11 minute read
Industry Issue
Inset: The UK greeting card creatives are the envy of the world. (Photo: Abbi Goode/Lemon & Sugar) Of The Matter Art The UK greeting card industry has long been applauded for its creativity, the wealth of the artistic talent we have here being the envy of the world, as card publishers’ strong exports testify.
But do artists and designers, particularly those working freelance, feel they are given the welcome, respect and rewards they deserve?
PG tapped into the Creative Card Collective, the new membership hub for creatives (which has signed up 55 members in the first few weeks of launching) to take a reading.
Ginger Bee Studios’ Bev Cunningham, who co-founded of the Creative Card Collective with Hannah Curtis (founder of Creative Sparrow), sets the scene…
“Having worked as a creative director for a publisher, I am aware how tight margins can be. The insatiable desire from retail for new, means the turnover of designs is so high that print runs have significantly decreased. The cost of licensing artwork therefore needs to be amortised across fewer printed cards, with the likelihood of designs being re-printed time and time again, much less than it was several years ago. So, I do appreciate the dilemma publishers find themselves in, however the cost of artwork hasn’t increased since I started out in the industry 30 years ago, what other industries would you be able to say that of?
Yes, I know so much is now digital, so there are fewer artists slaving over an easel painting for days on end; but the design process is still time consuming, requiring not only creative skill, but technical knowledge. Publishers often request frequent changes to artwork, in the belief that this is quick and easy when working in a digital file; but by the time you calculate the hours put in by the artist/designer they are often working for a minimum wage. Many artists have a ‘day job’ alongside their freelance design work, to pay their bills, only a fortunate few can make a living designing purely for greeting cards alone. Many have to also look at various revenue streams for their greeting card work; so some alongside licensing their artwork, may also self-publish too, as well as uploading their artwork onto print on demand sites, such as Thortful.
So why does this matter? The health of our industry depends on the creativity of artists, designers and illustrators working in cards, but if they find it’s not a viable way to make money, they will go elsewhere, and the industry will struggle to attract new talent. We all took HGV drivers for granted until suddenly we couldn’t find the goods we wanted on the shelves or the petrol at the pumps. It turns out the truck driver issue wasn’t just about pay, it was also about conditions. So simple improvements like paying artists promptly and crediting them on the reverse of cards would help, as well as paying a fair price. The publishers that are, and do, adopt this position will surely attract the best talent and have a commercial advantage over those who do not.”
Above left: The Creative Card Collective launched recently as a ‘home’ for creatives. Above: The co-founders of Creative Card Collective, Bev Cunningham (right) and Hannah Curtis at PG Live 2021. Below: One of Bev’s photographs from her Ginger Bee Studios brand.
Nicola Evans, illustrator of Peony Rose Design
My experience: “I have been creating greeting cards now for over 23 years full time so I do feel incredibly fortunate. Gone are the days of running to the post office at the last minute with my artwork for that impending deadline or travelling around the country with my folio for meetings to show my work. I can’t say I miss those days, but now my time is spent mainly in front of my Mac and in turn this has also changed the way I work.”
Price issues: “Working in the greeting card industry is for the most part wonderful, but with no rise in fees since I started Illustrating, I have had to adapt and change my way of working. I have had to become more business-like with my licensing too in order to get the most out of each image I create. Sadly, I rarely pick up a paint brush as the constant rise in the cost of materials and the time it takes to create by hand just doesn’t make financial sense for me anymore. My work is often quite detailed so although I was against it for many years, working digitally I must admit is now the norm for me.”
Improvements: “I think over time you get to know the publishers that you enjoy working with and can trust to pay you on time. I take a lot of pride in my work and I love working with publishers that put the love in to making my work come to life too, and as us illustrators rarely get any thanks for our hard work, just having your name featured on the back on that card means so, so much!
The key negative side for me probably has to be the amount of times my images have been stolen. Far too many times my work also continues to be sold when it is out of licence. This is always so upsetting and needs to stop! That’s why I love having my agent Advocate and why it’s so great to now be part of the Creative Card Collective community.” Joining CCC: “By joining a group of like-minded creatives, not only can we share in our love of the greetings industry, but it can also be a huge support for those times when we need it. I just love the idea of sending cards and I would hate to think of this age-old tradition coming to an end”
Above left: Nicola Evans is an experienced greeting card creative. Left: One of Nicola’s detailed designs.
