Category: Guides & Tutorials

guides & tutorials

  • Holiday Ecard Tips

    Holiday Ecard Tips

    Holidays are an important part of one’s life and when its Christmas around the corner, we should make the most of it. And for that, we need to make the best use of elements and visuals in our ecards. So here we are today discussing some holiday ecard tips with all of our visualizers.

    To know more, keep on reading!

    1. Colors

    Colors have a deep psychological effect on our minds. Hence it’s important to use the right color effects for better impact.

    Eg- The colors for Christmas are – Red, Green, and Gold.

    • Red is the color of Holly berries, which is said to represent the blood of Jesus when he died on the cross. Also, the color of Santa’s dress can’t be overruled.
    • Gold is the color of the Sun and light – both are very important in the dark winter.
    • Green is the color of “The Christmas tree”, the most important element of Christmas.

    2. Design

    It is important to include the symbolic holiday elements. Hence it is important to understand the ethos and essence of the holiday. Eg- Design elements for

      • Christmas: Christmas tree, Santa, Christmas presents. Use can use cultural specific elements such as Mistletoes, Christmas bells, etc.
      • Winter: You can explore the concept of Winter Wonderland and use visual elements such as winter carnivals, snow, snowman, etc.
      • Season’s Greetings: You could paint a picture of a cheerful winter and can include decorated Christmas trees.
      • New Year: Fireworks are important celebratory elements and can be used in cards. The clock is also significant to show the countdown to the New Year.

      Christmas Ecard by Vsilverline23k

    3. Realistic Animation Vs Non-realistic Animation

    You can either use a photographic Christmas tree image or create a vector image. Both visuals will have different impact and hence should be used based on the concept and core theme of the ecard. If the card is meant to be funny and cute and has a cartoon feel to it then it is preferred to use a vector image. On the other hand, if the card is meant to give a realistic feel you should use a photographic image.

    There are certain cards in which the theme revolves around character animation and hence vector images are ideal to use. For example, if the card is meant to show a teddy couple walking across the grass then the grass should be a vector image and not a photographic image.

    4. Fonts

    Fonts need to be selected based on the theme and feel of the card. If a card is meant for a religious section such as Christmas blessings, the text needs to be prominent as it is usually a spiritual quote or extracts from the Bible, hence hand-written or cursive fonts should be avoided. The letters in these fonts are more decorative rather than prominent and hence does not serve the purpose of the card. On the contrary, if a card is meant for New Year love section then a decorative or cursive font can be used. If you choose to make a cartoonish Merry Christmas card then a funky font can be used. Presentation of fonts is also important so alignment, legibility, font effects must be checked and modified to suit the card.

    Another important point to note is that images should never be blurred or pixilated. It kills the look of the card and hence good and clear quality visuals are always preferred.

    Until then,

    Happy Holidays!

  • Holiday Greetings

    Holiday Greetings

    It’s that time of the year again, cold and dark, yet it’s far from gloomy. It’s the holiday season and we are here to give you all some major Holiday Greetings idea! Since winter has set in with the beautiful lit houses and festivity all around. It is surely a busy time with family reunions starting from Thanksgiving and a busy travel period ending post-New Year. In between, there are other celebratory occasions almost every day.

    Advent marks the beginning of Christmas and till then it has events such as St. Nicholas Day, Christmas Card Day, Christmas Tree Light Day and many more. Now how do you prepare for such a busy season?

    Holiday Greetings by Universlover

    We’ll cover in details one of the important criteria for making great ecards in this blog. To start off with the most important:

    Research:

    While doing your research the key questions to answer are:
    How is the Holiday season celebrated in different parts of North America?
    • What are the religious beliefs surrounding the festivals?
    • What type of food is most popularly associated with the event?
    • What is the latest trend with respect to the holidays?

    Here is some quick information about upcoming holidays:

    Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day that sees scores of shoppers trying to make the best use of the fabulous deals available in stores. It also marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

    Winter in North America means a lot of snow in most parts and frozen lakes. Thus it is a perfect time for winter carnivals and ice skating on the lake. Christmas is marked by attending church services, decorating homes with Christmas trees and exchanging greetings and gifts with family and friends. Of course, Santa plays an important role on Christmas as no Christmas tale is complete without Santa and his bag of goodies.

