Most of the mainstream christmas card publishers look for interesting ways for customers to personalise their christmas cards so that their stands out from the competition.  It is now commonplace in many designs to have your company logo or company name emblazened on the card cover in full colour, block foil press or even laser cut into the card.  The only way you are going to get a truly original christmas card for your business is to commission your own design.  There are a number of approaches to achieving a bespoke corporate christmas cards.

Your own Photograph
Take your own photograph and have it printed directly on to the card cover from a print shop such as Printing.com.  If you have a lot of cards to send then this came be an extremely economical way.  Cards are usually in a standard size such as A5 or 150mm square which is fine for the Royal Mail’s Letter Size category of posting.  If you are no budding amateur photographer then you could purchase a stock photo from some where like Shutterstock.  Be warned though unless you buy the exclusive rights to the photo then there is nothing stopping  your photograph cropping up on somebody else’s card.

Commission your Own Painting.
There are many freelance artists who could paint or sketch a product or service related theme for your company or if your company has a building to be proud of then why not let them sketch your premises.  Tim Rose specialises in this field.  Whoever you choose make sure you see a portfolio of their work before you start and make sure you agree the brief fully before their put brush to canvas or ink to paper.  Many artists have their own style which may not suit the image your business is trying to portray.

Commission your own card from start to finish.
Now we’re talking.  If you pick a professional in this field with all the printing skills and techniques at their fingertips then the results can be truly stunning.  There are a number of designers who can offer this service and they will often sketch a couple of ideas first so that they can obtain a feel for the type of christmas card the customer if trying to achieve.  The Handcrafted Card Company offer this service and quote : “From your initial design or budget brief we create a Christmas Card design most suited to your need – this is not mass production where the company logo is just slotted into an existing design!”

Remember though, the specialist christmas card printers are always looking for new ways to make their cards stand out from the competition so it can be hard to distinguish between a truly bespoke card and a customised stock card.  A truly bespoke card may burn a whole in the pocket and remember too that its not for keeps.  If you are trying to create an impression you cannot send the same christmas cards to your clients next year. 

Happy Hunting !