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Minted artist Kristin Doversberger weaves together industrial design influences with fine arts training

Written by Jenny Griffin

Minted artist Kristin Doversberger of Lorent & Leif dances a fine line, deftly balancing between the realms of fine art and graphic design. Take a look at her work and you’ll see exceptional examples of both disciplines. West Elm selected her ethereal pastel abstract landscape “Rise” to be sold in their stores as part of the Minted + West Elm collaboration and both her fine art and graphic design work have secured numerous Minted awards.

The pink-hued abstract art print “Rise” by Lorent + Leif featured in a West Elm catalog. “It was a huge thrill to see ‘Rise’ displayed in a West Elm Chicago store, says Kristin Doversberger.

Kristin grew up in Indiana and earned her BFA from Indiana University, with a minor in graphic design. She studied painting, drawing, and printmaking, all influences you can see in her Minted work in her playful mixes of color and texture. More recently, she’s experimented with a more illustrative style.

Kristin and her family—husband Mike and sons Thomas and Brooks—recently moved to Holland, Michigan, right on the shores of Lake Macatawa and not far from Lake Michigan. Her new community excites her, and she’s eager to get more involved with the local art museums, historical society, and architectural preservation efforts.

“Tomah” Minted art print by Lorent and Leif

Kristin’s balancing act started early. In college, drawn by her interest in fine art, she interned with a local art museum, learning about art history and working on community education, art preservation, art shipment, and acquisitions. After college she delved into the world of industrial style design, creating advertisements for an array of manufacturing companies. She found she enjoyed translating messages, ideas, and company visions into tangible art and design. It was gratifying and linked her training with her work.

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Minted artist Bethany Anderson shares top tips for success after reaching 100th win milestone

Written by Amy Schroeder

Minted artist Bethany Anderson says that when it comes to design, less is more. “But it took getting involved in Minted to learn this,” she says.

You know what they say about goals: If you write it down, it’s more likely to happen. Such was the case for Minted artist Bethany Anderson, who recently celebrated her 100th Minted Challenge win. Every January, the West Virginia graphic designer sets specific design goals, and “make it to 100” was at the top of her 2018 list. “I was so excited to not only find out I hit that mark, but that one of my Children’s Birthday invitations placed 8th in the Blow Out the Candles Kids’ Birthday Party Challenge,” she says. “The kids’ birthday challenge has always been my favorite, as well as the first I ever entered, so it was bittersweet.”

Bethany Anderson’s “Gone Fishin’” won 8th place in Minted’s 2018 Blow Out the Candles Kids’ Birthday Party Challenge.

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Minted artist Alexandra Dzh fuels her creativity by living and learning abroad in Vienna

Minted artist Alexandra Dzh

Written by Jenny Griffin

Vienna-based Minted artist Alexandra Dzhiganskaya grew up in a historic city bordering the Danube River called Izmail in the Odessa region in southwestern Ukraine, a vibrant and multiculturally rich stretch of cities and towns along 300 kilometers of the northwest coastline of the Black Sea. The maritime, transportation, and tourism industries fuel the area, and people flock from far and wide to relish the sun, food, and locally produced wine. It’s an environment that has indelibly made its mark on Alexandra. “It has the starriest nights I have ever seen. The sky is so black and deep, and the stars are like diamonds. I think this is reflected in my work, because I love the space theme and painting night skies,” she says.

“Solar System” art print by Alexandra Dzh is part of the 2016 Minted x Pottery Barn collaboration. Minted teamed up with Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen to introduce a new collection of artwork created by independent artists around the world. This piece is currently exclusive to Pottery Barn.

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How a Slovenian former journalist won top prize in Minted’s 2018 Holiday Photo Card Challenge

Written by Amy Cuevas Schroeder

When an Elvis impersonator busted out “Viva Las Vegas” at the tail-end of Minted’s 10th Anniversary Awards Ceremony at Camp Minted, Minted artist Petra Kern had no idea that roughly four minutes later she’d be presented a gigantic $10,000 check. But that’s exactly what happened. With The King at her side, Minted Founder & CEO Mariam Naficy approached table 14, holding the check facing inward to hide the name on the payable line. “I think you’re probably realizing,” Mariam said to the audience of nearly 200 Minted artists. “I am holding a $10,000 check. Right, Elvis? I’m here to award the 2018 Holiday Card Challenge winner. … My heart is pounding. I’m very nervous. I’m going to approach… and the winner is: Petra Kern.”

As you might have guessed, Petra was nearly speechless in the moments after Mariam presented the award for winning top prize in the What a Bright Time Holiday Photo Card Challenge. In a follow-up video interview with Mariam the next day (August 8), Petra said she was shocked and overwhelmed. “I am so thankful because we are currently living in a really small apartment and building a house,” explained Petra, a largely self-taught Minted artist who traveled nearly 6,000 miles from Ljubljana, Slovenia, to attend Camp Minted in Las Vegas. “This is like a fairytale, and the prize money will go toward building my artist studio.”

View a video clip of how Mariam Naficy surprised Petra Kern here.

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2018 Holiday Foil-Pressed Photo Card Challenge: First Place Winner

Written by Brady Wood

To say that I’m humbly honored to recognize Annie Mertlich is a huge understatement. Being voted first place in the 2018 What a Bright Time Quickfire Foil-Pressed Holiday Photo Card Challenge is a major feat in a prestigious and highly competitive category (1,444 submissions in a Quickfire competition with 473,593 votes).

