New Postcard Designs

A couple of years ago I received an enquiry from the owner of a local outlet where I display and sell my work, asking whether I produced postcards. At the time I did not, but after a little bit of research I decided to 'dip my feet in the water' and design one or two. As the first design looked quite good I decided to move onto my second creation, with the idea of creating a matching set using a single template. The idea worked well and the cards looked good, in PDF form at least, but going into print was a different matter. Anyway, after shopping around I found a printer that offered great quality cards at very reasonable prices, so the designs were submitted and the wait for the results was on.

A few days later the cards were delivered and I was well impressed, with quality and appearance. Seeing them on a PC monitor is one thing, but having a hard copy in your hands is quite different. The set originally started life as four cards, each featuring a different image of Penshaw Monument, a well known iconic Landmark near Sunderland, but as interest in the cards grew, so did the set itself, as more cards were designed and produced. Two years on and the set consists of 33 postcards! I approached several outlets in the region and was met with plenty of enthusiasm regarding the cards, which has resulted in each outlet buying good quantities from me, and later replenishing their stocks due to popular demand. To date I have sold over 5,000 postcards and that number continues to rise. Only last week I was commissioned to produce another batch, of a different design, all featuring snow scenes of local interest. The cards are to be used on the front of boxes containing biscuits and other confectionery - the packaging is known in the trade as 'Postcard Packs'. Christmas shoppers are the target and here's hoping the boxes will 'fly out'. Should this be the case then I have the option to produce an 'Everyday card' which will replace any unsold stock once the festive season is over, as the actual box does not carry a Christmas theme - the cards rotate, depending on the current season or theme. So, if you're partial to dunking biscuits or chewing toffee, amongst other things, then get yourself along to Clay's Garden Centre in Washington and grab a box while you can. As you have now gathered, I'm on a commission for every box sold, he he.

Just to wrap up this blog entry - here are a couple of pictures of the actual product, along with another  Postcard design, a quad-multi card, featuring four local landmarks, after a good old snowfall.

Catch ya later...

AC