Inspiration comes from anywhere and anything, and in the case of this Valentine’s Day card it came from Fabra’s adorable Boston Terrier, Archie! As the intern here at Paper Source, I’ve gotten the chance to observe the unexpectedly extensive process that one simple greeting card design goes through, before winding up at our stores ready to be sold.
The first step after an idea is conceived is its design. Elements such as print method, fonts, color, size, imagery, and copy all must be taken into account. For this card, one of our graphic designers, Elaine, used an existing image of a Boston Terrier as inspiration for her hand-drawn computer image. She made sure that the dog had the right angle and facial expression in order to create a strong composition with lots of character. Once the design is created, it goes through an approval process. Often there are color, composition or sentiment tweaks that must be made in order to prefect the card.
Something I was able to help with this summer was brainstorming the messages that will be displayed on the inside and outside of new card designs. Paper Source is all about collaboration, especially in design where the more ideas and perspectives the merrier.
Next steps in the development process include envelope color and packaging selection. These Archie cards were sold as a greeting card set for Valentine’s Day and because Archie is a letterpress card, he is packaged in a paper box, rather than banded with a plastic sleeve.
Once all of these elements are approved the card is ready for production. Something you may not know, is that all of the Paper Source designed cards are packaged and distributed right here at the headquarters in Chicago (and yes, they are printed locally, something I was happy to learn too)!
I hope this gives you some insight into how much thought and work goes into every Paper Source product. Working here has opened my eyes to all that must be taken into account, in order to turn creative ideas into reality, every day!
–Lauren
PS colors: curry & paper bag
Latest fave: Marigolds Wrapping Paper
That card is simply adorable! I’m really impressed by the similarity of the computer drawing to Archie’s picture! I’d love to see what the card turned out like! (I’m in NYC so I don’t have easy access to PS 🙁
Great post, and best of luck with your internship!
Maria
This is great! I really like this card design and it definetly something I would buy, now I just need to stop in the Paper Source store! Loved the article, Lauren!
That is just plain adorable!
Can we buy these cards yet? :]
Though Archie cards are not currently available, be on the lookout for them in our stores at Christmas and Valentine’s Day!
Adorable card and a great blog – I loved learning about the process! Best of luck with your internship!
I never knew how intricate the process of making just one greeting card was… let alone hundreds! I can’t wait to buy this card for my dog at home on Valentine’s day!
Wow Lauren! It’s incredible to hear all the thought that goes into making one card! This card is so cute, can’t wait to buy it!
GREAT BLOG! Can’t wait for Valentine’s day now!
Archie is so adorable, and the card is just great!!! Love the new dog’s paper.