Recently I've been looking at what other's cards and stationary that is very similar to what I want to be making.
While looking at these cards I've been focusing on
- Packaging - thin plastic case with the front of card exposed and envelope behind it.
- Envelope - Either related directly to the card in color or just plain white
- Labeling - Typically artist/company information and website were printed very small on the center back of the card.
- Variety of products - Almost all that go from stationary and postcards to journals/notebooks. There were also coffee cups, t-shirts, wallets, bags posters, magnets.
- Sizing of the cards - The ones that were a variety of sizes looked so similar in style that you knew they were related.
In the small groups last Tuesday we talked about the typical Hallmark-like categories that cards fall into and how my work strays away from the "Get Well Soon" type of cards. At http://www.kissmekwik.co.uk/ I found a list of categories that closer captures my themes.
These cards are similar to mine because of the juxtaposition of the old images images with charged biting text. However, I think there could be more of a focus on design and craft because they just slapped these white text bubbles on the image.
Bluebarn House.
This company that uses more thought and technique in their creating.
Printing. Letterpress. Recycled papers.
" Wanting to steer away from the standard mass-produced fare so common to the publishing industry"
My obstruction was kind of like playing a game. Each card I made I had add something that I typically hadn't or subtract something. Some of the adjustments were small, probably unnoticeable to those besides myself and other adjustments were larger and made a clear difference in the aesthetic I've established so far. 
*Used a new magazine
*No figure
