Greeting Card Design

TL;DR

What it is: Design greeting cards for birthdays, holidays, weddings, sympathy, and other occasions. You can license designs to card companies, sell through online marketplaces, or take custom commissions from clients.

What you'll do:

• Create original card designs with illustrations, typography, and layouts
• Submit designs to greeting card companies for licensing
• Sell designs on print-on-demand marketplaces
• Take custom design commissions from individuals or businesses
• Build a portfolio showcasing different styles and occasions

Time to learn: 3-6 months to develop a solid portfolio and understand the market, assuming you practice 5-10 hours per week and already have basic design skills.

What you need: Design software (Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or free alternatives like GIMP) or traditional art supplies, plus a scanner if working traditionally. Portfolio of 10-15 greeting card designs to show your range.

What This Actually Is

Greeting card design is creating visual artwork and layouts for cards people send on special occasions. You're not just drawing pictures-you're combining illustrations, typography, colors, and messaging to create products that connect emotionally with buyers.

This side hustle has three main paths. First, licensing your designs to established greeting card companies who pay a flat fee or royalties. Second, selling your designs on print-on-demand marketplaces where you upload artwork and earn a commission when customers order. Third, taking custom commissions where clients hire you to design personalized cards for specific events.

The market is global and year-round. While some occasions like Christmas and Mother's Day see higher demand, birthdays happen every day. You can specialize in one style (watercolor florals, minimalist typography, humorous illustrations) or offer variety.

Unlike many design fields, you don't necessarily need formal training. The industry judges you primarily on portfolio quality. A strong collection of 10-15 designs that demonstrate your style and versatility matters more than a degree.

What You'll Actually Do

Day-to-day work varies based on which income path you're pursuing.

If you're licensing to greeting card companies, you'll spend time researching what's currently selling, creating designs that fit market trends while showing originality, and submitting work to companies. You'll track submissions, handle rejections professionally, and negotiate terms when designs are accepted.

For marketplace selling, you'll create designs, prepare print-ready files according to each platform's specifications, write product descriptions with relevant keywords, upload to multiple marketplaces, and monitor sales data to see what's working.

With custom commissions, you'll communicate with clients about their vision, create initial concepts, revise based on feedback, and deliver final files in requested formats. You might design wedding invitations, birth announcements, or corporate holiday cards.

Across all paths, you'll maintain a portfolio, stay current with design trends, manage your time across multiple projects, and handle the business side-invoicing, contracts, and taxes.

The work is solitary. You'll spend hours at your computer or drawing table. Unlike client-facing design work, you're often creating speculatively without guaranteed payment.

Skills You Need

You need foundational design skills: composition, color theory, typography, and understanding what makes a design visually appealing. This doesn't require a degree, but you need to know why certain layouts work and others don't.

Technical proficiency in at least one creation method is essential. Most designers use Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop for digital work. If you're working traditionally with watercolors, pen and ink, or other media, you'll need scanning skills to digitize your work.

Understanding the greeting card market matters. You need to know what styles are selling, which occasions are most profitable, and how to balance trend-awareness with originality. Successful designers study what's on store shelves and online marketplaces.

Writing skills help, even though you're primarily a visual designer. Many cards need thoughtful messaging. Even if you're not writing the text, understanding how words and visuals work together improves your designs.

Business skills become critical if you're serious about this. You'll negotiate licensing agreements, understand contracts, price your work appropriately, and manage multiple income streams.

Emotional resilience matters more than people expect. You'll face rejection regularly. Companies reject 90% or more of submissions. Learning to separate creative ego from business reality keeps you functional.

Getting Started

Start by creating 10-15 greeting card designs before trying to make money. This portfolio demonstrates your range and helps you find your style. Include different occasions (birthday, sympathy, congratulations, holidays) and vary your approach-some humorous, some sentimental, some minimalist.

Study existing greeting cards extensively. Visit physical stores and browse online marketplaces. Notice what's selling, read reviews, identify gaps in the market. Pay attention to trends in color, typography, and illustration style.

Choose your tools based on budget and preference. Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop offer industry-standard capabilities but require subscriptions. Free alternatives like GIMP, Inkscape, or Krita work fine for starting out. If you prefer traditional media, invest in quality supplies and a decent scanner.

Join online communities focused on greeting card design and art licensing. You'll learn about industry norms, submission opportunities, and get feedback on your work. Search for communities on Discord or Reddit related to this field.

Research greeting card companies that accept submissions. Each has specific guidelines about file formats, themes, and submission processes. Create a spreadsheet tracking where you've submitted, when, and the results.

Start small with one or two marketplaces rather than trying to be everywhere immediately. Etsy and Creative Market are popular starting points. Learn each platform's requirements, optimize your listings, and see what sells before expanding.

Income Reality

Income varies dramatically based on your approach, skill level, and how much time you invest.

For licensing deals with greeting card companies, flat fees typically range from $50 to $500 per accepted design. Blue Mountain Arts pays around $300 per accepted verse. Smaller companies might pay $50-$75 per design. Some companies offer royalties instead of flat fees, which can pay more or less depending on sales.

Print-on-demand marketplaces work on commission. You might earn $1-$5 per card sold, depending on the platform and your pricing. Building a catalog of 50-100 designs increases your monthly passive income potential, but it takes time to build that library.

Custom commissions vary widely by client and complexity. Some freelancers charge $100-$300 for simple custom greeting card designs. Wedding invitation suites can command $500-$1,500 depending on complexity and revisions.