    This card gives a perfect view of what the holiday season looks like in North America
    http://www.123greetings.com/events/happy_holidays/silver_bells_instrumental_with.html

    All these elements can be reflected in a card to make it beautiful. Users must be transformed into another cheerful land with pleasant visuals and feel the holiday spirit. But what makes a card likeable is the perfect combination of visuals and messages. We will keep you all updated with the upcoming festivals and events.

    Until then,

    Keep Designing!

  • Libra Birthdays!

    Libra Birthdays!

    October is here and so is the time for festivals but one thing which is constant throughout the year is Birthday. Happy Birthday October babies! Gentle, kind and lovers of beauty and harmony. Libra Birthdays are always a one to remember.

    As you all know well, you share your birthday month with a ton of religious holidays such as Candy Corn Day and Halloween. It’s like the whole month is lit up in your honor wherein you build a solid foundation for yourself and use that to create an empire for all your enterprising pursuits. With magic in the air with a hint of pumpkin spice your Birthday Month is always worth remembering.

    The birthstone of Libra is the Opal, which represents faithfulness and confidence. Alongside the birthstone, the signs associated with Libra are Gemini, which is characterized as clever, expressive and quick-witted. They will make a great team when paired together. Libras are always a romantic person so gelling up with their counterpart is easy for them.

    Although it has started to be a little cold outside, may you stay warm and happy on your birthday with some spicy latte and hot pumpkin pies throughout this festive season! We wish you to have a blissful year

    Looking for ecards to celebrate birthdays and holidays? We have a large selection at 123greetings for many such occasions. Send one of the birthday ecards today! You also have the access to create some wonderful ecards for birthdays on our Studio page.

    Did you already know these Libra Birthday fun facts? Who do you share your birthday with? Tell us in the comments down below!

  • Tool Review: Animaker

    Tool Review: Animaker

    We as designers always look for some new tools and mechanics to make our cards look top notch. Experimenting is when we try the different tool and see what suits us best. This is when we came across this amazing tool called Animaker. Within a few minutes of exploring, we seriously got glued to it. Its simplistic approach made us try out a few videos and designs which surprisingly turned out to be really great. That’s when we decided to share this with you all.

    So, Animaker is a tool which basically allows you to make videos in different forms such as in 2D, Infographics, Handcraft, Whiteboard, 2.5D, and Typography. With over 100+ templates to cater in each section, it has a lot to offer in terms of designs and style to create a video. From fonts to colors, music to effects it has all you could ever ask for in a designing tool. This tool will give a whole new dimension in terms of creativity and designs for all the amateur designers and newcomers in the field.

    Sharing the link with you all-

    https://www.animaker.com/

    Try it by yourself and we hope you’ll have a great time creating some fun stuff just like we did.

  • Patterns And Palettes Inspired From The 80s

    Patterns And Palettes Inspired From The 80s

    From pretty pastels to electric hues, color schemes from the 80s have been gaining serious fabulous-ness yet again. We do generally see the abstract & geometric patterns and palettes inspired from the 80s move from the fringes into the mainstream as well. These trends add a visual excitement as well as an 80s retro touch to all its designs.

    Trends come and go in a zap. But what stays, stays for a longer period of time. So, today we are going to share some ideas which went totally crazy during the 80s.

    From bright colors to abstract designs, there were lots of things which got featured during this time period. For many of budding designers out here really wants to know what makes this time a total boss plus it would be a nostalgic ride to the designers who are from the 80s. So stay tuned!

    1. Using Old is NEW Concept: The 80s were the time of all things retro and now bringing back the nostalgia we are seeing these designs yet again from websites to an app to ecards. You name it and it all there. These Old, New style has the potential of turning anything stylish and retro with the help of some trendy typography. Take a look at this picture below which implicates the 80s theme perfectly. Creating such feels in our ecards could help us to grab more attention of the Old is New people.

