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Advantages of Ecards Over Paper Greeting Cards – Part 1
With the advancement of digital technology and the world-wide-web, everything seems to be moving to the digital platform, be it books, paintings, maps, to name a few; greeting cards are no exception.
Ecards are similar to postcards or greeting cards, the only difference being that they are created using the digital media instead of paper or other traditional materials. They are then made available by publishers on various internet sites. What makes an ecard so different from the traditional greeting cards is its digital content which accounts for its versatility.
Here are some advantages from the Artist’s Perspective that indicate why ecards may be preferred over paper greeting cards.

Artist’s Perspective
- Greater room for creativity: Using the ecard as your canvas allows you to experiment and be more innovative in terms of the variety and type of cards you produce, the scope of which would be limited in traditional paper cards.
- Use of multimedia: Unlike in a paper card, the beauty of ecards lie in the fact that a mix of more than one media can be used. It is not restricted to the use of only static images and text, but can also incorporate flash or animated images or graphics and sound (recorded speech or music) to make the experience of the card richer. It allows the usage of multiple images that can take the recipient through a journey, as well as, to set the mood of the card through the usage of music.
- Publicity: Ecards allow you to showcase your talent and get your fan-following. You could be into photography, graphic designing, animation, poetry, creative writing or musical composition; an ecard offers a common platform to showcase any or all of these talents.
- Reach Global Audiences: The reach of ecards, because of the very nature of its medium, is not confined to a specific geographic location but extends to a global audience. This enables the artist to showcase their work to the world population online.
The above are few advantages from an artist’s perspective, but it is also important to understand why users would prefer ecards over paper cards. We’ll cover that in our next blog. So keep Reading!
July 2, 2014
Tips to Create Fourth of July Ecards

June is almost over and July is fast approaching. Fourth of July, 2014 is one of the biggest events to look forward to in July. It is the American Independence Day and is widely celebrated by Americans all over the world. This is a country specific holiday and most importantly it is a patriotic holiday, hence ecards must have appropriate elements and respectful messages.

Here are some tips to help you create the perfect Fourth of July ecard.

1. Research about the holiday: It is vital to understand the essence of the holiday. What is it about? How is it celebrated? Who celebrates it? These are some important areas to read up on which will help artists create the concepts for their ecards.

2. Use holiday specific emotions: There are various emotions attached to Fourth of July. Some of these are – patriotism, pride, respect, fun etc. Understanding the emotions will help understand what the audience wants to convey through the ecard.

3. Me to you messages: This is a crucial component in all ecards. Great ecards are made of great visuals and messages. The sender should be able to relate to the message in the cards and the cards should be able to translate the sender’s emotions. For more details read our ‘Me to You messages’ post. In case of Fourth of July me to you messages should convey messages of pride, freedom, love for the country, translate the spirit of the Americans and wishes for a great day full of celebrations.

4. Use holiday specific elements: Since this is a patriotic holiday, country specific symbols should be used in ecards. These include but are not limited to – use of national colors, flag colors, the American flag, the bald eagle, Statue of Liberty, men in uniform; elements of celebration – fireworks, picnics, barbecues etc. Please note that copyrighted images should not be used. Only images, the copyright of which belongs to the artist or he/she has the license to use the images, should be used in all ecards.

5. Music: Music improves the appeal of ecards. Music in this case can be soothing, patriotic or applicable to celebrations. Music must compliment the card hence it should be selected based on the message and feel of the ecard. Example -Rap music will not be appropriate if the ecard is patriotic in nature. The American national anthem, vocal or instrumental, can be used in these ecards but they should be available on public domains for commercial use or their copyright should be owned by the artist.

Below are three popular Fourth of July ecards to help you understand these tips better:-

1. Happy Fourth of July ecard

This ecard uses Fourth of July elements such as the American flag and its colors to send a warm and cute teddy hug to loved ones. The text also includes relevant colors.

