I admit it - I'm a flipper. And I bet I'm not the only one.
Flipping is the fine art of picking up a greeting card, admiring [or despising] it's design, and then turning it over to read the back. The back is very valuable real estate and it surprises me that more artists don't seem to realize this. It's an opportunity to give the browser a peek at the person [or company] behind the design - something that goes just a little deeper than a name and website. I like the way Leila Rezai from Looky-Loo carries a creative element from the front onto the back:
Even when this space is used, I find it really disappointing when it's not done in a manner consistent with the rest of the card. I understand the constraints - after all, how beautiful can a UPC code really be? - but there are too many times when the back is a cluttered mess of different typefaces, competing bits of information and other graphics. I think it looks cheap; like every drugstore card I've ever seen.
Some designers reward the practice of flipping and add a little bonus for those of us who look. Even adding a simple line, like Stacy Pancake does, works.
My favorite cards to flip, without a doubt, are Heather Perlman's for Dairy. She has the greatest sense of humor: wicked, clever and understated all at once. That is not an easy thing to pull off. You'll see a lot more of Heather's work in subsequent posts.
Hopefully she'll forgive me for these crappy low-res photos that don't do these cards justice.
I also like when there's a toughtful detail where you least expect it. Tiger & Jones uses not only the back of their stationery to display their branding but the envelope as well - and it looks really elegant.
Send me some of your own examples and I'll post them for everyone to see.
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