Have you ever wondered about the creative process behind the greeting cards you send to your loved ones? At Pure Art Licensing, a hub for greeting card designs and designers, the journey from concept to card shelf is a fascinating one.
The 30+ creative illustrators at Pure Art Licensing create unique and original artworks with very specific references to the 'sending situation' of a theme like Birthday, Wedding, Mother's Day or Christmas. The content of the designs does not vary much in relation to the theme (e.g Mother's Day is often flowers) but the treatment or 'hand' that is used to create the image must be original and on trend for the card to sell well in the retail environment.
The artwork can be layered digital files or hand painted designs but most have to conform to a standard card, gift bag or stationery size, which is specified by the publisher. The interesting treatments such as foil, glitter, 3D elements and laser cuts are mostly decided by the publisher's design department but in some cases Pure's artists will specify how they see the eventual greeting card design will look when it is finished.
Pure's sales consultants then present these original pieces of art to to a huge variety of publishing customers all over the world. Our knowledge of our customer's preferences and requirements mean that our agents have plenty of options where to license a design. While trade shows were once pivotal, the digital age and the pandemic have shifted presentations predominantly online.
Publishers have their own customers to appeal to be it a large supermarket chain or their own retail customers and so the decision to use a design on their product can be drawn-out and is taken very seriously. It's not uncommon for Pure Art Licensing to wait months for a publisher to select a design, underscoring the gravity of the decision.
Once they have final confirmation on a greeting card design sale a digital file is sent to the publisher along with a Licensing Agreement which stipulates the product that the publisher can use the product on, the area or territory that the product can be sold in (i.e the USA) and the duration of the license. Typically, licenses span 3-5 years. However, in cases where a product range includes multiple types, the licensing agreements can become quite intricate. Despite the complexity, these agreements often present lucrative opportunities for the artist involved.
Once the license is agreed and the artist's digital file has been delivered the publisher will make what amendments it sees necesssary to make the art fit their product dimensions or format. The finished print-ready file is sent to a printer and once folded and packaged the finished greeting card is distributed to the stores and markets where it will be sold.
In 2022, a staggering 708 million individual greeting cards were purchased in the UK, with the USA boasting a whopping 6.5 billion cards sold. Additionally, Americans annually spend $2.6 billion on gift wrap alone. These figures underscore the immense demand and potential for talented greeting card and surface pattern designers to thrive in the licensing market.
Pure Art Licensing is on the lookout for fresh creatives to become part of our design team. As a friendly and successful agency, we prioritise a low-intensity environment while deeply valuing and appreciating the opportunity to collaborate with talented designers.