    1. Using Patterns & Shapes creates visual interest: As a kid, Geometric shapes and patterns were always loved by each one of us. This little and intricate patterns can make a huge difference while serving a transitional element in terms of designing an ecard. Determining options like:
    • Using the pattern if the design is clean and organized and something in the background doesn’t create a gap between the content and the design.
    • Using geometric shapes to add a bold, pop of color to a photo or the overall design of an ecard. We can refer these designs at www.canva.com

     

    1. Using Memphis Designs: For those who don’t know what a Memphis is, it’s a style which really flat and features vectorized elements what we usually see in cartoon style designs. Now, the Memphis designs are loaded with colorful elements and with lots of shapes and lines and are really fun to work with. This style was firstly curated by a bunch of interior designers who worked in Memphis back in the 1980s. These styles are light, fun and attention-grabbing and if being used for an ecard it’s surely going to gain a lot of views and sends.

    1. Using Cute Infographic style: Many 80s styles include lots of cute little icons on their platform. From tiny baby hands to pineapple prints to sunglasses on a beach were a ‘thing’ back in the 80s. It’s all re-emerging and that too with a boom. Using so many independent colors, lines and patterns to design your piece were extremely easy. Using these themes can not only uplift the visual appearance of your ecards but may also be liked by many of our ardent users.

    1. Using Bold Colors for the screens: Bright color schemes have been growing in popularity, choosing one for the ecards might now like by all but would definitely pull up the leverage button during festivals such as on Christmas, Halloweens, New Years to name a few. This also sets it apart from being sticking to the natural response to all the black and white palettes that seemed to be on every other design at the height of the minimalism phase. The shift is allowing you all too really play with the design more and exhibit more creative color freedom.

    To sum it up, we would like to say that 80s designs are making a great comeback because this style takes us back to those pop culture days. Call it a generation nostalgia or whatever it may be so, it’s the style which decides whether to stay or to go. All we can do is to embrace them. So, enjoy the 80s trend until then,

    Happy Editing!

  • The Ultimate Quality Checklist

    The Ultimate Quality Checklist

    Quality Control Guide to Quick Uploads

    How many times have you submitted a new creative only to receive an email saying, “Your card requires modifications to go live”? You’ve all been there and to help reduce that, the Studio team has collaborated with our Quality team (QC) to put together a checklist for all you Studioators to run through before you submit your cards. We hope this will explain the many times your card has been branched and also how to make sure it is approved in the shortest possible time. Use this as a guideline prior to submitting your creative. This will smoothen your upload and approval process and also reduce the timeline between submissions to card live. This checklist also includes tips to improve the different elements of your card so do have a thorough read through.

    Category Selection

    Select the category before you complete your card. When selecting a card category/sub-category do have a look at the cards already in that category to get an idea of the kind of content that is appropriate for that section. Read the description along the bottom of the sub-category page to have a clear understanding of who is sending cards from here, to whom and on what occasion.

    Card Content

    The content of your card should be appropriate to the category you are uploading it to. For example, if you upload a card that has many Christmas elements to the “Birthday wishes” section it will be sent back. Or, if the main focus of your card is cakes and balloons and you refer to that in your title & description, QC will suggest that you move it to the “Birthday – Cake & Balloons” section. Refer to the points under the Title & Description points to know how to avoid this confusion.

    Cards with very similar content will not be allowed for multiple sections. This is to ensure that no duplication of content occurs.

    Card Text

    The card copy or the card message is an extremely important aspect of your card and you must pay special attention what you write here. Again, the text must match the category you have selected and do check and double check the spellings and grammar used to ensure it isn’t sent back for such minor modifications. For all our verification, the Merriam Webster is used so if you are not sure, refer to their website. Unless your card is in a regional event, non-English text is not permitted. Card Text should not be controversial, intending to hurt any sentiment or directed towards any specific identifiable persons.

    More often than not, should your card contain just the wish (Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, etc.) the QC will branch the card, asking for a more personal me-to-you message to be included. This is to ensure your card is different from the multitude of cards already live.

