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Pencil It In Quickfire Photo Calendar Challenge: Special Prizes

Announcing the Special Prize winners from our Pencil it In Quickfire Photo Calendar Challenge ! Customers come to Minted for beautifully-styled photo products, and they love that our 12-month multi-page calendars can start at any month and allow their beautiful photographs to stand out. We looked to you, our talented community of artists, to create fresh and unique designs that Minted customers will be proud to hang on their walls all year round. We are so excited we were able to refresh our photo calendar assortment with this challenge too– this was our first photo calendar challenge in 5 years!

A huge round of applause to all of our winners!

Originality Award
For the design that incorporates the best original drawing, illustration, or lettering that has been made specifically for this Challenge and not used before.

Ink Detailing Frame by Shiny Penny Studio


Runners-up: Simple Floral Month by Alethea and Ruth, Foliage month by Summer Winkelman, and Delicate Frames by Paper Raven Co.

Out of the Box Award
For the most design-forward, innovative calendar design that you would only find at Minted.

Aztec frame by Baumbirdy


Runners-up: Monochrome by Jessie Steury and Checked by Angela Garrick

Fully Booked Award
For the best design incorporating a full bleed photo on the front cover.

Jotted by Erin L. Wilson

Runners-up: Thin Line by Kacey Kendrick Wagner and Simplify by Guess What Design Studio

Colorful Plans Award
For the best design featuring colorful design elements and/or a pop of color in a unique way.

Colorful Minimalist by Playground Prints

Runners-up: Organic Shapes by Kann Orasie, Tides by Erin Deegan, and
Harmony by Shirley Lin Schneider

Simply Minimal Award
For the best understated minimal design.

Slick by Up Up Creative

Runners-up: Bright by Lori Wemple, Minimalisme by Ashley DeMeyere, and Wonder by
Sara Hicks Malone

Completely Classic Award
For the best classic/traditional design.

Didot Latté by Kate Ross

Runner-up: Sidelined by Erin L. Wilson

Modern Man Award
For the design best suited for a man.

Modern simplicity by Susanne Kasielke

Runners-up: Cutout by Kacey Kendrick Wagner, Wonder by Sara Hicks Malone, and
New Adventures by Playground Prints

Curvilinear Award
For the best design that puts customizable text on a curvilinear path.

Fancy Frame by Kristen Smith

Runner-up: Ethereal Wreath by Jackie Crawford

Newbie Award
For the best design from a designer winning for the first time.

Memo Block by Kimberley Henze

Critique Award
For providing helpful critique to other artists in the challenge.

Congratulations, Bekah Beckman!

Published December 11, 2018

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4

For Minted artist and former gymnast Jennifer Postorino, a PTSD anxiety attack led her back to a healthier path

Written by Amy Schroeder

Talk about fearless. As a former professional gymnast, Jennifer Postorino is strong and determined. And as a largely self-taught designer, Jen has continually pushed herself to improve her craft, combining hand-drawn sketches with design technology. But perhaps the most fearless thing she’s done is to help herself overcome the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and resulting anxiety she didn’t realize she suffered from for years.

And talk about passionate. Jen’s on a mission to design with her whole heart, wide-eyed excitement, and clear purpose. “I have adopted the philosophy of laying things out on the table — the good, the bad, and the ugly,” she says. “If you put your whole heart into whatever you’re doing, regardless of the outcome, you will come away with a sense of accomplishment. You will be able to take something away from that experience and apply it to whatever lies ahead. I try to be grateful for my failures and my successes, because you can’t have one without the other.”

Jennifer Postorino stumbled upon Minted by accident in 2008 after having her first child. At the time, her husband was a new college basketball coach at Clemson University and was gone most of the time. With no family close by, she was looking for a creative outlet while staying at home with her son. She entered her first Minted Challenge, and the rest is history. Although, she says, she got off to a clunky start. “It took me forever to figure out how to submit. After failing to upload my first file submission numerous times, I worked up the courage to call the Minted office and asked if someone could walk me through the process! Yep, I was that girl,” she says. “Someone emailed me step-by-step instructions and eventually I figured it out.” (Photo by Ashley Mauro Photography)

In this interview, the Ohio graphic designer and parent of two talks about about building her career as an artist, her incredible work ethic, and surviving the scariest day of her life that ultimately led to a new chapter.

MINTED: Did you go to school for graphic design or art?
JENNIFER POSTORINO: I went to school for graphic design at Ball State University, but had no clue what I wanted to do. I was a student-athlete, and after I received my degree, I had to make a decision. Either move home to Dayton, Ohio, where I had an offer to be a head gymnastics coach at a private club, or train with Cirque De Soleil with the hopes of maybe making it into one of their shows. My body was incredibly beat up from years of intense training — I’ve had 12 orthopedic surgeries due to gymnastics. Though the decision was hard, it made more sense to take time off to let my body heal and accept the coaching position. I figured it was a good way to be part of the sport I loved since age 4, and I could always find a “day job” doing something related to design.

