Julep

Eye of the Beholder Art Challenge Special Prizes

Written by Kirsten Wolfe

By Kirsten Wolfe, Minted Art Team

In the Eye of the Beholder Art Challenge, we asked the Minted Artist Community to submit innovative works of art to continue to grow our assortment and help us be the best marketplace for independent artists. There were no design restrictions and we accepted all mediums reproducible on paper. The winners below each stood out in one of our special prize categories. Congratulations, winners!

Photography Award for the best work of photography – literal, abstract, or whimsical

“Go Fish” by Pad and Paper

Equal parts ode to modernism – with its abstracted circular forms in an off-kilter grid – and homage to the traditional art of fishing, this piece continues to captivate my attention. Green-hued netting is stretched tight across the conical forms, creating a repeating pattern of circles in the fore and backgrounds, with segments of white rope breaking up the uniformity.

Michelle Poe, the creative force behind Pad and Paper, has been a part of the Minted Community for the past five years. She lives in Pasadena, California.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP... Comments Off

That’s a Wrap! Personalizable Holiday Gift Wrap Challenge Special Prize Winners

Written by Madeline Paymer

By Madeline Paymer, Minted Community Team

Last holiday season was the first time Minted offered customizable wrapping paper, and customers loved it! So we asked the Minted Community to help grow our assortment of custom holiday gift wrap by dreaming up the freshest, most original designs that incorporate a customer’s photos and/or custom text. We asked the Community to think out of – and around – the box, and the results blew us away! The winners below each stood out in one of our special prize categories. Congrats, winners!

Out of the Box Award for a holiday gift wrap design that incorporates personalized photos in a highly creative way

“Santa’s Wrap” by Sarah Brown

We’re expecting to see a big order of this adorable gift wrap come in from the North Pole this holiday season! We love how Sarah dresses up your little one as an elf, Santa, a snowman, and a reindeer (and the last two even come complete with nose!). The sprinkle of snow and irregular positioning and angles of the holiday illustrations give “Santa’s Wrap” an extra-festive feel.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP... 2 COMMENTS

Oh Happy Day! Kids’ Birthday Party Invite Challenge Special Prize Winners

Written by Artist Relations

By Jen Casebeer, Community Editor

Kids’ birthday party is one of our favorite categories! In the Oh Happy Day! Kids’ Birthday Party Invitation Challenge, we asked the Minted Design Community to design fun, fresh birthday party invitations that parents and kids would both love. We just love the result! The winners below stood out in one of our special prize categories. Congrats, winners!

Out of the Box Award for the freshest, most original party invitation you wouldn’t find anywhere other than Minted

“Woodland Campout” by Grave Kreinbrink

Grace’s camping-inspired design has us ready to pack our backpacks! We love her illustrated forest from her stylized trees to her winding path and sweet little campfire. The off-kilter signs are such a unique way to provide all the details necessary to party!

Runners Up: “First Festival” by Phrosné Ras | “Did Someone Say Cake” by Amy George | “Mad Scientist” by Pretty Girl Designs

MORE AFTER THE JUMP... 2 COMMENTS

Milestones Challenge Special Prize Winners

Written by Madeline Paymer

By Madeline Paymer, Minted Community Team

Invitations to baby and kids’ milestone celebrations are a fast-growing category for Minted. From Sweet Sixteen parties to Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, from Quinceañera parties to Confirmation celebrations, customers are looking for fresh, modern invitations, and the Minted Community truly came through in this challenge. The winning designs below each stood out in one of our special prize categories. Congratulations, winners!

Out of the Box Award for the most innovative design that you wouldn’t see on your run-of-the-mill stationery site; this design best exemplifies the risk-taking that Minted looks for

“Wherever you go” by Griffinbell Paper Co.

What a joyful design! Lynn didn’t hold anything back in her bold use of color. The playful palette and whimsical hand-lettering do a beautiful job of highlighting a Bible passage that’s perfect for a baptism.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP... 2 COMMENTS

Let’s Celebrate! Wedding Parties Challenge Special Prize Winners

Written by Madeline Paymer

By Madeline Paymer, Minted Community Team

When it comes to weddings, it’s not all about the big day! We asked the Minted Community to create create unique, modern invitations for all the pre-wedding events: Bridal Showers, Engagement Parties and Rehearsal Dinners. We were looking for designs to suit every type of event, from casual to traditional, and Minted designers delivered! The winning designs below each stood out in one of our special prize categories. Congratulations, winners!

