Card Designer Spotlight x Posterity Paper
The Card Designer Spotlight is a series featuring independent makers whose greeting cards you can find in Paper Source stores. Meet and be inspired by a new designer every month on our blog!
How did you begin your card-making career?
I started Posterity Paper in July 2019 after my beloved grandmother (who raised me) passed away. For months I followed her calendar that listed all the birthday cards she'd planned to send that year. This worked for a while, but I eventually grew bored with the cards she had in her stash and started to think about the cards I wished existed. I started Posterity Paper because I wanted to honor my grandmother's legacy of card-giving in my own way. I couldn't find the cards that expressed the sentiments that meant the most to me, so I set out to create fun modern greeting cards that would inspire a new generation of thoughtfulness through stationery.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
The inspiration from my work comes from my life, specifically coming of age in the 90s on the South Side of Chicago. The copy and illustrations remind me of the music, fashion and food from my childhood. The Flamin' Hot love card (carried by Paper Source) features one of my favorite high school snacks. On the way to school, I'd stop at the corner store and buy bags of Flamin' Hot Cheetos with melted cheese that we'd eat while we walked to school. It was the breakfast of champions! I may not have learned about nutrition on those walks to school, but I did learn how to formulate a good comeback. We regularly roasted each other in school and recounted the jokes we heard the night before on our favorite sitcoms (e.g. Martin, A Different World, Living Single, etc). I didn’t realize it at the time, but those wisecracks were the foundation to greeting card writing. My ability to create fun plays on words and succinct yet culturally-specific messages for my greeting cards was informed by my culture and community.
What does your day look like as a card designer?
Since I was a child I’ve enjoyed staying up late -- really late. As an adult, my mornings usually start with much needed caffeine – usually a hot chai with oat milk. Most days I can be found chauffeuring my three children around to their different activities with my laptop and iPad in tow. I’ve homeschooled for almost a decade but have started outsourcing more classes (like Algebra!) as my kids have grown. My family life is full right now, so most of my work is squeezed into the margins. I find time in-between my daughter's theater rehearsals or sewing class and often after my children are in bed. I check and respond to emails on-the-go and troubleshoot business issues with my stationery friends via Voxer. Since I'm in the car so much, I take time to listen to creative podcasts while I drive. I'm really big on getting some solo time to plan and create and usually take time away for retreats by myself a few times a year. I go to a nearby hotel for a weekend of undisturbed designing and I’m usually able to design most of my new releases during those weekends.
What is your preferred medium?
I can be a perfectionist so I’ve found drawing on my iPad to be best. I am able to duplicate or erase much faster than I can in my sketchbook.
What does your creative process look like?
I have a long list of card ideas that I add to regularly. These ideas come from things I remember, say or hear in my life. Recently, my 9 year-old daughter saw my husband and I both wearing Jordans and she called us “Sole Mates.” I immediately made that card. When it’s time for a new release I go to my list and pick a few to sketch. I always include everyday cards for things like birthdays and thank you's, then add in cards for upcoming holidays. I sketch the ideas on my iPad, pick a color palette then add details and colors. When I'm done designing, I finish up in Adobe Illustrator. Once the cards are printed, my family and friends help me fold and package them.
What are you most proud of as a creator and card maker?
I am proud to share my grandmother’s story.
For decades, I watched her express her love and support to people in her life through greeting cards. She wasn’t well-known, but her small acts of thoughtfulness touched the lives of many. She was the inspiration behind my administrative professional’s day card that's currently available at Paper Source (and Barnes and Noble). My grandmother was a receptionist for decades so I have a number of pictures with her and her typewriter. For Secretary’s Day ( what they called it back then) she would receive cards and gifts from her co-workers expressing their appreciation. I’m proud to know that my card will be used to celebrate the Administrative Professionals who help hold our offices together. It really feels like a full-circle moment.