It’s hard to believe that just four years ago, Annie was, in her own words, working a full-time day job that “sucked the creative life” out of her. Luckily it was around the same time that Annie discovered Minted’s design competitions, and entered her first submission into Minted’s 2014 Holiday Photo Card Challenge. As luck (or talent, really) would have it, she scored a pick in her first Minted challenge.

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2018 Holiday Photo Card Challenges: Second Place Winners

Written by Katherine Philpot

As the General Manager of Minted Holiday, I live, work on, and dream about the holiday season all year round. As we near the end of the 2018 Holiday Photo Card Challenge, we can’t help but reflect on all the hard work and skill Minted artists have brought to their submissions again this year. This year has been full of exquisite design truly worthy of Minted’s 10-year anniversary.

Today we announce the well-deserved 2nd place winners of the 2018 What a Bright Time Non-Foil-Pressed Holiday Photo Card Challenge and the What a Bright Time Quickfire Foil-Pressed Holiday Photo Card Challenge. Please help me in congratulating Angela Marzuki and Kristy Kapturowski of Hooray Creative!

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2018 Holiday Photo Card Challenges: Third Place Winners

Written by Jennifer Gosselin

It may be hard to believe, but we do actually print out and carefully review every single submission to Minted Holiday Challenges. There are thousands of submissions each year and, yes, it does take a lot of time, but it is a critical step in our process and a successful outcome resulting in an assortment that is both aspirational and commercial. Also, we love doing it!

This process gives us a chance to discover emerging trends, unusual new approaches to holiday card design as well as new artists. In case you’re wondering, we recycle all of the print-outs afterward, and of course, we prioritize the voting data of each submission. After all, the voting data is what determines the top winners in Minted’s coveted Holiday card competitions, but in addition to the final scores, we take a step back to identify additional factors like diversity of style and unique techniques, as well as gaps in the current assortment to help select Editor’s Picks and prepare for the assortment launch.

Our assorting process is a blend of art and science and goes through a series of steps involving boarding and re-boarding designs to validate selections from a number of different angles. At its core, it is backed by data and our small team reviews all submissions behind closed, locked doors. Once voting closes, no one—not even other Minted employees—have access to the Holiday card submissions. The review process is top secret until we open the floodgates during the annual Holiday countdown.

We deeply value each and every submission from Minted’s community of independent artists and are so grateful for the time and creative energy you invest in your work. The thoughtful craft and inspirational design is what make Minted cards so special. It gives me great pleasure to announce the third-place winners, as determined by voters, of Minted’s 2018 What a Bright Time Non-Foil-Pressed Holiday Photo Card Challenge and the What a Bright Time Quickfire Foil-Pressed Holiday Photo Card Challenge.

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2018 Holiday Photo Card Challenges: Top 4-10 Winners

Written by Amy Cardillo and Annie Shapiro

We’re excited to continue the countdown of winner announcements for the What a Bright Time Non-Foil-Pressed Holiday Photo Card Challenge and the What a Bright Time Quickfire Foil-Pressed Holiday Photo Card Challenge!

Can you believe we’ve been announcing winners in countdown style for just more than a decade? The Minted artist community never ceases to amaze us with their incredible holiday designs. The community’s talent and holiday spirit during the spring and summer months make our work all the more worthwhile.

Congratulations to the 4th through 10th place winners of our 2018 Holiday Photo Card Challenges!

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Minted Artists in the Press September 2018

Congratulations to Minted artists who are featured in Martha Stewart Living, New York Family, The Knot (Regional Editions), and TODAY. Join the fun of spotting Minted artists in the press by uploading PR clips on your social media with the hashtag #mintiespotting.

Martha Stewart Living (September 2018), “Finishing School: Geek Chic” featuring “Elemental” art print by Marabou Design
New York Family (August 2018), “Learn In Color” featuring “Buffalo Plaid” Custom Name Labels by Karidy Walker
The Today Show (August 28th, 2018) “Tips to Get Your Family Organized Before the Start of School” featuring children’s name labels, “Dinomite” by Oma N. Ramkhelawan, “Favorite Colors” by Abby Munn, “Fire Engine Name” by Dea and Bean, “Joyful Rainbow” by Hooray Creative, “Alligator” by Jessica Ogden, “Llama Fun” by Karidy Walker, “My Deer” by Laura Hankins, “Kitty” and “Pop of Color” by Lori Wemple. Also featuring custom pinboards displaying “River Rocks” fabric by Carrie ONeal, “Shibori Lines” fabric by Sweta Modi, and “Moroccan Ikat” fabric by Oma N. Ramkhelawan.

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2018 Holiday Photo Card Challenge: Top 11-20 Winners

Written by Annie Clark

For the past 10 years, one of my favorite holiday traditions has been the hotly anticipated Holiday Card Challenge winner announcements. Having participated since the very first challenge back in 2008, I remember eagerly refreshing the challenge page and waiting not so patiently for Minted to reveal who took the top prize. Each year’s winner announcement means that I now have the go-ahead to break out the decorations and put on my favorite holiday records — totally normal to do this in September; after all, we designers have been thinking about Holiday since April!

Every year I wonder how the artist community will surpass last year’s assortment, and without fail, I am continuously blown away by the innovative designs, your sophisticated use of color, incredible illustration skills, and perfectly kerned type.

I am honored to announce the top 11-20 winners, as determined by voters, for the What a Bright Time Non-Foil-Pressed Holiday Photo Card Challenge — especially because I admire each and every one of these artists. Though it’s a little awkward to describe one of my own designs in this roundup, I did my best, and in case you’re curious: The Artist Relations team asked me to write this announcement before we even knew which designs were deemed winners.

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