3 Tips for Designing the Perfect Holiday Card

by Jason Forrest

Insights / Graphic Design / 3 Tips for Designing the Perfect Holiday Card

It’s that time of year again where everyone glances at their calendar and realizes they need to send a holiday card to their clients. Time is running out — panic ensues.

Instead of using a generic design on Canva or staring at a blank screen on Photoshop, use these quick tips to design the perfect holiday card for your business.

Tip #1: Be Unique

Don’t use an obvious template.

The goal of a holiday card is to make your clients or partners feel considered and celebrated. Using an obviously generic template will send the wrong message and make it seem like you are uninvested. Even if you’re not a professional designer, you can still create a holiday card that feels genuine. It’s 100% OK to use stock graphics to make a design. Apps like Canva are loaded with great stock assets to get you started, but you should still put in some effort to make it your own.

Connect the design with your brand.

You can do this by simply borrowing elements from your company style guide, like colors and fonts. If you don’t have a style guide, try brainstorming adjectives you would use to describe your brand. If your company brand is modern, try doing something out of the box. If it leans more conservative, keep your design traditional.

Tip #2: Be Thoughtful

Consider your audience.

A design that uses overtly religious themes for example can alienate your audience if it’s not a particularly religious crowd. Being inclusive requires a little more thought, and that thoughtfulness will come across clearly to your customers and partners.

Highlight your team.

Using a photo of your team in a fun setting, like wearing their favorite holiday sweater is fun for everyone! Including a little bit about yourself and your team in your design helps build a meaningful connection with your network.

Tip #3: Be Crafty

Make good use of the medium.

If you’re sending your holiday card via email, think about using animated or interactive elements in your design. A holiday card with falling snow or a twinkling lights is exciting and more likely to be clicked on if you’re including a call to action.

Invest in nice materials.

High-quality card stock, envelopes, and materials like gold or silver foil will elevate any design to the next level. It also makes it more likely that your holiday card will stick around on your client’s desk instead of immediately getting thrown in the garbage. We love using Moo Cards, but there are a lot of options out there to choose from.

Design for multiple channels.

Keep in mind that you might want to repurpose your design. Cross check shared image dimensions for your other social channels to make it easier to reach as many of your customers as possible.

Let’s Wrap It Up

Following these tips will help you stress less while creating an awesome seasonal card, and let you enjoy the holiday season a little more.

Need help getting your holiday card design over the finish line? Let’s talk!