Fun and Casual Award for the best informal, whimsical or fun rehearsal dinner or engagement party invitation

“Stamped on Kraft” by Petite Papier

Erin’s engagement party invitation gets our stamp of approval! The justified copy in conjunction with the simple red, white, and kraft color palette is bold and eye-catching, and the “Let’s” stamped in script in the center adds the perfect hint of whimsy.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP... 1 COMMENT

Photo Art Collage Challenge Special Prize Winners

Written by Kirsten Wolfe

By Kirsten Wolfe, Minted Art Team

Photos of friends and family can be among the most cherished works of art hung on a wall. So in the Photo Collage Art Challenge, we asked the Minted Community of artists to create fresh and unique photo art templates for our customers to display several of their favorite photos at a time. The winners below each stood out in one of our Special Prize categories. Congratulations, winners!

The Snapshot Mix Art™ Award for the best new interpretation of our collage-inspired Snapshot Mix™ art

“Love you to the moon & back!” by Chasity Smith

This whimsical portrayal celebrates love for a child with a charming sentiment. Snapshots are lined up to form the shape of a crescent moon and offer the opportunity to show off images of your child in various poses.

Chasity joined Minted’s community this past September and has already been the recipient of a number of awards. She lives in Livingston, Louisiana.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP... 5 COMMENTS

Holiday Challenge Winners’ Trip to San Francisco

Written by Artist Relations

Our Let it Snow! Holiday + New Year’s Photo Card Challenge is well underway and it has been so exciting seeing all your submissions come in! This year, like last year, our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners will win a 2-day VIP trip to visit Minted Headquarters here in San Francisco (full details here).

The top 3 winners from last year’s ‘Oh What Fun’ Holiday Card Challenge came out for their own VIP trip last month and we had a great time showing them around the Minted office and our beautiful city. Here are a few highlights from our trip with Minted Designers Jill De Haan, Eric of GeekInk Design, and Karly of Oscar & Emma.

Eric, Jill, and Karly at that iconic spot!

Minted Community Artists are serious celebrities to everyone here in the Minted Office. Our employees were anxious to hear all about the visiting designers. Jill, Eric, and Karly were kind enough to answer lots of juicy questions from Minted employees in a friendly Q&A. We talking about everything from how they got started in design to their favorite (and least favorite) personal works and what their weirdest Pinterest boards are.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP... 1 COMMENT

First Impressions Business Card Challenge Special Prize Winners

Written by Madeline Paymer

Our customers want to make a lasting first impression, so we asked the Minted Community to create the freshest, most beautiful business cards in the world. Minted designers delivered, creating a diverse and chic collection of all types of business cards, from mommy calling cards to charming feminine designs to sleek and serious cards. The winning designs below each stood out in one of our special prize categories. Congratulations, winners!

For Him Award for the card design that will most appeal to our male customers

“Clean & Dapper” by Morgan Ramberg

Morgan strikes the perfect balance between whimsical and to-the-point with “Clean & Dapper.” The icons and pops of yellow lend a little fun to this card that we’re sure men will love handing out (and it’s even gotten a stamp of approval from the men in the Minted office).

MORE AFTER THE JUMP... 1 COMMENT

Together Again West Elm + Minted Art Challenge Special Prizes

Written by Kirsten Wolfe

What an amazing collaboration! This challenge resulted in a record breaking number of submissions to an art challenge – a whopping 1,960. More telling than the sheer number was the interesting mix of work and the number of new artists who participated. The Minted Art Collection continues to be refined and we are delighted with these new additions.

Below are the award winners for the special prizes for the Together Again Minted + West Elm Art Challenge. Congratulations to all!

Out of the Box Award for the best boundary-pushing art print

“Public Isolation” by Christopher Morben

“Public Isolation” elevates the pedestrian view of the interior of a public bus to fine photography. Chris notes on his artist’s statement that although the bus was in use, he happened to embark when it was void of other passengers. Through this unusual happenstance, he was able to capture the relatively unfamiliar sight of an empty bus in a crowded city. By using a tight frame for the image, he creates a sense of intimacy for the viewer. Scattered across the seats, the sunlight casts a spectral illusion of people and the windows, full of reflective glare, offer a hazy view of the city outside.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP... Comments Off

Welcome Little One! Birth Announcement Challenge Special Prize Winners

Written by Madeline Paymer

By Madeline Paymer, Minted Community Team

In the Welcome Little One! Birth Announcement Challenge, we asked the Minted Community to help spread the joy of a new baby by creating fresh, original birth announcements. Minted designers proved up to the challenge of creating designs worthy of one of our most meaningful categories, producing an array of sweet, cute, funny, chic, and beautiful designs great for those little future stationery lovers (girls and boys alike!). The winning designs below each stood out in one of our special prize categories. Congratulations, winners!

Big Picture Award for the best full-bleed photo design

“emma” by Rebecca Bowen

Rebecca does a great job of leaving plenty of room to highlight the new arrival’s photo without sacrificing style in “Emma.” The whimsical “hello” and the cute hand-drawn arrow make this announcement so fun.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP... Comments Off