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It appears a lot of companies hire Design team members who make "2 pound cards" when the majority of the card makers ( who buy this stuff) have left that idea in the dust. They are making cards that they can mail with one stamp. They aren't using numerous layers of DP and so many embellishments they would need a box to mail it .
Wouldn't it make more sense to have designers who make cards that people are attracted to so they would buy their products to duplicate them?
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
I think every company that markets their products in the form of advertising 'glamorizes' their product. Clothing manufacturers create over-the-top fashions that catch the eye, but no one will ever wear the clothes in public. Cars are glamorized, toothpaste is... etc. Why not card making? DT's cards are meant to catch the eye and draw customers in, whether they intend to duplicate the card or not. I've often been drawn in by a "two pound card", but leave off a lot of the weight when I actually make a similar card myself. Not because I care about the cost to mail it, but because I prefer them lighter, lol.
Everyone has different tastes in clothes, shoes, jewelry, the same goes for cards. Some of us love CAS, some of us love blinged up, fortunately there are so many stamp companies and DT's to go with them that represent a variety of tastes.
I agree it's the glamor factor. It's no different than the sleek car advertisements or fashion ads in Vogue. Everyone wants it, some try to obtain it. Some succeed, most fail. We do it again because human nature failure is not an option. Those stamp companies really "rope" in the customers who spend a billion dollars to recreate that beautiful perfection. We all have done it to some extent.
I am fascinated by those cards too. I am more fascinated how great some of those ladies manicures look next to their cards, lol. I don't know about you but my nails would be destroyed. I had long natural nails like that until I started paper crafting. Long nails went by the wayside.
I never buy from the companies with over the top cards. I agree with you it's not my style and I don't want to duplicate. Sometimes these companies do make you feel like you must duplicate. I tend to stick with companies who have galleries of their customers work.
I LOVE 2 pound cards!! I don't think I've ever made a card that used only one stamp to mail. I figure it's my little part to keep the post office in business
That's what I love about cardmaking. We all have different tasts and we all like different styles.
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All of my cards require 2 stamps to mail. To each his own. I think there's something out there for everyone in this craft...thankfully. It would be pretty dull if we all liked the same thing. As for me, I like a variety of things and buy from many different companies.
I don't believe the cards the Design Team members put out are meant to be duplicated by the public. They are to show the various products of that company and give ideas of how one can use those products.
If you're creating a card, you need to use your own imagination, not copy someone else's work.
Just because a card has a lot of "stuff" hanging on it, doesn't make it a nice card....many times it just makes it gaudy.
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I'm in the camp that makes "2 pound" cards. I think they are quite popular. I see LOTS of embellished cards in the gallery every day. You can always just take one or two ideas from a card and make it more simple, kwim? And I think the point of a design team is more to wow than anything.
If the DT is for a company that sells lots of products, the more product the DT combines on a card, the more "bang for the buck" in advertising those products.
But I know what you're saying. We try to pick a DT that will have a mix of different styles of cards, so our gallery will reflect that. This way, I think there's something for everyone! I prefer CAS cards myself, but can certainly admire some of the "2 lb." cards, and all the cool interactive cards too!
I think it's horses for courses. For example, a company that produces stamps that are predominantly suited to vintage/shabby chic style projects will have a DT heavy on people good at that style.
I'm not currently on a stamp manufacturer's DT but when I was, I didn't do anything different than I had done before being picked for the team and I am not a DP plus loads of embellishments kind of card maker. Each company will be different and as Monica (Hambo) says, many will try to have a mix of designer styles on the team - maybe you're just drawn to stamp images from companies that have a particular kind of team so you're noticing lots of 2lb cards, Barbara?
I love 2-lb cards too. I can't ever make one, but I DO spend LOTS of time gazing at any 2-lb card I see here. I have whole galleries saved of 2-lb-card makers. I always aim to make a 2-lb card but nearly always end up with a CAS. I was on a design team temporarily, for March (?) (maybe April - I've forgotten), and nearly all the cards I made for them were CAS. Most of them were just watercoloured scenes using masking, two-layers only and almost no embellishments or even patterned paper!!
They are to show the various products of that company and give ideas of how one can use those products.
I agree. They're trying to show as many ways to use a lot of product in as small a space as possible. Design team members talented at using a lot of products are often good artists capable of doing simple designs just as well. I notice a lot of complex design ideas can easily be whittled down to simpler ones. I don't think it's a question of getting different kinds of designers. Team members are following instructions.
All of you make very valid points . I never thought about the "Glitz it up" as they do in the fashion industry. I look at some of the fashion ideas and wonder who would wear that in public LOL But the items must sell or the companies would not show them that way.
