How to Become a Greeting Card Creator

If you aspire to become a greeting card artist, there are several important things you should know before you begin. First, you will need to learn the technical aspects of designing greeting cards, either to sell via your own company or to sell to other companies. You will also need to gather information about the business side of creating and selling greeting cards, particularly if you plan to start your own company.

Instructions

1. Learn graphic design either independently or by enrolling in a graphic arts program of study. You will need to determine which type of academic program best fits your circumstances and needs. There are many universities where you can major in graphic arts. There also are a wide range of community colleges that offer anything from a basic certificate to an associate degree in graphic design.

2. Take an online tutorial in the event you decide to study graphic design independently. Tutorials can guide you step by step in how to use programs such as Photoshop and Corel Draw. Books also are a good source of information; a University library will generally have more technical books on this subject than a smaller community library.

3. Review the market to see what sells. You can get a good idea of what designs and phrases work best by looking at the work of other graphic artists who specialize in creating greeting cards. Finding a niche for yourself is usually a good idea. If you plan to sell your own designs, think about creating a website or hiring a web designer from a site like Elance or in your community. If you plan to go this route, you will need to advertise your business like any other. You can do this through various methods, including buying ad space though Google Ad Sense or on other websites.

4. Determine whether you want to start out by selling your greeting cards via your own website, in shops or through online companies like CafePress or Zazzle. If you plan to sell your card designs to greeting card companies, be sure to closely review their submission guidelines. Many major greeting card companies hire greeting card designers to work for them but rarely accept materials otherwise. On the other hand, many up and coming card companies that could be classified as medium- to small-size operations do accept unsolicited materials.

5. Send a query letter or email before you submit your portfolio to any greeting card company to find out if it accepts outside material.

References

• Free Photoshop CS3 Suite Tutorials