DESIGN MATTERS
A chance discovery of some vintage designs
from the 50s has Gill Davies musing on how far
the greetings industry has come
Greetings yesterday
am always interested in greeting card
I
design, no matter the age or target market
“These cards, however
of the product. So, when a friend suddenly
quaint, were the
remembered a few cards she’d bought in a
funny little shop in Preston in the 1980s, I
forerunners of a market
was more than happy to take a look.
that would establish
It was probably likely that any older cards
greetings cards as an
bought back then would be 70s vintage and so it
was a real pleasure to fi nd that these cards were
everyday purchase
1950s and earlier. My pal had been attracted by a
in the 1960s”
set of age cards. There was a solid run of 1-8 years
but she had picked a few others as well.
I’ve since learned that she later wrote to the shop variety I believe that printing techniques and
to ask for more cards to complete the range and fi nishes were tried and tested at this time.
got many duplicated. The address she used was: In my small sample set I found different sizes,
Little Card Shop (soon to be demolished), X Street, shapes and weights of paper along with some
Preston. Her letter, including postal order, was deckled lightweight card stock. Paper and card
delivered and answered. colour were limited but that would change with
Most of the cards were published by MIA and increased demand.
printed in England. Any ancient souls out there Add ons included cords to complement paper
or closet collectors please get in touch and do tell inserts carrying messages. This shows the publisher
about this company. Has it evolved into a well- was working the images across occasions and
known brand or given up the ghost? up grading the quality level of the product from
We’ll probably never know and without a doubt everyday to special - more market choice and
the design and quality of the product materials are increased margin.
truly awful by today’s standards. The substance of I was surprised to see so many die cuts across
the sentiment and greetings is, however, similar so many categories and design styles. Some later
although very much of its time. The ‘Get Well’ children’s cards extended the process to provide
design and ‘Wife’s Birthday’ are real corkers with a game/puzzle that involved removing a part of
the former using the spectre of death as the very the design from the page. A 60s line, I think, but
worst case scenario! (see bottom right) possibly later, that might have led to tears far too
And what wife wouldn’t be lounging around in early in the day. But the technology was there and
French knickers, negligee, stockings and high heels beautifully done.
waiting for a declaration of devotion and fl owers to Increasingly, retailers were being more choice
be delivered by the maid? This image (top right)is in what products they could offer the public and
not so retro, is it? these cards, however quaint, were the forerunners of
In the 50s copyright awareness was not an issue a market that would establish greeting cards as an
although one card did have the word ‘copyright’ on everyday purchase in the 1960s. Memorable brands
page 4. This probably did not apply to the image would then emerge to stimulate buying on a major
on page 1 but was a blanket description of the scale.
product’s ownership. There is one design; clearly Valentines of Dundee, Celebration Arts, Camden
“homage” to Disney’s style in the 50s but the long Graphics, Russcraft, Kay Cards, Royle, Gordon 50s they marked the end of post war austerity and
arm of the law didn’t fi nd it in Preston. Fraser and from the US, Hallmark, emerged in the the beginning of a major regeneration of normal
Just like today, selecting a card back then 60s. These companies forged the industry in the life. New consumerism and industrial processes
would have depended on tactile as well as visual UK and led the way, increasing product variety would introduce products at lower prices for a mass
appreciation of the product. Space on this page and initiating recognisable sales and marketing that market. It has been an extraordinary journey from a
has limited the images but I can tell you that MIA made the business of greeting cards mainstream post war lifting of spirits to the saturated market we
was well aware of this fact. Although availability retailing. see today.
of core materials might well have infl uenced the These old cards look fusty and dated but in the Greeting cards courtesy of Brenda Harding
www.greetingstoday.co.uk 45
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64