Kate Harper's Blog, page 7

Photoshop and Illustrator Shortcuts

Here's a handy keyboard shortcut guide for photoshop by forgetfoo.com:















And here's one for Adobe illustrator that Patsy Coogan (see an example of her Halloween Dog on this blog!) She alerted me of on izazeyza blog.













Kate Harper Designs www.kateharperdesigns.com

Troubling News on the Greeting Card Industry

This article in the New York Times Blog offered some stunning statistics on the greeting card industry:



• According to the United States Postal Service, the number of greeting cards
mailed within the U.S. has declined by 24 percent from 2002 to 2010, and
continues to drop today.



• Traditional sales have fallen by 60 percent over the last decade, to $5 billion a year.



• American Greetings stock was valued at 65 percent less than it was in 1998. 




• Hallmark’s card sales dropped to 5 billion cards a year in 2012, down from 6 billion in 2011.



Some bright spots:



• Digital greeting cards continue to rise, up to $4 billion in sales
in 2013, a 20-percent increase from 2012.



• The statistics were based on "traditional" cards, and not independent designers. 



• The report said barriers to enter the industry
are not difficult and possible areas of growth are likely mall
geographic areas and niches in the market.




Unfortunately these stats only reflect the traditional card sold through large corporations.  It is unclear how all this reflects on card publishers who services boutique shops (see more confirmation on this here) .  Also, what about the imprintable industry?  Is that a growth area?






Book on creating wedding invitations.


Kate Harper Designs www.kateharperdesigns.com

Getting a Job at a Greeting Card Company

When I was doing some research on the greeting card industry, out of curiosity I wondered what kind of "art skills" greeting card companies require these days.



After reading the listings, I was surprised at how all the posts required extensive software skills. I did not see one post that required drawing or painting by hand. Is hand drawing a skill no longer needed anymore?



Here are some examples of job requirements from American Greetings.

To see the entire job post, click on the job title.





Art Director/Assistant: 

The ideal person will demonstrate a combination of the following disciplines:
illustration, animation, photography, interactive programming, web
design, experience design, graphic design, fine art, music, and writing.
Expert knowledge of design programs including Photoshop, Illustrator,
and Flash. Send link to an on-line portfolio. BA or BFA in a design
related field.


Illustrator/Designer:

Expert knowledge of design programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator.

Design, or related field of study.

Link to an on-line portfolio.


Graphic Artist:

MacIntosh skills with proficiency in Adobe CS4 applications and excellent typographic design skills are required.



Creative Specialist:

Assist in the production of prototype product and signage. Experience in graphic arts, graphic design or studio art.






































































Kate Harper Designs www.kateharperdesigns.com

Leanin' Tree Samples Arrived!

Just got this great box of samples from my designs at Leanin' Tree.  I'm always impressed at the high quality of their products.  It's a privilege to create designs for them.


















Kate Harper Designs www.kateharperdesigns.com

Greeting Card Buying Statistics

I really like this infographic.








Kate Harper Designs www.kateharperdesigns.com

Meeting with an Artist by Video!

I had a nice video meeting with artist Carol Grace Anderson yesterday. We spent time evaluating her card line and looking at ways to expand it.



Here is one of my favorite cards of hers.  It follows important greeting card guidelines: Bright Colors, text on the top third, and clear message.  I also like her texture and color blending that makes your eye move around the card.



You can see more of her work at www.HipGreetingCards.com




If you'd like to learn more about Artist Video Meetings, contact me at GCDblog@gmail.com













Inside Text: 
With God, all things are possible. 







~ 


Kate Harper Designs www.kateharperdesigns.com

HTML Geeky Greeting Cards

Check out this neat article on greeting cards using html web coding text by Costas Papaconstantinou.  If you do any website coding, you will probably find these humorous.
Kate Harper Designs www.kateharperdesigns.com

Greeting Card Association Convention this September!

The Greeting Card Association is extending an invite to greeting card artists and designers to attend the GCA's 72nd Annual Convention, taking place September 18-21 at The Westin Savannah Harbor in Savannah, GA.



Themed "Turn It On," card artists/designers can attend informational sessions at this year’s Convention – including guest experts on:




Generational Behavior 2.0
Licensing
Design and Color Trends
Paper and Process Trends
Youtility:  Why Smart Marketing is About Help not Hype
Retailing 



There’s also an option to "Ask the Experts" on several topics relevant to card artists/designers, including "Licensing 101" and "Small Business Ownership."



There will also be fun, food and networking opportunities. For more information and to register, visit their conference website page at http://www.greetingcard.org/AbouttheGCA/MeetingsEvents/2013AnnualConvention/tabid/272/Default.aspx.  or for a pdf of the event click here.








~
Kate Harper Designs www.kateharperdesigns.com

35 Free Photoshop Tutorials

Here are some interesting photoshop tutorials on dzineblog.

Check out the list at http://www.dzineblog360.com/2013/06/35-newly-released-free-photoshop-tutorials-of-2013/



Here are some examples:





Making Poster Mockups


























Matte Paintings












Texturing Text













Kate Harper Designs www.kateharperdesigns.com

My Greeting Card About Doing Chores

Here is another one of my cards published by Leanin' Tree:






Kate Harper Designs www.kateharperdesigns.com