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Trends & Inspirations
Ready For
Below: An Oh Squirrel design from its Glitter Typography Collection. Below right: Redback’s new Shine range features sparkling reversible sequins. Below left: The Magic, Music and Moonbeams range by Five Dollar Shake is obsessed with all things disco and cosmic.
Take Off Uplifting or up, up and away, the key trend in the ascent on cards in 2019 is elevation. Whether it's the celebration of enriching, encouraging and supportive female bonds, optimistic warm coral hues and abundant ocean reef life, or even sparkling to the max and Apollo 11 taking to the skies, there’s a sense of soaring into the stratosphere on card designs, serving as some relief from earthly troubles and strife. With big bold painterly florals and birds in rich tones accompanied by a barrel of monkeys, there’s no denying that the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo continues to influence this year on card designs, so PG takes a look at the cornucopia of trends swinging high in the trees.
Disco Dreams Shining brazenly in sequins, holographic finishes and more shiny silvery enhancements than 70s glam rock band Wizzard, a sparkling trend currently on card designs is Disco. Yes, Disco. It’s more than just music, more than a place to shake your thing, it shimmies glistens and twinkles its lustre on a dancefloor of different designs on cards. From Ziggy Stardust lightning bolts, glossy lips and glitter balls in iridescent finishes to bright, gleaming neon and rainbows - too much is never enough for the Disco groove on cards. Nostalgia is a place that is often called on when times get tough, and popping back to a time when disco music gods Earth, Wind & Fire, Donna Summer and Chic were lighting up clubs such as New York’s Studio 54 with their four to the floor beat is a design vibe that’s come from last year’s catwalks and ‘Hustle-d’ its way on to cards.
Sequins & spandex Anna Price, head of design for Hotchpotch: “Disco was all over the catwalk trends last year, both in beauty and fashion. We’re all magpies at Hotchpotch, so when we saw this trend emerging we wanted to jump straight on it! Disco is not purely about fashion and music, we love how it lends itself so well to greeting cards. We geek out when it comes to holographic foil, rainbow colours, neons and sparkle, which all work perfectly with this trend. Last summer we were developing tactile, shaped pouches that contained holographic and iridescent glitter to create a new collection of cards. As a result, ‘Glitter Ball’ launched at Top Drawer in January and we had a great reaction to the new designs. The glitter moves in the pouch when shaken and adds another dimension to the trend-led designs, which include unicorns, disco balls, balloons, llamas, cakes and flamingos!”
Above: Bold gold foiled font and rosy hues invite us to party on a Sadler Jones card from its The Miami Collection. Left: Hotchpotch’s new range Glitter Ball has heaps of holographic finishes. Below: A design from Meraki’s contemporary holographic Aries range.
Above left: A design from The Art File’s new Shimmy range. Left: Tiny specs of sparkle shimmer on The Handcrafted Card Company’s new Limelight collection. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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