Katherine Lynas
The creative welcome: “I started designing cards when I was made redundant at the beginning of the pandemic. Selling on Thortful and Scribbler, made reaching a market so much more attainable. Through Thorful's Creator Instagram account I was also able to connect with other designers and share experiences of the platform. I wasn't sure where to go to learn more about the industry, then I stumbled on Progressive Greetings magazine and felt like a curtain had been lifted. Through that I heard about the Creative Card Collective, which I joined, and has been a great place to find out more information and ask questions.” Improvements: “I love working with partners that support me in building brand recognition. Online this can be in the form of; my logo being shown with my design, designer profile pages, sharing of links, ‘behind the scenes’ articles and social media collaborations. I think this is mutually beneficial.” Joining CCC: “I saw joining the Creative Card Collective as a next step in that journey. Through the group I've been finding more out about how to sell direct to retail, and about pitching ranges. It helps me to stay aware of trends that I can incorporate into my designs.”
Above: Katherine Lynas has enjoyed a positive welcome into the industry. Left: A quirky design from Katherine Lynas.
Susse Linton of Susse Collection
The creative welcome: “I do think the greeting card industry is welcoming, especially compared to the surface pattern industry. I am new to licensing my greeting cards to publishers but have been learning through my lovely agent Hannah Curtis at Creative Sparrow about how it all works.
There seems to be a wealth of information out there to get you started as a greeting card designer. I have found fellow designers helpful and sharing information, especially within the Creative Card Collective community. There are lots of organisations to join which help support and promote your work.”
Below: Susse Linton applauds how many card publishers now credit the artist on the backs of their cards.
Pricing issues: “There seems to be clear set pricing and fair licensing deals for greeting cards whereby you can licence your card design for a set time limit but still use the design for other products. In the surface pattern industry some companies expect complete buyout and ownership of copyright for a small fee.”
Improvements: “Maybe an online resource for matching creatives who want to licence with publishers to connect with each other could be an idea. Having a resource for standard industry pricing would also be helpful. I have noticed many card publishers give credit to the artist which I think is fair. This is better than in the surface pattern industry where the artist hardly ever gets a credit.”
Joining CCC: “The CCC community is a private intimate space to share your tips and thoughts on the card industry. It’s been good to build connections with other designers that I am connected with on Instagram and LinkedIn, but it feels a deeper connection within the members of the group. I also like how you can just ‘check in’ at the end of the day. I have been expanding my knowledge and learning so much about the greeting card industry. Being a member definitely adds value to my creative life.”
Left: A celebratory design by Susse Linton.
Frances Wilson of Frances Wilson Designs
Improvements: “I would definitely love to see more designers’ names featured on the backs of greeting cards. It’s nice to see this happening on sites such as Thortful and Moonpig who are championing small business owners by using their logos on the reverse. As a newbie to the freelance world, it would be great to know who to contact among the greeting card companies.” Joining CCC: “Having worked in the greeting card industry for over 14 years as a senior designer at Hallmark and then opting to start freelancing at the start of 2021, it was important to me to keep connected and creatively inspired.”
Above: Frances Wilson feels the artist’s name should feature on the backs of cards. Right: Some stationery designs from Frances Wilson Designs.
Julie Clay
The creative welcome:
“After more than 35 years in the greeting card industry I would say that it is still welcoming for creatives.” Improvements: “It is often difficult to reach the right person at a card publisher, a general email address for submissions I find doesn’t seem to get a response. How often do the creative managers look at these emails?
Some companies are now posting on social media sites for people to submit ideas on a particular theme or subject, it might seem cynical of me, but how many ‘ideas’ could be used in other formats by inhouse designers? …these things do happen.
I do feel that companies should share their trend ideas with artists. I know these are often kept ‘secret’, but when I receive a brief with colour and trend information, I find it so much more inspiring. If we are inspired, we create our best work.”
Price issues: “Being mentioned by name as the artist on the cards is a lovely bonus, but being paid on time is much better though! It’s normal to wait 30 days to be paid, but invariably this is extended to 60 days or longer. I am quite sure those briefing the work would not be happy to be paid on these terms. I also feel that payment rates are now lower than they were 15 years ago, to me that is a negative as the artist might not want to spend so much time creating. Also, during the pandemic art materials have gone up in price.” Above: Julie Clay in
creative mode.
Siya Liu
The creative welcome: “From my personal experience the greeting card industry is a very welcoming creative sector and also one of the design sectors that is always hungry for fresh talents.”
Price issues: “I personally think the going rate for creatives in the greeting card industry is comparably lower than other design sectors - just look at the ongoing advertising jobs on LinkedIn. An artworker gets paid more than a card designer in the same starting level. I am not saying that an artworker job is not important, however we should at least give the content creator (the greeting card designer/creatives) the same value as the artworkers or keep it in line with other creative sectors.”
Improvements: “I would like to see more publishers give creatives a name credit on the card. Or even better, a loyalty fee if the same design achieves over certain sales.” Joining CCC: “Since I started freelancing two years ago and joining in with the creative community, I find it is the best way to motivate myself. CCC is great for news; being an outlet to share my ideas, as well as a place you can find solace when you are in doubt of yourself being a so-called ‘artist’.”