Minted artist Jennifer Postorino’s former career as a gymnast soared as an undergrad at Ball State University. During her junior year, she was ranked second in the United States for floor gymnastics. In high school, she was also offered athletic scholarships to Auburn, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Ohio State University, and LSU.

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29

All Year Cheer Specialty Holiday Challenge: Special Prizes

It’s time to announce the Special Prize winners of our All Year Cheer Specialty Holiday Quickfire Challenge! Many Minted customers look for a card that celebrates their family’s unique religious or cultural beliefs with a beautiful, fresh design. We looked to you, our talented community of artists, to continue to push the boundaries of card design and deliver a fresh perspective on the variety of needs in this Quickfire Challenge. Congratulations to all our winners!

Originality Award
For the design that incorporates the best original drawing, illustration, or lettering that has been made specifically for this Challenge and not used before.

Autumn Florals by Grae Sales

Thanksgiving Award
For the design that best captures the sentiment of Thanksgiving.

Always be thankful by iamtanya

Runners-up: Peace love pumpkin pie by Jackie Crawford, Framed Thankfulness by Emmeline Bramble, and Autumn Foliage by Nazia Hyder

Halloween Award
For the design that best captures the spirit of Halloween.

Happy Halloween by Amy Payne

Runners-up: Cutest Pumpkin by Little Print Design, Happy happy halloween by Eve Schultz, and Halloween Ghost by Shirley Lin Schneider

Lunar New Year Award
For the best design that celebrates the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Magnolia Spring Lunar New Year by curiouszhi design

Runners-up: Joy Luck Club by Gwen Bedat, Mystic Pattern by Kanika Mathur, and Red Chinese New Year by Four Wet Feet Studio

Easter Award
For the best design that celebrates Easter.

Sunrise by Shirley Lin Schneider

Runners-up: Scripted by Erin L. Wilson, The New Is Here by Paper Raven Co., and New Peeps by Bethany Anderson

Rosh Hashanah Award
For the best design that celebrates Rosh Hashanah.

Shana Tova by Morgan Kendall

Runners-up: Rosh Minimal by Ariel Rutland, Fruitful year by Ana de Sousa, and
Pomfetti by Jacki Loomis

Diwali Award
For the best design that celebrates Diwali.

Diwali Inlay by Robert and Stella

Runners-up: Diwali Splash by Nazia Hyder, Rangoli Corners by Oma N. Ramkhelawan, and
Geo Diwali by Monika Drachal

Eid al-Fitr Award
For the best design that celebrates Eid al-Fitr.

Arabesque Frame by Nazia Hyder

Runners-up: Nocturne by Cassandra Imagines, Arab window by Ana de Sousa, and Eid Wishes
by That Girl Press

Critique Award
For providing helpful critique to other artists in the challenge.

Congratulations, Elky Ink!

Published November 30, 2018

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29

Let’s Toast! New Year’s Photo Card Challenge: Special Prizes

Crack open the confetti and end of year cheer, it’s time to announce the special prize winners of our Let’s Toast! New Year’s Photo Card Challenge! We looked to you, our talented community of artists, to create fresh and unique designs that capture the spirit and optimism of New Year’s. Customers look for a special design that elevates their family photo and message in a way that feels unique to them. Raise a glass to 2019 and to beautiful winners!

Out of the Box Award
For the most fresh, modern, design-forward, New Year’s card that you would only find at Minted.

Floral Celebration by Susan Moyal

Runners-up: Happy and bright by Bonjour Berry, Diamonte by Shirley Lin Schneider, and
Cheers glow by Alethea and Ruth

Modern Minimalist Award
For the best design that embodies a restrained design aesthetic — simple and clean, and
allows the photo to stand out.

Sunny by Sumak Studio

Runners-up: Corner Mark by Amy Kross, Script by Erin L. Wilson, and Joinery by Toast & Laurel

New Beginnings Award
For the best design that celebrates what’s new and exciting in someone’s life – whether they’re newly married or have a new baby, home or pet.

Happy New Here by Shari Margolin

Runners-up: All New by Paula Pecevich, New In New Year by Ashlee Townsend, and
New year, new adventure by Stacy Cooke

Typographic Award
For the best design that uses typography as the main graphic element of the card.

Colorful Cheers by Hooray Creative

Runners-up: Groovy Year by Simona Cavallaro, Warm Happy by Kate Ross, and Bold Date
by Lori Wemple

Multi-Photo Award
For the best design that showcases multiple photos – our customers often can’t pick just one!

