Choosing a holiday card photo isn’t exactly easy. In fact, for many of us, once a decision is made, there’s no going back! Luckily, if you have your image(s) in hand, you’re over the hump. From here, it's all about finding the photo-forward design that helps tell your story best.
Read on to get our simple tips for choosing a card that complements your favorite moments — along with card recommendations to jumpstart your search.
01
Family
In keeping with tradition, most card-creators choose to use their snail mail to celebrate family in its many forms. And while there’s certainly no wrong way to go about it, we find that the simple pleasure of time together comes through in an equally parred down design. Sticking to classic, minimal, and organic elements can help put the focus on and bring out the warmth in family photography.
Pair your photo with...
√ Fun, organic cropping
√ Multi-photo design
√ Hand-lettered greeting
√ Scene-by-scene story
√ Inverted arch crop
√ Editable greeting
√ Option for foil greeting
√ Unique greeting design
02
Wedding
Chances are, your best day was also your biggest story of the year. (Plus, you already have professional photos at the ready!) Minimalistic card designs will give your wedding photos well-deserved focus, while elegant foil-stamped embellishments can add that little something extra.
Pair your photo with...
√ Bespoke foil-stamped arches
√ Full-bleed feature photo
√ Elevated foil ring design
√ Choose one to four photos
√ Minimalistic foil-stamped border
√ Horizontal or vertical orientation
√ Geometric design elements
√ Elegant serif typeface
03
Furry Friends
We understand the urge to feature your fluffball. (You might even catch some of ours running around the office!) In this case, we’d say the cute and goofy nature of pet photography calls for a more whimsical card design. Fun, informal touches with equally fanciful lettering capture the quirky, comedic personalities of cats and doggos — at their most dapper and derpy alike!
Pair your photo with...
√ Oval-cropped photo vignette
√ Repeating "merry" underlay
√ Whimsical retro font
√ Stencil-inspired design
√ Artful brushstroke element
√ Simple to customize
√ Foil-stamped serif greeting
√ Vertically stacked lettering
04
Props & Objects
Symbols of the season have their place. Think: gingerbread cookie platings, wreaths in just the right light, out-of-focus string lights — the list goes on! Depending on the photos you plan to use, your card may take on a number of different vibes. Our best advice is to use the greeting in your card - both typeface and message - to play off of the mood in your images and create a truly complementary pairing. Many of our cards even allow for completely custom greetings.
Pair your photo with...
√ Add 10 photos on front
√ Border grid design
√ Nine-photo story grid
√ Option for foil stamping
√ Syllable-by-scene design
√ Vertically stacked, wide crops
√ Joyful retro typeface
√ Choose foil & orientation
05
Highlight Reel
Choose just one photo to celebrate the season?! No way, say those with snap-happy camera rolls. Never fear, we offer plenty of cards to bring your favorite snippets of the year together in a little (or not so little!) highlight reel. In narrowing down your options, take note of the photo cropping and keep an eye out for geometric or organic shapes that might complement your stories.
Pair your photo with...
√ Use horizontal & vertical photos
√ Playful, design-forward shapes
√ Hand-lettered greeting
√ Scene-by-scene story
√ Design that tells a story
√ Choose from two layouts
√ Option for foil greeting
√ Unique greeting design
06
Couple
Celebrating your seasonal significance as significant others? Especially if it’s your first card together, all the more reason to keep it simple. Choose a card without too many bells and whistles, where your photo can take the lead. Look for a hand-lettered or more organic font if you’re trying to keep the tone of the card a little more informal.
Pair your photo with...
√ Choose any border color
√ Simple, cheerful design
√ Foil stamping is optional
√ Accommodating square crop
√ Full-bleed feature image
√ Custom greeting option
√ Minimal, balanced design
√ Custom greeting option
07
Holiday Scene
There’s nothing like a holiday scene to give your card that most-wonderful-time-of-the-year feeling. If you set out in search of a picture-perfect holiday backdrop this year, chances are you’re not looking for your photos to take the back seat. Let them shine with a photo-forward card that brings in simple, complementary elements. For instance, even just a touch of bordering embellishment can go a long way in supporting your photo!
Pair your photo with...
√ Simple, photo-forward design
√ Choose orientation & add foil
√ Five available foils
√ Modern oval border
√ Geometric design elements
√ Minimal, photo-forward design
√ Unique script with foil option
√ Vertical & horizontal images
08
Engagement
There’s big news to share — and a holiday card can be a fun way to let people in on your now not-so-little secret. If you had a photographer capturing the moment while it unfolded, a multi-photo card can tell the story scene by scene. But there’s certainly no shame in picking a favorite and letting it speak for itself! Either way, a little bit of foil can give the appropriate touch of glam for your good news.
Pair your photo with...
√ Greeting plays off photo
√ Optional foil in five colors
√ Minimal design with subtle text
√ Photo makes the statement
√ Multi-photo with feature
√ Classic, symmetrical design
√ Elegant serif with optional foil
√ Eight photos tell a story
09
Landscapes
Maybe your reasons for the season are the wild places that inspire something within? Landscape photos often require a horizontally oriented card design, which helps to narrow the search a bit. From there, don’t be afraid to go large in terms of how much of the card the image takes up. These types of designs will highlight the magnitude of Mother Nature in ways that invite pause out of the envelope.
Pair your photo with...
√ Ideal for panoramic photos
√ Five optional foil border colors
√ Unique card dimensions
√ Bold, modern typeface
√ Full-bleed photo printing
√ Foil & orientation options
√ Full-bleed photo without overlay
√ Add your message to the back