And perhaps the stamp companies I am attracted to do lean toward designers who make 2 pound cards.
I make something between CAS and 2 pound cards.
I have admired true CAS cards yet I never been able to pull them off either .
I guess there is a method in the companies choices
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Its funny but when I chose a design team for my stamps I really try to pick people of different styles. I want to show that you can use our stamps to design any type of card. But 2 pound cards are my favorite, and more my style and the reality of what I send to people and receive.
I'm in the 2 lb. book too! Mine are not that heavy, but my Christmas cards last year were $1.45 each to mail! That's the fun of using your own imagination to create!
__________________ Karen
...My life is like a stroll on the beach...As near to the edge as I can go...Thoreau...
I don't believe the cards the Design Team members put out are meant to be duplicated by the public. They are to show the various products of that company and give ideas of how one can use those products.
If you're creating a card, you need to use your own imagination, not copy someone else's work.
Just because a card has a lot of "stuff" hanging on it, doesn't make it a nice card....many times it just makes it gaudy.
Patti
Some of the other forums I read the girls fret if they can't make the same cards. Yes, there is pressure to duplicate in the card industry. There are a few companies who make you feel you need to duplicate. That is their selling style. I don't mind that. If your learning something new that is a good thing. I couldn't duplicate if I tried. I couldn't even do that in my PaintShop Pro tutorial days when we were given our assignments in our groups. I went off on my own tangent.
It's like one of the other OP's said we all have different styles. The companies we buy from all have different selling styles. Duplicating cards might be one companies selling style and they are making a fortune. I say more power to them. Another company prefers CAS and once again I say more power to them if they are making a profit.
Duplication is a marketing tool. You see it a lot in the beauty industry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SophieLaFontaine
I love 2-lb cards too. I can't ever make one, but I DO spend LOTS of time gazing at any 2-lb card I see here. I have whole galleries saved of 2-lb-card makers. I always aim to make a 2-lb card but nearly always end up with a CAS. I was on a design team temporarily, for March (?) (maybe April - I've forgotten), and nearly all the cards I made for them were CAS. Most of them were just watercoloured scenes using masking, two-layers only and almost no embellishments or even patterned paper!!
I couldn't do that. I love Stampscape Scenes. All my cards need bling.
I love those beautiful cards! All the cards I send need extra postage but mostly because they are lumpy. I love seeing the mix of ideas and I think different companies have different styles.
A Muse Studios is famous for their DT's Clean and Simple style. Sometimes it's so simple that it's almost spartan, LOL! I must be in-between the two styles because I find it hard to make such a perfect CAS design but I have trouble with too much stuff too.
But I adore both styles and copying some of the techniques has made me a better designer.
I like seeing variety with design team samples but I will admit that I'm drawn to the two pound card style rather than the CAS style.
I also don't think I've ever tried to duplicate a sample card so I personally don't care if they used $200 worth of product (dies/stamps etc.) to make the card. I would just draw inspiration from the sample and do my own thing.
When I'm doing design work I do try to change up my samples from time to time to show a variety of styles plus of course a CAS design is much quicker to produce LOL!
I like seeing all different styles when it comes to the samples that companies put out. I think if they are smart, they will show a variety of styles, in the hopes of appealing to as many people as possible.
You know, CAS is really not easier to produce at all. I've done two pound cards and I've done Clean and Simple cards, and for me, they both take time. I put a lot of thought and energy into card making now. There is a real art to editing. Do you remember scrapbook pages that we now refer to as sticker sneeze pages? Well, I think a lot of 2 pounders end up being the equivalent of the sticker sneeze. I am all about good design now.
I've often noticed that the 2 lb. cards in the gallery get a lot more comments that the truly stunning CAS cards. If we want companies to start featuring more CAS designers, then we need to start giving the CAS cards in the galleries a lot more love. Companies will notice.
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This discussion could go either way....for example, the other night my dd was looking at a stamping magazine I'd just gotten and she was like "why are these cards so simple looking??" and I told her I guess it's because they want us to feel like we can do that too...and she said that it made more sense to her to have cards in magazines that are the MOST amazing, elaborate cards that you could never dream of making...just like actors and singers, etc. that are "untouchable" in their talent.
Same could be said for some companies in their decision making for their dt's?
just another perspective.
I'm not a 2-pound card maker and thankfully the dt's I am on like me for who I am as a unique person
The teams I'm on, which is all I can speak on, have ALL kinds of stampers on them, from super CAS to super froo-froo, something for everyone.
You know, CAS is really not easier to produce at all.
