Do’s and Don’ts Of Greeting Card Sentiments

In today’s digital world, a handwritten missive is an unexpected and welcome change of pace. Nothing beats looking in your mail box and seeing an envelope that is obviously NOT a bill or more junk mail. Creating your own greeting cards is a uniquely personal way of communicating your thoughts and feelings to the recipient and a truly memorable card has a thought-provoking, humorous or otherwise compelling sentiment at its heart. Sometimes the reason for the card dictates what the greeting has to say such as a birthday, wedding or graduation. Other times a simple “thinking of you” is reason enough to send a card.

Greeting Guides
Many times, card creators get caught up in the design and crafting process and only add a sentiment as an afterthought. It can be a real challenge to compose a sentiment that doesn’t sound canned or cliché. That being said, there is inspiration all around you. Obviously you’ve considered the recipient somewhat by deciding on what type of greeting card you want to send. Take that thought process a step further and think about the relationship you have with them. If you’re designing a card for a spouse, say for a birthday, you’ve got a lot of shared experiences to draw on to develop a sentiment. Now think about making that same card for a child, “tween” or teen. You will adopt a completely different tone in each case. The same goes for a parent, co-worker or friend. Often the best inspiration comes from shared experiences but what if you don’t know the recipient that well? How do you develop an appropriate greeting without sounding artificial? Depending on the circumstances behind the need for a card, you can add an appropriate humorous quote or a simple “Thank You” or “Happy Birthday” and let the design of the card be the strongest element.