectangle is a bit askew and that its edges are rough like ripped paper. I like the color choices. The neutrals seem to go perfectly with the neutralized green background–it’s still green for Christmas but is a nice change from the bright green we usually associate with this holiday. You wisely left out its partner, red. It doesn’t need it to say “Christmas”.

   I like all the added textures and “noise”–the “snow” that ties together all three sections (front, inside and back), the little trees on the beige layer, the lone tree a light silhouette on the front and the one whole one and portions on the back and the large snowflakes around the edges of the front. Everything is balanced perfectly.

   I also like the font you used for “Merry Christmas”. Which one is it? Or did you tweek one to your own liking.
4. Kathleen J Jotz says:

   January 12, 2008 at 8:15 pm

   Absolutely beautiful. It’s a keepsake they will cherish forever. The pictures were GREAT!! Loved the idea

   Kathleen
5. philip says:

   January 12, 2008 at 9:07 am

   I love your card even though I’m not in it!
   It is so cute!
   Good Job Designing!!!!!
6. bob says:

   January 11, 2008 at 7:48 pm

   the black and whites actually ENHANCE to color photos on the center spread. a beautiful family.
7. April says:

   January 11, 2008 at 12:18 pm

   The card is beautiful. very creative
   I know the family was very pleased.
8. Aunt Joan says:

   January 11, 2008 at 9:44 am

   Very unique. We enjoyed receiving such an original card. We are looking forward to next year’s masterpiece!
9. jimmy says:

   January 10, 2008 at 10:04 pm

   At first, I was not happy driving to Central Park on Marathon day, but after seeing the final result I would do it again in a heartbeat. I like the blend of the green and brown colors on this card the most.
10. Frankie says:

    January 10, 2008 at 10:03 pm

    Awesome family + Great photographer = Unique christmas masterpiece
11. Vlad says:

    January 10, 2008 at 9:55 pm

    Very nice pics/design … I like it a lot!
12. joy says:

    January 10, 2008 at 8:19 pm

    Cool Pics!!! Joy
13. Cheryl says:

    January 10, 2008 at 8:15 pm

    My favorite card by far this year. The whole shoot was stunning! My best friend has the best family and now she has the best pictures to show them off! I love you guys!
14. Ron says:

    January 10, 2008 at 8:03 pm

    Great card. My wife would love to have family photo like this.
15. claudia f says:

    January 10, 2008 at 7:42 pm

    It’s such a pretty card and out of all the christmas cards this year this one was my favorite.