    Title

    Titles must be in a sentence format and one-word titles are not allowed. Your title should not also be just the section name – You cannot submit a card titled simply “Happy Birthday” to the “Happy Birthday” section. The title should be something more. The limit of your title is 38 characters. Bear in mind that any special characters (like a comma or apostrophe) use more characters than normal alphabets. Our systems store data in the ASCII format which uses more characters while storing. It is also recommended that you don’t copy/paste the title from a word document. Type your titles directly into the upload interface and ensure you have ended your title with a punctuation. While QC is happy to correct minor spelling errors, for anything more than that or if the title is not meaningful, the card will be sent back to you.

    Description

    For your description, you have 108 characters that we recommend you use well. Similar to the title, you cannot submit one word descriptions or just the name of the section as the description. Your description must be in a sentence format. Use this space wisely as this will help users find your card. Use keywords that relate to the event. For more tips, refer to the Search Engine Optimization webinar we conducted last year.

    Thumbnail/ Icon

    The thumb/icon submitted should be a proper/relevant thumb related to the card. It must look similar to the card (or could be taken from in between the card, in the case of a video card). It is not mandatory that thumb & icon should be identical to each other but both should be related to the card of which they are part. GIF thumbs/icons are permitted only for animated or video cards.

    Music

    Music is optional and you can choose to add a music clip to enhance the overall feel of your ecard. For video cards, the music has to be embedded within the file itself. For postcards/animated cards a music clip can be separately uploaded to the card. Should you be adding a file of your own, please provide the relevant permissions (if any). You could give credit within your ecard as well. This is always better than including it in the description. Should your track have vocals (a person’s voice) then QC will always seek a confirmation from you that you have the necessary permissions to use the file.

    Font Color

    For the user message, you may select any color font but you MUST ensure that the font is legible against the background. The default background is set to white and if you choose to upload a background, make sure the font color you select is legible and looks good against that. The default font color is set to black.

    Tags

    For tags, do a little research to understand what are the keywords associated with the event you are uploading a card for. Tags for an event like Birthday is more than just “happy birthday”. You could add words like: balloons, birthday cake, birthday boy/girl, bday, birthday celebration, surprise, etc. Again, refer to the Search Engine Optimization webinar (link above) for ideas on how to identify good keywords.

    We hope that this has been both informative and instructive for all you Studioators!

    Happy Studioating!!

  • RISING DESIGN TRENDS

    RISING DESIGN TRENDS

    Design trends are constantly evolving and innovation is the key to bring that newness to our card designs. Let’s look at some exciting design trends which are here to stay. We hope these help you design some breathtaking cards to enhance your portfolio as an artist and at the same time impress our users and achieve some sky rocketing sends!

    1. Split Depth Effect (3D)

    While split depth gifs are not new, they have recently become viral and can be seen on many websites. The video below tricks the brain into seeing depth. The two white bars superimposed over the animation act as a reference frame, which give the illusion of depth perception. Your brain expects that the image would remain confined within the white bars. However, when an object in the GIF breaks through these white bars (reference frame), it creates a popping-out illusion, which your brain perceives as 3D. In a sense, it is forced perspective. Another way to understand this is that the white bars obstruct the object in these animations. Therefore, to your brain, the white bars are in front of the object. Now, when the object moves and is no longer blocked by the white bars, your brain perceives that it has moved in front of the bars and towards you. This generates a 3D illusion. The effect is even more pronounced when the background is out of focus.

    Apart from split depth gifs, static cards with 3D effect are also gaining immense popularity.

    2. Geometric Shapes, Patterns, Lines and Circles

    Use modern shapes, either flat or with effects like glow, shadow or emboss to make your cards look unique. Abstract designs have not been explored on cards until now and would definitely give you an edge over other studioators.

    3. Bright, Bold and Vibrant colors

    2017 is about going all out. Don’t play it safe this year, the brighter the colors on your canvas the better for your cards. Vibrant popping colors, using two colors to show contrasting designs, color transitions, using colors found in nature and intensifying them are just some of the ways to apply this trend to your cards.

    4. Cinemagraphs

    We feel cinemagraphs are and will continue to be one of the hottest design trends in the coming years. As an artist you need that one style that absolutely spellbinds your viewers and we believe cinemagraphs to be the answer.

