A retrospective of 25+ years of inspiring messages in word and image

2022-2023: Communication and order
Every year we send out our holiday greeting for the new year with a unique design inspired by a quote about creativity and communications that reflects the times we live in. In 2023 we are reflecting on the idea that George Bernard Shaw wrote, “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” As creators, we are reminded that communicating is not just about sending messages, but rather making sure that messages are being received. In 2022 we turned to Stephen Sondheim, who points out that art is about creating order.

2021-2017: Postcards with a perspective
Sometimes it’s a matter of perspective from a great leader of the past like when Jim Keller found this timeless quote that we used in 2021 while fighting a pandemic and thinking about a change in political administrations during uncertain times: “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time,” from Abraham Lincoln. Other times it’s folk wisdom from Leonard Cohen or a Glenn Campbell song. In 2019 it was the 100th anniversary of Bauhaus, the foundational design school that got us thinking about the power of design.

2016-2010: Stretching the envelope
Our earlier cards were narrower and fit inside a standard #10 envelope. In this period we introduced a more colorful palette for our brand. In 2016 when water was discovered on Mars we found optimism with, “Life tends to show up wherever there is water.” A Dolly Parton quote, “Storms make trees take deeper roots,” was featured after the devastation from Hurricane Sandy. Quotes from Matisse, von Gothe, John Irving, and Robert Frost were featured along with an original painting by our frequent collaborator, Marney Fuller-Mazo, who got us buzzing in 2014.

2009-2004: Our purple period

In this period we introduced our new branded colors (purple and mustard) and turned to big names for inspiration including Walt Disney, Albert Camus, Jimi Hendrix, and M.C. Escher. In 2009 we created “MasterpieceYourself” an interactive online game where you could put yourself into a famous portrait. After being featured in Redbook magazine it went viral with over 106,872 unique visitors. For the holiday card, we featured ourselves as “masterpieces.” In 2006 the recently departed Bob Denver taught us that, “Gilligan’s Island is wherever you want it to be in your mind.”

1999-1996: Our earliest greetings
After our first year in business, we sent out a “New Year” card with a quote from Emily Dickerson, “Hope is the thing with feathers.” Over 25 years later we continue that tradition and profess a faith in how the power of design and communications can change lives and build a better world.

Special thanks to Jim Keller who designed almost all of these holiday cards! And to Norman Cherubino who contributed insights and guidance for the first 20 years.