2. Fourth of July Fireworks ecard

This ecard can be found under the sub-category of ‘Fireworks’. Fireworks being an important part of the holiday are beautifully displayed in this ecard. Virtual fireworks light the sky of New York City and the Statue of Liberty emphasizes the American essence. Text in this ecard too uses relevant colors.

3. Happy Fourth of July ecard

This Happy Fourth of July ecard includes a warm message from the sender to the recipient. It includes the flag and the bald eagle in the background, which are symbolic to USA. The text also uses relevant colors.

It is also important to upload cards under various sub-categories as they define what users are looking for. Crowding one particular sub-category will ultimately hamper the performance of ecards. It is also important promote your cards on social media and personal blogs to get mass coverage.

June 17, 2014
Top 5 Father’s Day Ecards by 123Greetings Studio Artists

Father’s Day is just around the corner and we thought it’ll be interesting to showcase some of 123Greetings Studio’s top performing Father’s Day ecards.

These 5 ecards created by our very talented Studio Artists blend in a variety of elements that make their cards most loved by users.

Here are the top performing ecards for Father’s Day,

1) Father’s Day ecard by Studio Artist Teddy

2) Father’s Day ecard by Studio Artist Jothi

3) Father’s Day ecard by Studio Artist Daftoons

4) Father’s Day ecard by Studio Artist Vishyaustin

5) Father’s Day ecard by Studio Artist Prabhakaran

Good luck to all our artists and we hope that you make it to the Top 5 Father’s Day ecards of 2014!

We’d love to know what you liked in these ecards, so feel free to comment below.

June 12, 2014
Different Kinds of Ecards

Studio artists submit an array of ecards. Some are romantic, some are funny while others are encouraging or even engaging. To help some of our new artists we have categorized ecards under some popular groups.

1. Personal Relationship ecards:

Main sentiment – Love and affection (genuine, natural and straightforward).
Strong me-to-you messages
Visuals – Landscapes / Romantic settings
Tone of message – Serious, warm and yet contemporary
Message style – Short prose (between poetic and conversational)
Eg: cards under anniversary, family, love and other categories

This Love ecard by Studio artist AshuPatodia is a great example of a strong me-to-you message. It has received 12,389 sends.

Personal Relationship ecard

2. Conventional ecards:

These are general cards which cover a wide range of sections, such as birthday, congrats, everyday and thank you.
They contain strong me-to-you messages.
Tone of message – Serious (opposed to cute or funny), formal or warm.
Message style – Rhymed verse or prose.

This Birthday ecard by Studio Artist Greetall, includes warm and formal wishes. It has received 80,487 sends

Conventional ecard

3. Inspirational ecards:

They contain beautiful thoughts about life, love, God and nature – meant to uplift the spirit. May bring faith and encouragement to others.
Message style – Poetic, less direct (unlike conventional cards)
Relatively long verses – appeal to a wider audience (opposed to conventional cards which have shorter, more personal messages)
Eg: These cards fall under various sections such as birthday, graduation, inspiration or any event where the message is intended to motivate the recipient.

This in-house Inspirational ecard has a beautiful natural setting and includes thought about life and God. It has received 35,332 sends.

Inspirational ecard

4. Humorous ecards:

These cards may be clever or funny-meant to make people roll with laughter.
Topic and style – Contemporary
Messages – To the point and precise
Eg: At work>Humor, Birthday>fun, Friendship>fun, Father’s Day>Fun

This Birthday ecard by Studio Artist Daftoons includes a funny character singing an amusing birthday song. It has received 576,500 sends.

Humorous ecard

5. Interactive ecards:

These cards prompt the recipient for a response or engage him/her in a game or activity.
Messages – Funny, witty and short messages
Topic and style – Contemporary
Eg – Shoot the turkey or grab the turkey game for Thanksgiving, grab a beer for Father’s Day, blow the candles for Birthday, find the odd element out for any event. You can usually find these cards under the ‘Fun’ sub-categories.

This in-house Father’s Day ecard involves the recipient in a fun beer game. It has received 38,852 sends.