    Cinemagraphs are still images with one tiny element moving in them. It is the perfect way to grab your target audience’s attention in a short and exciting way. This technique makes simple photos look more realistic and bring them to life. Watch the video below to know what we are talking about!

    5. Custom Graphics and Illustrations instead of Stock Photos

    Yes, we are sorry to burst your bubble but using stock photos have become too predictable and boring. Even though stock images are popular, they tend to be used by other artists as well which makes your card a part of the rat race, fighting for sends. In case you are not equipped with design skills to create your own graphics and illustrations we suggest you to make your own bank of authentic photos. Look up some photography hacks, take out your camera and click on!

    Custom graphics and illustrations not only make your cards stand out from the crowd but also give your cards an identity of its own. Users tend to recognize your cards by your signature style. Hence we urge you to push the creative boundaries and try your hand at personalizing your cards.

    That’s all folks!

    We hope these trends have given you some food for thought and inspired you to up your designing game. Research these, look up sample images, gifs and YouTube tutorials on how to perfect these techniques and show us how you apply these to your cards.

    Happy designing!

  • 10 Ways To Make Your Family Feel Loved

    10 Ways To Make Your Family Feel Loved

    The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing.

    Last year we showed you ten ways to keep in touch with loved ones and how to express your love and rekindle romance in relationships. This year we are back with 10 ways to create some wow cards for users to send to their family members to make them feel cherished.

    Creating such cards would not only help users reconnect with estranged family members but also bring back the emotions which have been lost with time and distance. Wouldn’t you like to be responsible for someone’s smile and happiness? So start reading now and get prepped to create some cute cards for the family section.

    For Your Mom

    Life doesn’t come with a manual it comes with a mother and we wouldn’t have it any other way! Her presence makes life better, there is no one who can take her place and love you more than she does. Her timely hugs, unconditional love, smile, her heart which understands you before you can utter a word, her guidance, support, anger and her lessons which have taken you far in life are things which we will always be grateful to her for. She shaped our hearts and turned us into wonderful human beings for which she deserves a salute and a gold star. Create cards to brighten her day, make her smile and laugh and feel as loved and special. She is our world and let’s express this through some precious ecards.


    Ecard by AlmondTree

    For Your Dad

    Son’s first hero, daughter’s first love. First to, scan your boyfriends, to play ball with, to take you to games, to cheer you while you break the school record, to cry and beam with joy when you graduate or get married. While mums are known to follow the rules, dads mostly make up for their time away by breaking them. No matter how tall you are or how old you grow dad will always be the first man you look up to. Dad’s always have our backs and will fight the entire world for our happiness. Let’s appreciate this amazing man in our life by creating cards to remind them just how important they are to us. Look at creating some humorous cards to make dads laugh and forget all their worries for the day. The card below is lovely example of how to make him feel extraordinary and loved.


    Ecard by Bunnieclaire

    Sister

    Giggles and laughter, secrets, sometimes tears, soul mates, best friend, heart to heart conversations, partners in crime and many more are what sister bonds are made of. Sisters are the ones who believe in you when no one does, boosts your morale when you’re low and support you through thick and thin. It’s time to make this wonderful person feel super special. Give your users an opportunity to thank their sister, show some fuzzy love and make them laugh through your fun yet warm cards.


    Ecard by Bunnieclaire

    Brother

    Brothers are the ones you can’t live with or without! We share a love-hate relationship with them and we are sure you couldn’t agree more. From fighting over the TV remote to making up later over some late night dessert, from sneakily laughing at you when you get shouted at by your parents to saving your skin when you cross deadlines, from ferrying you to all your parties to being overly protective about you, from beating you hollow at video games to pulling up someone who tries to mess with you. He is one person who loves you with all his heart and is your support at all times. Imbibe these amusing and sweet attributes in your cards, help users send them to their brothers and brighten his day!


    Ecard by Andrea1014

    Son & Daughter

    Whether a teenager or an adult every child needs words of love, backing and encouragement from their parents. Create some inspirational, motivating, loving and warm cards from the point of view of what a child would like to receive from their parents and delight users with your imagination.


