10 Great Tips On How To Design A Card
Designing a card can be simplified if you follow these ten golden tips. This is a difficult process but it doesn't have to be so complicated that you give up before even beginning. Stick to the rules and arm yourself with a few tools to begin making your own paper or digital cards in no time!
The world of greeting cards is an interesting one and as long as people continue to buy them, many companies will always be making them. When most people create the designs for their cards, they take a lot more time than usual due to the many different details such as fonts, colors, textures etc.
The rules of designing a card however are simple. The procedure is almost the same with any other industry, namely to make the best use of colors and descriptions when it comes to making the design. Graphic designers know how to do that, so why can't you as well?
I've decided to give you some tips that will help you not only in your own design but maybe also increase your chances of winning a card competition or just getting that perfect layout. Read on and see if they work for you!
1.) Think vertically with your designs
Designing a greeting card is pretty easy and most things are similar to web design. The thing to remember is that on a greeting card, the images should be large enough to be easily viewed. To do this, you need to think of your layout with everything placed vertically instead of side by side.
For example, if you would like an image along one side of a greeting card and text down the other side, that picture would need to be large enough to fill the space of the paper in order for it to look good. This can be done with some software but it can also be done manually with some creativity and practice.
2.) Use a textured background
You might think that textured backgrounds are seen as a cliché on card designs but they're actually not. For example, in the picture below, you can see how the texture was used to make the card look more interesting. All you need to do is balance your white balance and spot difference well enough for both the photograph and texture to contrast well.
3.) Use shadows for accents and contrast
Shadows are another way that you can emphasize certain elements in your design. For example, an image with thick dark shadows can be incredibly strong without even having to have great lighting behind it. In fact, the picture in the picture below was taken using no flash at all and it came out amazing. Just don't overdo it, or you'll just end up with a black image!
4.) Use text effectively
Writing on a card is pretty simple and you can use it to describe almost anything. There are more fonts available online than there are fonts available in any card shop. This means that you can create a very different card with each font that you choose. Take advantage of this and experiment, but remember to lighten your font up if it's too dark so that people can read it easier.
5.) Make a consistent theme throughout the card
If you're designing your cards with a particular theme in mind, make sure that you use the same format throughout the card. For example, if you're writing some text that describes a love story or adventure, make sure that you show those two themes in your imagery as well.
6.) Use different fonts for different words
Why not try mixing up your font choices? You can use one font for the title and another for some of the text or vice versa. All that matters is that every element of your card looks like it belongs together and stays consistent with a certain theme. The example below shows exactly how this can be done.
7. ) Get inspired
There are so many card designs out there that you will probably find it hard to come up with your own. If this is the case, then you should consider looking for inspiration from other card designs. Just make sure that you give credit where credit is due and never steal someone's design and claim it as your own.
8.) Don't be afraid of color
Color can be used to create great effects in a card because of the contrast between them (and saturation). The picture below is a great example of how brilliant colors can be used to make a great card. However, don't go crazy or you'll end up with something that no one wants to use!
9. ) Are things too similar?
You don't have to use all the same colors in a greeting card. You can choose to use 3 or 4 main colors and several secondary ones and then blend the two together. For example, you could have a main color that has a darkish feel to it, another one that's more light-hearted and then a third one for the text. Then, you could use another secondary color for the title of your card and add some text with that color in as well. This can help make your card stand out because people will be able to tell what everything is right away without having to look at every little detail!
10. ) Get some inspiration from everyday life
Life is full of interesting moments that you can draw inspiration from. Got a great picture of your friend's friend's dog that you just know would make a great card? There are literally thousands of different ways to make images all over the internet, so go download one, do a little editing and use it to make your own card!
11.) Be creative and original
If you're not a creative person or if you're so used to following the rules that you need something very specific in order for it to seem unique, then perhaps it will be easier for you to just design a new card rather than copying someone else's. There are thousands of greeting card designs out there, and you can design your own with the tips that we've given above. You don't have to be a graphic designer or have any special skills in order to make something cool!
12.) Have fun!
The most important thing of all is that you should really just have fun making your card. If it doesn't look quite right, then go back and see what you could change. If it's still not working, then just scrap the whole thing and start over again! After all, that's what the majority of photographers do in the beginning when they try to find their own style.
Conclusion:
I hope you've found this article to be helpful! If you have any thoughts on the matter, then please do feel free to leave a comment below. Hopefully we can inspire some other people with these tips and tricks!
About the author:
Pamela is a professional content and article writer. She made her passion for writing turn into a job that allows her to support herself and her little son financially. She loves art, fashion, interior decoration, creativity and design. In her spare time she reads self-help books, writes about various topics or spends time with friends and family at the beach or near a waterfall. You can follow Pamela on Twitter here .