Interactive ecard

June 3, 2014
Me-to-You Message in Ecards

This is an essential for all performing ecards. This indicates that the user finds an apt message to send to the receiver through the ecard. Ok, so you may think that, “I’ve used good graphics and I think my text is pretty decent; it goes well with my visuals. My card views are pretty sound too. Then why aren’t my ‘cards sent’ figures equally good?” Rings a bell? If it didn’t, you’re lucky (You could read this too, though!). But chances are many of us would identify with this situation. Let’s try and figure out why?

Best practices suggest a “me-to-you” message is one of the most important characteristics of successful greeting cards. What does that jargon mean?

Putting that in simple terms, you need to check if your message makes the sender think, “That’s exactly what I wanted to say!” Even the receiver should feel that it has been created especially for him or her. Though, realistically, it is written such that thousands of people are able to identify with it and send it.

Sometimes we add expressions that sound good and are generic, thinking it will work for most users. However, that message may not be the one that people would want to “send”. And why is that? Maybe it’s because they read more like captions than messages? Or, maybe it does not reflect what the receiver would like to hear from the sender?

Let’s try and picture this. So you’ve got this image of an adorable little puppy staring at you, to which you add “The cutest little thing on earth”. Given you’re a dog-lover, this wins you over. But would you, as a viewer wanting to say something to someone, actually send this? Unlikely, right?

Now, say the same image includes the text “Feeling a little blue…coz I’m missing you”. You’d probably want to click on “send” right away. The card below serves as an example to prove the point.

May 15, 2014
Top Five Ecard Design Fundamentals

Tip #1. Understand the Relationship between the Sender and Receiver

Most people tend not to go outside the “established boundaries” of their relations. A card must respect that. Example: A “Father’s Day” card from a daughter would convey love in a casual and fun way.
“Sending Father’s Day wishes your way…No amount of pampering can ever equal your love. Proud to be a ‘daddy’s girl’, and I know your proud to be my ‘daddy’ too! “
A “Father’s Day” card from a son, on the other hand, might be more respectful, slightly formal and convey a sense of gratitude.
“Thanks for being someone I look up to, Dad. Happy Father’s Day! ”

Tip #2. Address the Need of the Receiver

Every individual, irrespective of gender, age or position, has in him/her a deep-seated (yet rarely expressed) need to be loved, appreciated, understood and respected.
A card must address this need.
Example: “Thank you…You light up my life.”

Tip #3. Try and Use Humor

It’s a fact – humor works. Be sure to test it with a few people around you to check if it is generating the intended effect.

Tip #4. Appreciate the Challenges the Internet Poses

Designs that are heavy in size take time to load on a large number of people sending that card. Too much small character text might not read well on many smaller devices.

Tip #5. Visuals Attract, Copy Sells

Ensure your visuals are attractive. At the end of the day we all have weak spots for great aesthetics. Ensure that the font is appropriate and the text is legible.
While all these might lead to people viewing your card, it is ultimately the copy that decides whether the Send Now button is clicked or not.

February 15, 2014
5 Tips on Popularizing Your Card Designs

Tip #1

Build an active social media network of fans and followers
Social media can be powerful tool to promote your creative’s. As you are probably aware, Facebook has over 1 billion users globally. You can include your Studio Profile URL in your FB profile, and also regularly market your creations on your Wall for your friends and their networks to see and share. Read more on optimal Facebook strategies at http://bit.ly/123S_FB1.

Tip #2

Establish connections with fellow artists to cross-promote your cards
You can find links to social media profiles of other artists on their Studio Profile page. Offer to promote their work on your networks, and request them to return the favor to you. This can work wonderfully for everyone.

Tip #3

Choose your listing category carefully
Categories are listed in order of their priority to senders. Hence, categories listed higher up have greater visibility and send ability. However, because of this, competition in these categories is also high. Hence, if you have a powerful concept for a top category which is fresh, by all means select the top category and list it there. Else, it might be worthwhile spending time creating a specific category card which stands out. In all instances quality and send ability will be rewarded.