    Ecard by universelover

    Loved Ones

    Apart from your immediate family, extended family members hold a special place in our hearts. They rarely meet us, but when they do they pamper us silly. Let’s show some love and affection to uncles, aunts, maternal and paternal grandparents and cousins who have had our back at all times.



    Ecard by postcards

    Family Additions

    Birth of a little one or a wedding are joyful additions to the family. Help users make these pure and beautiful moments memorable by sending out ecards from our website. Create some different and unique cards under this sub-category and add to the joy.


    Ecard by Dragonfire

    Husband & Wife

    We all enjoy being loved and appreciated. Especially from our better halves. In the daily hustle-bustle of life, one often forgets to appreciate and acknowledge the little things our husbands/ wives do for us. Thrill your users by creating some praiseworthy, admiring and complimenting cards which they can send to their spouses and bring back the romance in their lives.


    Ecard by postcards

    Miss You

    Your family completes you. Be it good times or bad, they are people you need in your life 365 days, 24×7. Their absence on occasions or just a normal day makes you miss their love and support. Let your cards showcase these emotions of the sender which will touch the receiver of the card and let them know they are missed more than words can say.


    Ecard by poppies

    Family Occasions

    Baby sprinkles, birth of a baby, weddings and family dinners are just some of the occasions where relatives, young and old get together and catch up from where they left last. Get imaginative, look back at all the occasions your entire family has come together to celebrate and display those elements in your card. Make your card such, so that the user is compelled to send it out to his family members and plan a get-together!


    Ecard by postcards

    These were some of the ways we felt you can create cards to make family feel special and loved. Through your diverse ecards, millions of users can get a chance to reconnect with family members and create memories to last them a lifetime.

    Adding such varied cards to our website will not only diversify your portfolio but also enhance your card sends and earnings!

    So what are you waiting for?

    Log in to Studio and start designing now!

  • Spring Vibes

    Spring Vibes

    Spring is in the air, so stop what you are doing, let the sun hit your face, inhale that invigorating spring air and smell the fresh new season.

    Let’s welcome spring with open arms and create some refreshing cards for our users to send out to their dear ones.

    Here are five tips to help you create modern ecards for the season and infuse freshness into your designs just as spring comes and breathes new life into everything around!

    Design elements: Spring brings with it a multitude of elements which include rain, rainbows, sunshine, birds, rabbits, butterflies and beautiful flowers such as daffodils, lilies, daisies, tulips, orchids and sweet smelling peonies. It’s time to go fishing with friends, fly kites, go for picnics with family, walk barefoot in the grass, pick wild flowers, watch them bloom beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering in the breeze and tossing their heads in sprightly dance. It’s time to bake pies, spring clean, grill outdoors, play outdoor games, watch the sun rise, read under a tree or just sit back and rejoice in the sweet scents of the season. These are just some of the activities people look forward to this season. You can display these in your cards and give users an opportunity to celebrate this wonderful time of the year.

    Colors: During this season, life awakens in everything. The snow melts away and the ground is slowly covered by colorful flowers, birds return from warmer climates and butterflies add to the beauty of spring. Let your imagination run wild and use every possible bright, fun and playful color on your palette. Avoid dark, pastel and plain shades and use them only for the text. Experiment with your typography and see how you can have a different combination of text styles, colors and vibrant backgrounds. As the bright colors blossom and the butterflies flutter, weave the magic of spring and compel users to send out your cards!

    Emotions: It’s time again for earth to celebrate the return of this season. Users are looking to reconnect with their family and friends and send them good wishes for the season. Happy cards displaying heartfelt emotions and good wishes is a must. During this period, all life crawls out of hibernation, little buds blossom and our hearts open. Users want to bless their loved ones, send hugs to their little ones, send good hope, give thanks and keep on loving. Ensure your cards capture these varied emotions and delight the users. Don’t forget to create some scenic, floral ecards for users who would want to send across virtual flowers to dear ones in far off lands. There are plenty of sub-categories to experiment with and we are looking to see you explore all of them.

