There is nothing quite like receiving a hand written card in the post. The excitement when you open the envelope, the artwork or design on the front and then the words inside, written especially for you. It is such a simple thing to do, a greeting card costs little and doesn’t take that long to write - unless you want it to. Yet it can make such a difference to the person receiving it.
According to the Greeting Card Association, 878.8 million single cards were sold in the UK in 2014. Will we reach a billion this year? If my friend and ex colleague Liz is let loose in the card shops we probably will. She sends more cards in one month than most of us do in a year, and it is always such a joy to receive them. As a greeting card publisher our mission is to make it easy for Liz and other card buyers to find suitable cards of high quality for any person and occasion. At Dry Red Press we offer a variety of card ranges to suit many different occasions and to appeal to men, women and children alike.
When do we send all these greeting cards? There are some obvious occasions of course such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s and Father’s Day, birthdays (or in my family we often take the ‘belated birthday’ card approach), anniversaries, Easter and Christmas. We send cards when someone moves house, gets a new job, leaves again, gets married, has a baby, retires, is unwell or has lost someone dear.
Perhaps the nicest cards to receive are the ones we send for no other reason than that we want to let the receiver know we are thinking about them. We choose a card especially for the person in question and we take our time writing a little message (or a long one). It is a lovely way of showing that you matter to me. I care about you and I am happy to take time out of my day to choose, buy, write and post this card especially for you. Yes gentlemen, this is the one! A big reward for a small effort. The GCA’s facts and figures sheet says that 85% of all cards in the UK are bought by women. Where have you guys been all this time – it is fool proof! For those of you who want to go that extra mile you can of course design your very own artwork on a blank piece of card. If you are less into arts and crafts it is easy enough to get to a card stockist and choose the perfect one from their collections. Or at the click of a button you can order them straight from many publisher's websites (including ours). The right card with your own message inside really is an easy way of making that special someone aware of how much you appreciate them. And without it being a huge mission and a great expense.
If you had a card in front of you right now, perhaps one with beautiful artwork on the front, who would you send it to? Whose day could be brightened by a message from you? In this busy world we all have good intentions but sometimes it is really hard to make time for that phone call or visit. Popping a card in the post doesn’t replace a two way conversation, but it is a way of connecting people which is sometimes underestimated.
At Dry Red Press we love the fact that each one of our cards is a little piece of art being shared around the world. They spread joy and the message of love and often end up on a mantelpiece or even in a nice little frame on a wall. Hang on, a frame? On a wall? Now there is an idea. Watch this space!
You can find more facts and figures on the Greeting Card Association website
Interested in making your own cards? We love the card ideas from www.myhappybirthdaywishes.com
Finding it hard to compose a sympathy card? Here is a step by step guide full of ideas and quotes from Love Lives On.