I’ve always enjoyed making Christmas cards. I normally just whip out the colored pencils and do a custom drawing for everyone (normally just family). This year I had a long list of people I wanted to send cards to, though, so I decided to put my graphic design skills to use. I actually came up with the design with a calligraphy pen on paper. I scanned the design when I was happy with it, converted it to vector in Illustrator, and polished it a bit.
Somewhere during that process, I decided I wanted to make the card a little more interactive with a custom URL and a QR code to a Christmas song (the She & Him rendition of The Christmas Waltz). I altered the design on the front of the card so it would connect to the inside design…make everything more cohesive.
Looking back, I actually wish I had left the front design the way I originally had it. I don’t really feel it was necessary to connect the two designs, and I think the straight line coming down from the “h” is a bit awkward, being that everything else in the design is curvy and curly. I still think it turned out alright, though, and most people I sent it to aren’t going to be quite as critical (or discerning in terms of graphic design) as I am. If they’re anything like me, they’re just happy to get some loving snail mail, regardless of how flawless the details are.
Here are some pictures. And yes, I’m a lover of washi tape and use it any time I get the opportunity! 
Original design:
images/designs © Maggie Josey 2012
