Hallmark has had a long standing relationship with Dutch artist, Marjolein Bastin. Dating back to the mid 1980s her art has appeared on Hallmark’s greetings, giftware and gift products. Gift sales declined over time and Hallmark did not pursue a product assortment for about 10 years. In 2018, with the approval of Marjolein, I art directed an assortment that incorporated her art with a Hallmark illustrator. The fresh compositions were a success during our Easter and Mother’s Day selling windows.
With each gift line, I travelled overseas to ensure the product was produced to the design standards. Marjolein Bastin’s art poses significant challenges due to the soft watercolor style, and this was the focus of my travel for this particular assortment. I met with the ceramics and decal manufacturers ahead of time to talk about the nature of Bastin’s work and the details we needed to hold. We came to an agreed solution prior to designing the product, resulting in a faster sampling time.
© Hallmark Licensing, Inc.
© Marjolein Bastin
Holiday is Hallmark’s largest gift season. The caring connector is looking for gifts and decor items that will help them build, grown and deepen their relationships. “Live Merry” was the mantra for the season as she sees herself as the “merry maker” who provides a home filled with joy and laughter for her family and friends. The assortment compliments the Peanuts 2018 line with strong palette of red. As she walked into the Hallmark Gold Crown Stores, the front of store tables were flanked with the colors of the season, creating a dynamic visual merchandising solution.
The caring connector prefers to set her holiday decor right after Thanksgiving and leave it up through February. I art directed and designed an assortment of gift products that met the need of our traditional consumer. Snowmen are a key icon because of its ability to live all winter long. The assortment was built around Hallmark’s beloved artist, Geoff Greenleaf, and his snowmen collection.
Her shopping behavior also indicates that she is hosting and attending parties in December. The depth in the total assortment appealed to her for those hosting and serving needs.
© Hallmark Licensing, Inc.
Due to the success of Hallmark Channel’s “Christmas in Evergreen” movie, the channel decided to create another movie set in the idyllic town of Evergreen, VT. The gift assortment carries the same classic, nostalgic feel of the movies but with a twist in theme and design. Sales proves newness sells for seasonal gift products; the challenge becomes how to bring a fresh new look using Hallmark’s featured artist Geoff Greenleaf for a second year in a row.
I art directed the assortment with a fellow designer. Centering the gift story around Santa and the town’s tree lighting event gave a new perspective/story for the products, visual merchandising, and the movie. The classic color palette and timeless materials allows for the key items to sit with the consumer’s current holiday decor.
© Hallmark Licensing, Inc.
Not surprisingly, birthday is approximately 70% of the greetings sales in the Hallmark Gold Crown Stores. It makes sense to also have a line of gift products that encourage the caring connector to add to their guest check.
The birthday assortment leans heavily into the optimistic trend. It was important to create a happy vibe. Working with lettering and illustration designers, we created an assortment with playful type, trend right editorial/graphics, and color palette. Items like the oversized “Birthday Vibes” mug and “It’s My Day” wine glass are humorous and make a great gift. Rainbows and 80s style icons continue to trend and it was important to incorporate them into the overall palette.
Milestones are key to Hallmark’s birthday assortment. Captions like 21, 40, 50 and even 100 are what she is looking for when she is attending milestone parties.
© Hallmark Licensing, Inc.
As COVID was just making the news, I wanted to create a line that felt personal, and was a nod to simpler days. The art is loosely based on the lost art of letter writing. Each item was either hand lettered, or combination with using my father’s old typewriters. The personal, hand-crafted feel compliments the relationship-based messages.
© DEMDACO
“Destinations” is a regional-specific category of everyday and personalized products that reflect the beauty of these locations. Our assortment creates meaningful connections and lasting remembrances of familiar places with family and friends.
Starting with DEMDACO’s legacy artist, Dean Crouser, we expanded our portfolio from regional specific to playful summer/winter designs and lettering. Production of the art was moved to the USA, allowing us to be more nimble and providing lower minimum orders.
I enjoy working with variety of artists, building a cohesive story through color and subject matter. I have sooooo many ideas for this program to grow, I can’t wait for what the future holds!
© DEMDACO
© MARA PENNY
© DEAN CROUSER
© LORI SEIBERT