Greetings Galore
By Kathy Krassner

Since Great Britain sends more greeting cards per person than any other nation in the world, it’s not surprising that this country’s largest retail exhibition – Spring Fair Birmingham held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, U.K. – features a huge exhibit hall devoted entirely to “Greetings.” Held this year from February 4-8, Spring Fair Birmingham offered an expansive representation of card and stationery trends that are successfully driving sales on both sides of the pond.

Billing itself as “the world’s essential greetings showcase,” the show featured approximately 550 exhibitors in its “Greetings” section, located in Hall 3 at the NEC. Aisle after aisle contained numerous card publishers both large and small, as well as manufacturers of giftwrap, stationery products, partyware and more.

One of the major differences between the British and American greeting card markets remains the prevalence of square-shaped cards in the U.K. According to one card source at the show, square cards are synonymous with “high end” in the U.K., whereas 5" x 7" cards (the dominant card size in the U.S.) is considered more “mass market” there. Although the U.K.’s postal service recently added a surcharge for square-shaped envelopes, this hasn’t hindered the popularity of these cards. Plus, most publishers’ display fixtures are designed to hold square cards – making it difficult for them to switch to the 5" x 7" shape.

Another interesting difference is the use of the term “Asian” cards. While card buyers in the U.S. primarily think of Chinese and Japanese imagery in this category, “Asian” cards in the U.K. refer to designs for the Indian market – and are geared toward the large number of immigrants from India in Great Britain. One company offering such cards at the show was Jivana Style Ltd., whose lines include “Masala Girls,” “Desi Boyz” and “Chutney Kidz.”

These days, however, there are more similarities than differences between design trends in the U.S. and U.K. card markets. For instance, embellishments – currently a popular direction in the States – also appeared on numerous products in Hall 3. Charms and ribbons adorned photo albums from Pink Pineapple; while butterfly attachments were eye-catching additions on cards and boxes from Cavania Cards Ltd.

Glitter was often used to enhance silhouetted designs – another very popular look at the show. In fact, silhouetting was probably the dominant design trend there this year. Emulating the black-and-white, wallpaper-type patterns recently seen in the fashion industry, many new cards also added color treatments to silhouetted imagery – with eye-catching results. One example of this was IONA Cards’ “Dawn to Dusk” blank notecards, which feature silhouetted imagery of birds, butterflies and flowers set against a gradually fading, tinted background. Another interesting take on this trend was available at Oboe, whose “Camo” line utilizes silhouettes of dancers, skateboarders and other youthful images, worked into a colorful camouflage pattern. Silhouetting could also be seen on an impressive line of gift bags and boxes from the Australian company hiPP, which offered bags with flocking and glitter treatments as well.

Fashion trends played a part on other items, too, such as on Metropolis Worldwide Ltd.’s “Saffron” line of photo albums, notebooks and address books covered in home-oriented fabrics – which was inspired by the success of the home-decorating shows on TV, according to a company representative. Materials used include satin, raw silk, linen and burnt-out velvet – some adorned with beads or crystals.

Such materials are also used on cards from Pango Productions, which offers a “Rhapsody” line of silky-fabric-covered cards as well as a “Paradiso” line of cards printed on a linen laminated board. Additionally, its “Animates” line of children’s die-cut cards features animal images with a “sueded” texture and printed on thick, spongy board.

Other interesting card treatments at the show included the rounding of corners on cards in the “Rose” line of Cardmix; three-dimensional, die-cut, layered images on photographic cards from Blossoms & Bows Limited; and “Light Entertainment” color-changing light cards – featuring red, green and blue LEDs within a laser-cut card – available from Cardlite Ltd.

Giftwrap also sported special treatments, such as the embossed and foiled giftwrap papers from the Israeli company Turnowsky. Giftwrap from Bitter & Twisted featured flocked, foiled, embellished and embossed designs, Additionally, Globe Enterprises’ fabric-looking giftwrap was available with stitching, glitter, flocking and/or foiling; in bold colors such as teal and brown; and in patterns such as dots, stripes, florals and paisleys. In the U.K., giftwrap is generally sold in loose sheets, so it’s easier for customers to see, touch and appreciate these visual and textural design elements.

Milestone birthday cards – ranging from first and 18th birthdays, to ages 30, 40, 50, 60 and above – were offered by many U.K. card companies at the show. Among them was The Jasmine Factory, which offers a line of square-shaped cards featuring colorful photos of decorated cookies in the shapes of the milestone-birthday numbers.

Beautiful photography is a strong design direction on many card lines in the U.K. Cards Un Limited, for instance, sells square, blank notecards with impressive photographic images of scenes ranging from hot-air balloons to wild animals to a close-up of a dandelion.
On the opposite end of the artistic spectrum, simple stick-figure drawings accompanied by clever text were another popular trend on several card lines. Among companies with such designs were Really Good, which carries a humorous stick-figure line by Edward Monkton; and Santoro Graphics, which offers a whimsical “Stickmen” line.

Clever display ideas abounded in booths in Hall 3. One that particularly stood out was The Art Group’s use of a lifesize, metallic tree on which cards dangled from the branches.

For more information on attending next year’s Spring Fair Birmingham, taking place February 3-7, 2008, please contact Adam Ash, the show’s North American agent, at 609/921-0222; or visit www.springfair.com.