68-71_Animals.qxp_Grid 01/11/2024 12:05 Page 68
FOCUS ON… ANIMAL & PET CARDS
As a nation of animal lovers, publishers can’t go wrong if they keep our furred and feathered friends on greeting cards. Here PG looks at the latest animal trends, the most unusual characters, and the evergrowing popularity of to and from the pet designs.
There’s a serious business going on with animal cards. And while it is ‘reigning cats and dogs’, animals of all shapes, sizes, and breeds, domesticated, farm or wild, are joining the menagerie in the card racks. But it is a peculiarly-British trait, as Bug Art’s bunny-obsessed founder Jane Crowther explained: “While rabbits are a popular UK pet, they’re not commonly kept elsewhere. Most of our sales are non-UK so pet animals such as cat and dogs do better abroad, where people aren’t generally so animal obsessed. “Cats are still by far the most popular – as cat lovers aren’t breed specific, we have lots of customers who buy every cat design we do. Recently though we’ve noticed a lot more Highland cows on product, also there’s been a big surge of fox designs.” Paper Shed’s Jo O’Brien agrees with the cow trend: “After the launch of our Above right: A design from Dandelion Stationery. Right: Bug Art loves rabbits.
Buttercup Farm range early this year the cute Highland cow design has rapidly become a bestseller. “Our from the dog and from the cat captions are really popular. We started them in general birthday designs but, due to demand, have included this caption in our Christmas and spring ranges too with from the dog achieving the strongest sales”. To and from the dog and cat cards are big at Paper Rose too, where senior designer Jazmine Carter said: “It’s a caption we’ve started introducing more and more into our collection, as we’ve noticed people getting closer with their pets, including us.
PUBLISHERS’ PET PARADE Below (l to r): See what Bramble has to put up with in the storeroom at Grace Jackson Design; Albie is the star of owner Heather Trefusis’ bestseller. Adorable staffy Keo is Heyyy Cards’ mascot and helps co-owner Dan Clarkson with designs; Paddy loves nothing more than getting on the bike to ride into
68 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Above: Jinx and Digger get out on the water with Brilliantly Brave’s Jean Pryde – and her partner Stuart Cox laughed: “As us and the mutts live in the north of Scotland there's plenty of opportunity for them to get out and about. We've got three, sometimes five, occasionally six, depends on what Jean’s daughter Charlotte is up to.”
“So many of our team have such wonderful pets who get involved in our day to day. We often see a fluffy tail swish past while chatting on Zoom and even have an office dog who tries to stop everyone for belly rubs on their way for a cuppa. Pets really are part of the family, no wonder more people are now sharing cards and gifts with their pets when they really do help to brighten our days.” For UK Greetings, anything that involves furry friends is always likely to be a winner, so two new from the pet cards were launched earlier in the year. Communications manager Gabriella Peace commented: “But, rather than featuring just one dog or cat, we decided to include a whole adorable litter of different breeds – hopefully allowing customers to see their own pet in the designs!
work with owner and James Ellis’ founder James Stephens; French bulldog Raffy is a big inspiration for Matt Nguyen at Jolly Awesome; There are 12 pets among Jonny Javelin’s head office team, including dogs, cats, a horse, guinea pigs and rabbits, while office dog Boo lets owners Jonny and Mandy Spears and their family share her too.