Freelance marketplace rates on Fiverr and Upwork typically range from $25-$100 per design for beginners, scaling up to $200+ as you build reviews and expertise.

Full-time greeting card designers working for companies earn an average of $52,491 annually in the United States, but that's employment, not freelance work. As a side hustle, realistic expectations are $300-$2,000 monthly depending on how many hours you invest and how established you become.

Seasonal fluctuations affect income. November and December see higher demand for holiday cards. Spring brings wedding season. Summer often slows down.

Most designers combine multiple income streams-some licensing, some marketplace sales, some custom work-rather than relying on one source.

Where to Find Work

Print-on-demand marketplaces let you upload designs and earn commissions when people purchase. Etsy, Zazzle, Redbubble, and Society6 are popular options. Each has different audience sizes, commission structures, and design requirements.

Note: Platforms may charge fees or commissions. We don't track specific rates as they change frequently. Check each platform's current pricing before signing up.

Freelance platforms like Fiverr and Upwork connect you with clients looking for custom greeting card designs. You'll create a profile, showcase your portfolio, and bid on projects or create service listings.

Direct submission to greeting card companies is traditional but competitive. Research companies accepting freelance submissions. Many have submission pages on their websites with specific guidelines. Prepare for high rejection rates-this is normal in the industry.

Creative marketplaces like Creative Market let you sell digital templates that customers can customize themselves. This works well if you create versatile designs.

Your own website or online shop gives you complete control but requires more marketing effort. Some designers build Instagram or Pinterest followings to drive traffic to their shops.

Local businesses sometimes need custom cards. Wedding planners, photographers, and event coordinators might hire you for client projects. Coffee shops and boutiques might carry locally-designed cards on consignment.

Networking in creative communities leads to opportunities. Other designers might refer overflow work, or you'll learn about companies actively seeking new artists.

Common Challenges

Rejection is constant and unavoidable. Greeting card companies reject the vast majority of submissions. Even successful designers face far more rejections than acceptances. This isn't personal-it's about fit with their current needs, seasonal planning, and existing inventory.

The market is highly competitive. Thousands of designers compete for the same opportunities. Standing out requires developing a distinctive style while remaining commercially viable.

Income inconsistency makes budgeting difficult. One month you might land three licensing deals; the next three months could bring nothing. Marketplace sales fluctuate unpredictably.

Seasonal demand creates uneven workload. You'll be busy creating holiday designs months before the actual holidays, then face slower periods.

Copyright and contract issues can be confusing. Understanding licensing terms, usage rights, and fair compensation requires learning legal basics. Some companies offer unfavorable terms that new designers might accept out of desperation.

Creative burnout happens when you're constantly creating to deadlines or trying to maintain marketplace inventory. Balancing commercial viability with creative satisfaction gets challenging.

File format and technical requirements vary across platforms and clients. You'll spend time reformatting the same design for different specifications.

Building a sustainable income takes longer than expected. Most designers need 6-12 months of consistent effort before seeing meaningful returns.

Tips That Actually Help

Create design variations efficiently. One strong concept can become multiple cards by changing colors, text, or small details. This multiplies your inventory without starting from scratch each time.

Study data relentlessly. Track which designs sell, which get rejected, which occasions perform best. Let evidence guide your creative decisions rather than just personal preference.

Submit strategically to greeting card companies. Research each company's style before submitting. Sending minimalist designs to a company known for elaborate florals wastes everyone's time.

Build your catalog consistently rather than sporadically. Uploading 2-3 new marketplace designs weekly builds momentum better than uploading 20 designs once every three months.

Price appropriately for your experience level. Underpricing devalues your work and the industry; overpricing when you're starting out limits opportunities to build your portfolio.

Keep master files organized meticulously. Use consistent naming conventions and folder structures. You'll need to access and modify designs months or years later.

Separate creation time from business time. Batch your creative work when you're most inspired, then handle submissions, uploads, and administrative tasks separately.

Learn to accept feedback without defensiveness. Whether from clients, companies, or marketplace reviews, criticism helps you improve if you can hear it objectively.

Diversify income streams early. Don't rely entirely on one marketplace or company. Multiple small income sources create more stability than putting everything into one basket.

Is This For You

This side hustle suits you if you genuinely enjoy creating visual designs and can handle frequent rejection without losing motivation. You need enough design skill to create professional-quality work, but formal training isn't required.

It works well for people who prefer solitary creative work over constant client interaction. While custom commissions involve communication, much of the work happens independently.

You should be comfortable with income uncertainty. This isn't a consistent paycheck-it's sporadic payments from various sources. If you need predictable income immediately, this will stress you out.

Patience matters enormously. Building a profitable greeting card design side hustle takes 6-12 months minimum. If you need money next month, this isn't the solution.

This suits creative people who can balance artistic vision with commercial reality. You'll need to create what sells, which isn't always what you personally prefer.

If you're already an illustrator or graphic designer, greeting cards are a natural extension. You can repurpose existing skills and potentially even existing artwork.

Consider your goals carefully. If you want a creative outlet that might generate supplementary income over time, greeting card design fits that well. If you're looking for fast money or full-time income replacement immediately, look elsewhere.

The best candidates are patient, persistent, creatively skilled people who can accept rejection as normal business rather than personal failure, and who are willing to invest months building before seeing meaningful returns.