Newlywed by Summer Winkelman

Runners-up: Elegant Year by Carolyn MacLaren, Modern Layers by Robert and Stella, and
Simple New Year by peony papeterie

“2019” Award
For the best way of displaying the numbers “2019.”

Bright and Bold Year by Pixel and Hank

Runners-up: Modern and Minimal by Kelly Schmidt, Split by Erin Deegan, and Tiled Year
by Sarah Guse Brown

What a Year! Award
For the design that best reinvents the “annual letter” in which families share major milestones
from their year.

Newspaper newsletter by Morgan Kendall

Runner-up: What an awesome year by Kann Orasie

Copywriter Award
For the card that uses clever wording to reinvent the typical New Year’s greeting
(e.g. not “Cheers” or “Happy New Year”).

So last year by Susan Brown

Runners-up: We Survived by Robert and Stella and Party Starter by Ellis

Original Artwork Award
For the design that incorporates the best original drawing, illustration, or lettering that has been made specifically for this Challenge and not used before.

Swoop by Up Up Creative

Runner-up: Cheerful overlay by Baumbirdy

Dress Up Your Envelope Award
Customers love that they can choose unique matching Minted Envelope designs for their holiday cards. This award is for the most creative envelope design that adds something extra special to the holiday card.

Boldsy by Creo Study

Runners-up: Adventures Together by Kelly Nasuta and Pastel tone by Cass Loh

Newbie Award
For the best design from a first-time entrant.

Botanical New Years Card by Vivian Kammel

Critique Award
For providing helpful critique to other artists in the challenge.

Congratulations, Manuela BK!

Published November 29, 2018

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28

Minted Artists Are Thinking Bigger After Successful Wall Murals Launch

Written by Daryl Lindsey

Sometimes bigger is better. Minted dove deeper into the world of large-scale art when we launched Wall Murals — adhesive, removable wall panels that can be scaled to any size from 6’w x 8.25’h to 15’w x 12.25’h — in September, followed quickly by an October launch for Children’s and Nursery Wall Murals.

“Painted Midnight Garden” Removable Minted Wall Mural by Teo, a Minted artist based in Ploiesti, Romania.

Since launching, the murals have been met with resounding enthusiasm, featured in publications including Architectural Digest and LonnyMag, picking up steam on Pinterest, and earning high engagement on social media. “One of our top-performing posts on Instagram featured our new Children’s murals, garnering over five times our average engagement. Our followers are excited about these murals,” said a Minted social media representative. Wall murals are an aspirational product—they’re trendy, fun, and visually striking. Murals are a big trend in interior design, especially for children’s nursery rooms.

Wall Murals Expand Minted’s Product Offerings and Create New Opportunities for Artists

With typical sizing for Minted’s art prints ranging from 5” by 7” to 40” by 54”, the much-larger murals provide artists an opportunity to think on a much bigger sale and imagine their art as truly larger-than-life. “This is the biggest we’ve ever printed out art. It’s exciting for an artist to see their work take up an entire wall,” a Minted art merchant says.

Murals also provide a chance to reach an entirely new set of customers. “It’s completely new territory for us,” Minted’s art merchant adds. “We’re expanding our options for customers and growing our customer base. We’ve talked about launching other types of wall coverings, so this is our first step into that land.”

“Peek A Boo” Removable Minted Wall Mural by Helen H. Wu of Des Moines, Iowa

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Good Tidings Religious Photo Card Challenge: Special Prizes

For many Minted customers, Christmas is not only a festive time of the year but also a meaningful celebration of their faith. They seek a card that incorporates symbols of Christianity in beautiful, fresh and hip design.

In the 2018 Religious Photo Card Challenge, we looked for faith-centric photo card designs with Christian sentiments, scripture greetings and iconography. We encouraged artists to create religious designs across a broad range of styles, and we’re thrilled with the results.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Out of the Box Award
For the most fresh, modern, design-forward religious holiday card that you would
only find at Minted.

Iconic Image by Susan Brown

Runners-up: Going to Church by Morgan Ramberg, Star Bright by Michelle Taylor, and Garden of Glory by Oma N. Ramkhelawan

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In Good Company Corporate Holiday Card Challenge: Special Prizes

We’re excited to announce the special prizes from our In Good Company Corporate Holiday Card Challenge! Companies large and small often choose to send an annual card to their partners and clients, wishing them well or thanking them for their business. We looked to you, our talented community of artists, to bring on the corporate cheer and submit a broad range of innovative designs to refresh our 2018 corporate card assortment.

Put your hands together for the winners!

Non-Denominational Award
For a card that a company could send to any recipient to wish them a happy holiday season, without being easily identifiable as a ‘Christmas’ card (colors that do not include red, Christmas design elements, etc).