So true, maryrose. I love the look of CAS, and have many favourited, but when I try to do them, I seem to fail miserably. I only have a few posted in my own gallery, and these are only the ones that I thought looked even somewhat decent. Many of them just end up in the "yuck - try again" bin, to be repurposed later into a more embellished card.
Part of this, for me anyway, is the fact that I started out as a scrapbooker first, and have very few stamp sets relative to a lot of the people here. I probably have 20 - 25 sets, and of those, half of them are sentiments only. So, I don't have many images to draw inspiration from, and have to rely on patterned paper and/or embellishments to spice it up.
That being said, I will keep on trying the CAS route, but not giving up on the 2 pounders either!
__________________ Elizabeth
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Hand over the chocolate, and no one will get hurt!
There are many over the top designers on design teams, but I'm happy that the design teams I represent have a good mix...some are over the top and some are clean and simple. Personally, I drift between the two styles...sometimes I'm in the mood to WOW and other times simplicity speaks!
I teach card making workshops and I love that people pick cards they like off of my blog...and we duplicate them in the workshop....it shows them that they CAN make any card that I do....it's just a matter of the tools and the interests of the individual!
Sometimes when looking at a 2lb card or a clean and simple card, just pick off the elements that strike your fancy...all cards are great for inspiration!
My 2 lb cards always look like a catalogue threw up on them. I think I'm in the middle of 2 ponders and CAS. I do agree that product DT's go for the WOW factor.
Thanks for raising this question Barbara! I've always asked myself the same question so it's good to see what others think and that there are many who actually do have that style.
For example I would never dream of mailing a card that took more than 1 stamp and thought the whole world was like me. So it was good to read the posts above and see that people do actual post those 2PC (2 lb cards).
Also I see some people have some elements popping off the A2 size. I would never do that because I can't use my A2 envelope and those are the only ones I've and I always thought that what were the DTs thinking starting this trend; but I maybe wrong.
You know, I got to wondering about two pound scrapbook pages, too. I see them all the time in magazines and on blogs where the elements and accents stick out a good one to two inches off the page. Don't these people use page protectors? Won't those lovely two-inch handmade paper flowers just get smashed in a scrapbook?
Can anyone explain this to me? Is this the equivalent of a fashion designer making a dress out of paper that no one will ever wear?
I hear ya, Mary Rose!
I've been scrapbooking for a couple years now. While I love the great detail done with flowers and other chunky items, they won't work for my boys' scrapbooks. Those type of pages are for framing, propping up on an easel and showing off at scrapbook fairs.
I am another stamp manufacturer that has a design team with different styles. I think it depends on the company and the image they are trying to project. I personally love a CAS card as much as a card with layers and lots of detail. If the work is clean and visually appealing that is what sells me.
Like Maryrose I wonder about the 10lb scrapbook pages. I use page protectors so the pages need to be fairly flat. However, I did go to a workshop that made pages with pull outs, pop ups, 3D elements, and little windows that opened and closed. I am not sure how it's supposed to work in a scrapbook page or a frame for that matter. It was fun, but not practical.
Last week I went to a store that had a new line of printed cardstock that was 24x12 and already folded in half like a gi-normous card. I had all kinds of ideas but none of them work in scrapbook pages with page protectors. Now I am not sure what anyone would do with it besides cut it up. It was sure cool though.
I 2nd that emotion! (to quote Smokey Robinson and the Miracles!) LOL!
I admire both styles, CAS and the 2-pounder ones! I struggle to make the ones that have a bunch on them though, so don't make them for that reason. But do think so many are so very gorgeous! But then, there are some CAS creations that just blow my socks off too...so yea, I love em all!
I LOVE looking at those 10 lb scrap pages and apparently so do a lot of people, it seems to me those are the pages that are favored the most! I have even made a few 10 pounders and you are right, I have them framed for my studio. I also have a few in albums with page protectors. They don'e lay very flat nor do my books close flat which is why I have gone to scrapbook binders.
It is at times hard for me to keep my pictures as the focal point after all family members that look at my books have NEVER said "Oh I love that embellishment"!
My cards are getting closer and closer to the 2 pounders, looks like my household needs to go on a diet.
I'm guilty of the 2 lb card crafting, but honestly, I'd love to do CAS. I'm just not very good at it. I see design teams that go both ways. Purple Onion cards, for example, are usually pretty simple. If it's any comfort, it seems that paper craft magazines tend to publish the simple cards more than the 2 lb cards. Of course, not a comfort to me. ;)
I love both but to be honest, a CAS takes me a lot longer to do. I teach classes and usually teach 1/2 lb cards. The people in classes want to learn how to pull different items together but they also don't want to spend a lot of time.
when I make a 10lb card it's fun but I don't give those to everyone. Only those who understand what it takes.
Design team choice observation
