The winners of the On the Cards greeting cards competition for creative undergraduates were presented with their awards at PG Live yesterday (6 June).
The On the Cards competition is organised by GF Smith, Paper Rose/The Art Group and Paperchase and each year gives undergraduate students from six leading art colleges the chance to design a greeting card range. This year the winner was Joe Cox of Leeds College of Art for his Political Pals range. Joe’s range of cards has just hit the shelves in selected Paperchase stores.
“Joe’s range is so topical with the election at the moment,” says Hazel Walker, buyer at Paperchase. “Teresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage are selling the best at this stage.”
This is the third year of the competition which was set up to introduce creative students to the greeting card industry. “A lot of students don’t appreciate how much goes into designing cards, it’s a very exacting process,” says Mark Jessett, paper consultant for GF Smith and one of the judges of the competition. “We hope to encourage students to think about the greeting card industry as a possible career path.”
Commenting on the Joe’s range, Reggie Pugh creative director of Paper Rose and The Art Group said: “Joe’s Political Pals was a clear winner for all of us. It really pushes the boundaries, which is what this competition is all about.”
Also accepting her award for second place was Xian Lin of Camberwell School of Art for her Cheer Fruit range, which is also on sale in flagship Paperchase stores and online.
Pictured at top: Nicky Marshall (Sherwood Group), Emma Clooney (Paperchase), Hazel Walker (Paperchase), Joe Cox, Xian Lin, Mark Jessett (GF Smith), Philippa Phipps (Paper Rose/The Art Group), Reggie Pugh (Paper Rose/The Art Group)