    Music: Music plays an essential role in the look and feel of the card, especially if the card is a flash or animated one. The sweet sound of the birds chirping, relaxed and playful tunes are perfect for springtime cards. Choose music which captures the ‘heart of spring’!

    Overall presentation: Spring is a time of renewal. What better opportunity would you Studioators get to get your creative hats on? Surprise our audience with your skill and ability to create something different and fun. Sprinkle love and joy in your cards and weave the magic of spring which will cast an everlasting spell on the users.

    By combining the tips stated above, we are sure you will totally surprise us with some beautiful cards.

    All that is left to say is this – laugh, love, sing, be happy, count your blessings, take risks and THINK SPRING!

  • Winter Magic

    Winter Magic

    Goodbye fall, Hello Winter…

    Winter is the time when days get colder, snow falls, lights get brighter, sweaters get bigger, books get thicker, blankets get larger, chimney gets hotter, snuggling gets nicer and hearts get closer. It is the time to make the most of the holidays, relax and spend quality time with loved ones.

    Sip on some hot chocolate, put on your reading glasses as we bring you 5 tips to create some magic this winter!

    Design elements: The design elements include snow, snowman, snowflakes, making paper snowflakes, hot chocolate with candy canes, box of chocolates, large sweaters, soft socks, mittens, knitted hats, reading good books and big beary hugs from loved ones. The season calls for fun activities like skiing, sleigh rides, ice skating, snow fighting with your buddies, building the snowman with your family members and simply frolicking around. It is the perfect time to relax, unwind and make the most of the holiday season. Snuggling up with a loved one near the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate, baking cookies with your family members or wrapping yourself in an extra large blanket to read a good book, packing gifts or decorating the home for the holiday season are some of the things one always looks forward to doing. Apart from using the elements stated above, get innovative and think of what you do during this season and add those elements to create magical cards.

    Colors: Winter depicts sharp and clear colors in nature. Be it the stark white snow which covers everything it touches or the beautiful starry lit sky on a winter night. Other than these feel free to use festive and season colors such as red and green. The crackling fireplace can definitely be depicted in hues of yellow, orange and red. Elements such as winter clothes can be shown in bright colors too. Avoid using pastel and plain colors as it is a season filled with beautiful colors. Play around with your font type and experiment with a new festive font, white and blue backgrounds work the best for winter cards. Try something different this winter and create that warmth users are looking for.

    Emotions: Winter is the time when one gets the longest holidays. It is the time for comfort, good food and warmth, it is the time for a friendly touch and conversations beside the fireplace. It is time for home. Users are looking to reconnect with family and friends; be it throwing snowballs at each other or taking part in other winter activities together. Some users want to rekindle the romance in their relationships, and are longing to make their beloved feel special through some warm and cozy cards. Don’t forget that users would need Miss You cards to send to their near and dear ones this magical season. Lastly, don’t miss the opportunity to create some Thank You cards which all users would want to send to their loved ones to let them know their gratefulness for all their near and dear ones love, affection and support. Depict all the above emotions in your cards and make your cards look surreal.

    You have different sub-categories to create some different winter cards, ensure that your cards serve all the above emotions.

    Music: Music should be such which makes the sender and receiver of the card feel relaxed. Old classic tunes should work their charm on users. Winter is fun filled yet relaxed, warm and cozy. The music should set these emotions going.

    Overall presentation: Irrespective of whatever elements, colors, music and emotion you chose, it is extremely important to seamlessly blend all and have a flawless card at the end of the day. Make sure you understand and recognize your target audience and then create the card. Winter is all about the love you share with family and friends, ensure you’re me to you messages ooze out love and warmth. Try and personalize your cards and address the needs of your users.

    Winter and holidays are synonymous with each other, this is the time to prepare for Christmas and New Year. There are days when you want to stay in bed all day and laze around and there are days when you feel the festive spirit and are excited to go Christmas shopping and buy Christmas cards and gifts for your loved ones. Winter gives you not only the chance to whisk up some really great cards for the season but also prepare yourself for the upcoming festivals.

    Hope the above pointers come in handy and push you to create some wonderful ecards and delight our users.

    Wish you all a Wonderful, Warm and Happy Winter!