A few weeks ago came across a new line of stationary that caught my eye instantly. You have to understand that I am not typically into design – I tend to buy a lot of Hallmark cards. I have never really discovered a line that excited me. But this card made me linger and want to explore the line futher:
A totally new concept for me has come into my life: Indie stationary. Made by a company called Minted, a design-your-own stationery site, these pieces of stationary are made by designers all over the world, in 43 countries. Minted believes that great design lives and thrives in the hands of indie designers that people may not have access to through traditional retailers. Their goal is to use technology to allow our community to discover the work of great designers from all over the world. And at the same time, create a place where designers can get exposure and build their careers. But they just don’t sell any design, they are selective and leave it up to the consumer to choose what they feature online. And they’re not in the slightest stuffy. Go figure.
Here’s how it works: Minted holds monthly design challenges for stationery, invitations, calendars, and other categories and all graphic designers are invited to enter. The Minted community selects the best designs in a highly competitive process, which gives us a top selection of the freshest, finest cards in the world. Winning designers earn cash prizes, a place in the Minted collection, and commissions on all sales of their designs.
They even turn some of the designs into prints you can hang on your wall. Check some of them out:
Another very cool thing about Minted is that it was founded by a fellow mompreneur, Mariam Naficy. She started the business when her daughter was a few months old. She wanted a place where designers could express their vision and have the chance to sell their designs. She wanted to give voice to consumers and use the Internet as pure a meritocracy as possible. So, she came up with a business plan, found a partner, raised funding and voila! launched her site.
Minted’s first design challenge was held in April 2008 and was a ‘save-the-date’ card competition with 66 entries. Tens of thousands of design entries later, they have expanded their crowd-sourced assortment to birth announcements, wedding stationery, photo calendars, personal stationery, and much more.
When I received my box of cards, I was very impressed by the quality of the paper. Minted only carries brands that use fine paper stock, rich inks, and crisp printing methods.
Minted also sells business cards, journals, gifts, party invitations, and, as mentioned above, prints. When you explore their web site, you’ll see from the feng shui look and feel that design comes first.
Head over to Minted.com to see what it’s all about. Get involved in their voting process and watch some great design come to life.
Instead of heading to the drug store next time to pick up my cards, I’m heading to Minted.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I have partnered with Minted to promote their product this month on The Culture Mom.
I LOVE this. What a great idea. I’m obsessed with nice papers, cards, and stationary (and homemade too).
Thanks for posting this. I’m already starting to think about holiday cards and stationary. This year I hope to avoid the last minute rush of doing everything and hope to enjoy the holidays with my family.