Brief 1/ UK Greetings Cards & Tigerprint

As this brief is a combination of the UK Greetings and Tigerprint cards competitions, I thought actually looking at what products are available from these companies would be a good idea, and might help me to decide what kind of direction my work should go in. Looking at these sites has also given me an idea of the products I can create to extend my range from just being cards.

UK Greetings

Although UK Greetings are very successful, I wasn't that impressed with the designs shown on the website. The cards look quite traditional now compared to the more contemporary cards available from places like Paperchase. Very few cards have a focus on typography.

I like how the gift wrapping range is quite extended. Each set has a few different designs which work together as a set, and this makes it more interesting than just having exactly the same design over everything. Gift sets could contain a range of different size bags, contain different colour wrapping paper etc so people can mix and match - bags sizes including bottle bags, mini to large.

Here are some screenshots of the different ranges available. I think all the designs look very commercial and just like what is already out there. This makes me want to create something totally unique.

The cards are quite average all in all, and I found no examples of hand drawn typography so this would really stand out, so this is definitely the direction I will go down.

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http://tigerprint.typepad.com - Blog

http://www.tigerprint.uk.com - Studio

On the other hand, tigerprint's cards are totally different to the ones available from UK Greetings. Tigerprints cards often have a focus on typography, as these examples show. Also, where the UK Greetings cards were mainly flat and printed to a standard size on to the usual glossy card stock, each card from tigerprint is quite different.

The cards may feature 3d elements such as letters that are raised, or the addition of an item like a button or piece of ribbon. The cards come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, meaning some stand up in an unusual way. Print finishes such as laser cutting and foils are used to add a luxurious quality to the cards. The designs themselves are contemporary, and each card is different, so that whatever you are looking for you may find a style to suit you and the recipient.

The cards seem much more interesting and high quality and I think the recipient of one of these cards would be happier to get a more personal card, than your average one. For my card range, I want the cards to be unique, personal and bring a smile to the recipients face.