Season your Greetings

'Tis the season once again for designers to thank their clients for their business, wish them well, and perhaps take one last shameless opportunity for a little subtle holiday plugging of their services before the end of the year.

There are several ways to leave a jolly ol' mark, but the common denominator in all of them is "tailor it."

If you can afford it, give your valued clients the ho-ho-whole enchilada. Take a page from design firms and create custom greeting cards and gift packaging. Think of it as another vehicle to showcase your talent. It can also lead to business in the future—after all, a client may see your nice presentation and decide to hire you to design their own holiday greeting cards for next year. It's also the ultimate personal touch that makes the guys and gals that sustain your business feel like they're your "number one."

Regarding gifts, if you can also spring for it (and in some measure, you should) find out what the company heads have an interest in, and buy them a nice gift that in some way reflects it (don't forget to include a nice assortment of holiday goodies for their employees...or the department with whom you've worked with).

It doesn't need to break the bank to be special. For example, I plan on surprising a good client of mine who is launching a fashion line branded around Ancient Egypt with a magnet. Not just any ol' magnet, mind you, but a 3D magnet replica of "William" the faience hippo that resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (one of his favorite museums). I plan to create a unique little shipping crate "seared" with the Archetype Design Studio mark. Hopefully he doesn't follow this web log otherwise my surprise is ruined, but I digress. It's an affordable, customized gesture to show my appreciation for his continued patronage.

Failing time to even do that for whatever the reason, there is always the fall back plan of gift card giving. All major stores have them and it takes no time to figure out what store or drink or sport or restaurant a client likes and just buy them a simple card. And for the exceedingly, shall we say..."overwhelmed"...designer who has time as their enemy, pay a visit to Gift Certificates.com. They have such a broad selection of merchants ranging from home improvement to fine dining that they're bound to walk away happy. If you aren't going to mail directly from the site to the client, buy a nifty gift card tin.

If you can't afford (neither in time nor finances) to create a unique card or gift package from scratch, at least try to buy the best that you can afford from what's available. The simple action of selecting a card that a client can identify with will resonate with them far more than some generic card. There are a few designers and shops who have lovely and/or whimsical selections to choose from, which I'll list below. You can also take a walk around your local shops to see what you find. You'll never know when or where a nice, client/vendor worthy card will capture your attention.

Dear Nic
Sunlit Media | Letterpress
Jane Hancock Papers
A Little Hut
Tea Leaf Design
LSV Galleria
Kate's Paperie
Melissa head Designs
Luxe Paperie

For clients or vendors that may be from out of state or country, you can purchase a card that identifies with your region, or with theirs and add a little special personal touch inside. Artist Alexander Chen licensed a line of cards through Tim Binder Fine Arts that identifies with Christmas in my hometown of New York City. They ended up being so nice that I just may be persuaded to send a couple of out of state/country vendors a taste of the holidays in NYC along with a nice little gift.

In the end, it's not so much what you buy or create more than how much they will ultimately enjoy—and thus appreciate—a thoughtful gift over a generic one.

"Merry Christmas" holiday card by Sunlit Media. All rights reserved.