YCN - Competition Brief

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UK Greetings

Design a range of greetings cards

Background

Imagine seeing your card designs on the shelves of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waterstones, Paperchase, Clintons and independent card shops, and on window sills across the country.

UK Greetings are the UK’s market leading direct-to-retailer publisher, and manufacturer of greetings cards.

Based in West Yorkshire, we supply to the major supermarkets, high street specialists and independent retailers in the UK and internationally.

UKG have several established sub-brands, each priding itself on delivering something unique, giving UK Greetings a distinctive edge and sound reputation for diverse and eclectic product. More information on these can be found at ukgreetings.co.uk

The Creative Challenge

The greetings card industry is a very competitive market. We are constantly looking for ways to stand out from the crowd, whether this be through an exciting card format, interesting use of finishes (emboss, foil, glitter, varnish, gems, googly eyes, printed card attachments, bespoke attachments, buttons etc), or simply stunning designs that stand out from the competition.

Target Audience

16-34 year olds.

Considerations

Think about the sending situation. Why would you be sending them a card? What is the occasion? Birthday card to a friend or to a family relation? Something to say good luck, get well? Congratulations? You’re getting married? Simply ‘I love you’ or ‘I miss you’?

Who is the recipient? At what stage in their lives are they? Single, married, with children, off to college/university, passing their driving test, losing someone close to them?

Remember who you are targeting. Who is going to be actually buying the card for the recipient? Although you need to design a card that targets the recipient, it’s the person who is buying the card we need to impress and convince.

Also please note: Women buy far more cards than men.

Is the card design-led or copy-led (could be a quote, just a ‘hello’ or a longer message)?

Mandatories

You must design at least 4 cards. These will include:

• Front page designs.
• Designs for the inside of the cards (this may or may not include an insert).
• A range name and logo to be printed on the back page.
• Remember to think about the envelope colour or design.
• Suggested card sizes – 159mm x 159mm, 121mm x 184mm, 137mm x 159mm, 110mm x 210mm but don’t let that restrict you.
• Add 3mm bleed to all artwork supplied.

Preparation

Take a look at what is out there. Visit Paperchase, Clintons, WH Smith and local card shops. A successful range often does something different to what is already out there.

Do some research into what types of cards are being sent to this target group and why.

Deliverables, Artwork and Additional Information

For guidance on how to submit your work, please adhere to the main deliverables information which can be found here.

Any additional supporting information referenced in the brief can be found in the supporting project pack.