Hello and happy fourth quarter!

Tis the season for preparing holiday cards! And this probably doesn’t mean licking stamps any more. I’ve seen so many great digital holiday cards in the past few years and they are a wonderful way to not only spread holiday cheer and remind your past clients, fans, and customers that you exist, but they are a great way to showcase your brand.

Your branding and all of the assets you’ve created (graphic logo, sonic logo, choice colors, fonts, any branding videos, about-page introduction animations, etc etc) should be aligned such that the purpose and mission of your company (and you as an individual) are expressed in the branding. This leaves tons of room for you then to provide value, engage with your past and potential customers, and present opportunities. You don’t need to spend any time explaining who you are as a company and what you are up to…. this is the purpose of good branding. Holiday cards are a PERFECT way to get your brand out there. 

Here’s the brander’s guide to a perfect digital holiday card:

1) Include your graphic and sonic logo (don’t have one? No problem! Email me to get yours)
2) Keep it short, sweet and simple (usually between :05 and :30)
3) Incorporate a graphic element of your brand- either a font or a color- to nod to your branding, without hitting them over the head. (This may look like having your signature blue as the sky, or the greeting in your corporate font)
4) Be creative! Digital cards are an opportunity to show off your company’s creativity and uniqueness as well as show a different side of your brand. Don’t be afraid to invest in a creative animator or graphic house to create this for you.
5) Make sure to budget for custom music to show off your company’s holiday side, without being predictable, cheesy, generic, or off-brand. Simple graphics, like a logo faded in with “Happy Holidays” can make a lovely holiday card if it’s scored well. The visual and audio together should support each other and your brand’s purpose.

Elaborating on #5: as you embark on your holiday greeting card creations, consider skipping the typical jazzy bell version of jingle bells to score your animation and choose to go custom- incorporate your brand’s identity into the sound of your card. (And yes, we can always add bells). If you haven’t considered creating a digital card or making a video, the process is simple and I’m happy to guide you with the visuals as well. If you’ve already created your card, let me know and we can make the music support the holiday cheer as well as your brand (I’m fancy like that).