Watercolor Snowflakes by Genna Cowsert

Runners-up: Modern brushed by Summer Winkelman, Grateful by Jessie Steury, and
Snowflake Joy by Little Print Design

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23

Minted Design Trade Program Promotes Minted Art to Interior Design Industry Pros

Written by Amy Schroeder

“Hmmm…this doesn’t look like commercial art,” said Jan, an interior designer who approached the Minted Art exhibit at Chicago’s NeoCon in June. “This—this is great.” Jan’s sentiment mirrored a number of fellow designers and industry folks who attended the 50th edition of one of the most respected commercial tradeshows in the interior design industry. Jan went on to describe what she views as typical in the commercial art industry: “mass-produced, ugly florals, generic.” In other words, the opposite of Minted Art, which is precisely what we’re going for.

A dramatic gallery wall featuring Minted Art at High Point Market 2018

Minted Art above: MA Allen Interiors, an interior design firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina, curated this scene in Minted’s booth at the fall 2018 edition of High Point Market, the world’s largest furnishings industry trade show. Read Architectural Digest’s preview story highlighting Minted.
LEFT SECTION FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Top photograph: “Pool Illumination” by Georgia Tankard; “Sandworm 1” by Jaime Derringer; “Sunset” by Jen Chen; “Last Tuesday” by Jennifer Daily; “Zebraba Tile” by 2birdstone; “Free” by Kristi Kohut; and “Geometric Tides” by King Richard IX.
CENTER SECTION FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: “Edges” by Bethania Lima; “Shes Blooming” by Theresa Bear; and “Jane Gallagher” by Amy Carroll.
RIGHT SECTION FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: “Paris Street Shop 3” by Phrosné Ras; “Abstract Orchids” by Michelle S; “Amour” by Morgan Kendall; “History Repeats” by Jennifer Daily; “Pink Foliage” by Fernanda Martinez; and “Pansy Painting – Mirrored” by Oana Prints.

NeoCon is one of the many events that Minted exhibits at to promote the Minted Design Trade Program and feature the work of Minted’s community of fine artists. Tradeshow exposure is well worth the many hours on their feet, and, thankfully, for Minted Design Trade Program Manager Sarah Greenwood, it’s one of her favorite aspects of the job. “We’ll often hear from interior designers who say, ‘I love looking at Minted Art on your site, but seeing it in person is a whole different experience,’” Sarah says. “Designers appreciate the tactile experience of seeing art at trade shows.” Sarah formerly worked for One Kings Lane and Guildery, a company Minted acquired in 2015.


A Minted art wall at High Point Market in North Carolina, featuring (left) “Lyrical” wall art print by Sarah McInroe and “Abstract Seascape Pt Reyes California” by Caryn Owen.

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Minted’s Top 9 Design Tips for Creating Irresistible Greeting Cards

Written by Amy Schroeder

Now that Minted Greeting Cards are gracing the shelves of our national retail partners, we’ve learned a thing or two about what makes a design stand out. Because every card needs to pull its own weight, we keep a close eye on sales of every Minted design and have identified common characteristics among top-sellers. From broad appeal to content positioning, we’re excited to share some of our top learnings and merchandising tips with you.

1. Use eye-catching colors and design elements.

Bold color palettes, striking fonts, and visually appealing design elements definitely help a card stand out. Keeping in mind that much of our advice stems from putting yourself in the card-buyers’ shoes, we do encourage a bit of experimentation. For example, some designers might assume that all cards given to men should employ darker, masculine colors, but that’s not always the case. We welcome thinking outside the “color standards” box.

“Wild Prairie Rose” Minted Greeting Card by Holly Whitcomb is an example of a bold, bright design.

Minted Greeting Card Display photo by Erin Wilson

2. Think carefully about the top third of the card.

The top one-third portion of a greeting card is valuable real estate because it’s the most visible area of cards when they’re placed on displays with overlapping rows. For that reason, we recommend taking advantage of the entire front of a greeting card. Even if a design element is only partially visible at the top of the card, it still helps improve sales potential. Please take this advice with a grain of salt—we’re not necessarily saying “don’t be minimalist” or “you must fill every pica of space,” but we are saying that small visual elements tend to go unnoticed.

In the above example of a Minted Greeting Card, we increased the size of and shifted up the artwork to hit the top one-third of the card titled “Lucky Us” by Carrie O’Neal.

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Winter Wishes Non-Photo Holiday Card Challenge: Special Prizes

Announcing the special prizes from our Winter Wishes Non-Photo Holiday Card Challenge! Whether you’re an artist, illustrator, typographer or graphic designer, we looked to our talented community to create non-photo cards where the design is hero. Minted customers gravitate towards unique illustrations, fresh design trends, clever twists on greetings, and die-cut shapes that will make his or her card stand out from the pack. In this challenge, we were looking for designs across a wide range of styles and colors, from modern and bold to classic and traditional.

Congratulations to all the winners!

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