Tip #4

Choose your tags carefully
Tags increase your card’s search ability, and help you get those critical views, since there is no word limit on tags, you can put as many tags as you like, but do remember these should be relevant for your card. Check out tags in this link: http://bit.ly/123G_S_Tag. You can see a plethora of tags, but these all are relevant with the card. Include tags for the following – sender/receiver/emotions/expressed/related symbolism shown/mood of card/relevant card categories and sub-categories.

Tip #5

Give your cards a push at the start
Initially share your Studio cards URL with your family, friends, fans and networks. Request them to view it, comment on it and if they like it they can share it on their networks. Once your card starts getting viewed and sent by some people, it gets the automatic push from the 123Greetings system to mature into a top card.

February 9, 2014
5 Reasons Why People Choose One Design Over The Other To Express Their Emotions

Reason #1/5

Familiarity and Suitability of Imagery
Choice of visuals, color scheme and objects are very important in the design of an expression. Literature supports that people tend to like what they are familiar with. It is known as mere-exposure effect. Hence it might be a good idea to incorporate familiar objects, symbols, colors associated with a certain festival, emotion or occasion.

Reason #2/5

Music to set the mood
Choice of music is critical in setting the mood of the expression. Imagine what mood would be best suited to your expression concept. Choose music which helps you build and set that mood. It is easier said than done, though. Surprisingly, our experience suggests, when the music is right, you’ll know it. Until then, keep looking for it!

Reason #3/5

Vary the pace
Plan your expression storyboard in such a way that you have at least one high point. One standard and consistent storyline finds it difficult to capture attention and does not satisfy the needs of an ever-demanding and busy internet consumer. Reflect on the movies you watched and loved. Would you enjoy that movie, if it had no climax, or highs and lows?

Reason #4/5

Words
These are perhaps the most important direct communicators of the message/expression. Choose each of them carefully. Ensure they sufficiently and coherently communicate the emotion, and keep the storyline alive. Choose your font, size, color and stylization appropriately. Everything matters. Most definitely avoid abbreviations, spelling and grammar mistakes. Have a few friends and well wishers help you proof read your copy.

Reason #5/5

Design for the world
Lastly, test your storyboard for applicability across geographies. Your expression should transcend political, ethnic, religious, geographical, regional boundaries. Ensure everyone would under stand, appreciate and identify with the expression. Again, this too, is easier said than done. However, if you keep this aspect in mind while developing your concept, you’re likely to appeal to a wider audience base. Of Course, if you are designing for a festival or occasion particular to any community – by all means, appeal to only that community, without offending the audience in general.

February 2, 2014
Top 5 Events in the US for sending E-Greeting Cards

Event #1/5

Christmas Day
This holiday is positioned at the top of the chart. Lives of people across the world jingle on the occasion of Christmas and they greet each other on this special day to enhance their joy by sending best wishes greetings.

Event #2/5

Easter
On the auspicious day of resurrection of Christ, our creations help people to resurrect the many warm feelings associated to this day. Easter is the Second most popular event in the United States.

Event #3/5

Valentine’s Day
Bringing a smile on the face of your loved one is the greatest pleasure in the world and we offer our assistance to millions to find the perfect expression that conveys their true feelings. Valentine’s Day is the third most popular occasion in the United States.

Event #4/5

Mother’s Day
No love in this world can be bigger than a mother’s love for her children and nobody will miss a chance to express affection and appreciation towards their mother, making it the fourth most popular event in the United States.

Event #5/5

Thanksgiving Day
The simplest yet the most valuable way of showing your gratitude to others for their contributions in your life, is by thanking them. Hence on this beautiful day we provide various visually delightful ways through which people can say Thank You. This is the fifth most popular event in the United States.

December 20, 2013
How To Create Great Ecards

Learn How To Create Great Ecards with 123Greetings Studio’s very own course on Udemy “ How To Create Great Ecards “course. What we aim to do through this course is to help bring out the latent talent in you, to help you discover the joy of expressing yourself through e-cards and for those who’ve already given wings to their talents, we’d like to take you a step further in helping you polish and improve your already existing set of skills, and maybe – just maybe, add to it.

December 5, 2013