Additionally, I'd like to add that I fell in love with Paper Source long before I became a vendor. I even took my first calligraphy class at the Lincoln Park location before my wedding almost 16 years ago. I bought supplies to design invitations for baby showers for my friends before I became a designer. I've always appreciated the whimsical details and unique products that were offered so it's an honor to have my cards lining the shelves.
Tiffany wanted to honor her grandmother's legacy of kindness through cards. When she couldn't find the sentiments she wanted to share, Posterity Paper was born.
How did you begin your card-making career?
I started Posterity Paper in July 2019 after my beloved grandmother (who raised me) passed away. For months I followed her calendar that listed all the birthday cards she'd planned to send that year. This worked for a while, but I eventually grew bored with the cards she had in her stash and started to think about the cards I wished existed. I started Posterity Paper because I wanted to honor my grandmother's legacy of card-giving in my own way. I couldn't find the cards that expressed the sentiments that meant the most to me, so I set out to create fun modern greeting cards that would inspire a new generation of thoughtfulness through stationery.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
The inspiration from my work comes from my life, specifically coming of age in the 90s on the South Side of Chicago. The copy and illustrations remind me of the music, fashion and food from my childhood. The Flamin' Hot love card (carried by Paper Source) features one of my favorite high school snacks. On the way to school, I'd stop at the corner store and buy bags of Flamin' Hot Cheetos with melted cheese that we'd eat while we walked to school. It was the breakfast of champions! I may not have learned about nutrition on those walks to school, but I did learn how to formulate a good comeback. We regularly roasted each other in school and recounted the jokes we heard the night before on our favorite sitcoms (e.g. Martin, A Different World, Living Single, etc). I didn’t realize it at the time, but those wisecracks were the foundation to greeting card writing. My ability to create fun plays on words and succinct yet culturally-specific messages for my greeting cards was informed by my culture and community.
What does your day look like as a card designer?
Since I was a child I’ve enjoyed staying up late -- really late. As an adult, my mornings usually start with much needed caffeine – usually a hot chai with oat milk. Most days I can be found chauffeuring my three children around to their different activities with my laptop and iPad in tow. I’ve homeschooled for almost a decade but have started outsourcing more classes (like Algebra!) as my kids have grown. My family life is full right now, so most of my work is squeezed into the margins. I find time in-between my daughter's theater rehearsals or sewing class and often after my children are in bed. I check and respond to emails on-the-go and troubleshoot business issues with my stationery friends via Voxer. Since I'm in the car so much, I take time to listen to creative podcasts while I drive. I'm really big on getting some solo time to plan and create and usually take time away for retreats by myself a few times a year. I go to a nearby hotel for a weekend of undisturbed designing and I’m usually able to design most of my new releases during those weekends.
What is your preferred medium?
I can be a perfectionist so I’ve found drawing on my iPad to be best. I am able to duplicate or erase much faster than I can in my sketchbook.
What does your creative process look like?
I have a long list of card ideas that I add to regularly. These ideas come from things I remember, say or hear in my life. Recently, my 9 year-old daughter saw my husband and I both wearing Jordans and she called us “Sole Mates.” I immediately made that card. When it’s time for a new release I go to my list and pick a few to sketch. I always include everyday cards for things like birthdays and thank you's, then add in cards for upcoming holidays. I sketch the ideas on my iPad, pick a color palette then add details and colors. When I'm done designing, I finish up in Adobe Illustrator. Once the cards are printed, my family and friends help me fold and package them.
What are you most proud of as a creator and card maker?
I am proud to share my grandmother’s story.
For decades, I watched her express her love and support to people in her life through greeting cards. She wasn’t well-known, but her small acts of thoughtfulness touched the lives of many. She was the inspiration behind my administrative professional’s day card that's currently available at Paper Source (and Barnes and Noble). My grandmother was a receptionist for decades so I have a number of pictures with her and her typewriter. For Secretary’s Day ( what they called it back then) she would receive cards and gifts from her co-workers expressing their appreciation. I’m proud to know that my card will be used to celebrate the Administrative Professionals who help hold our offices together. It really feels like a full-circle moment.
Additionally, I'd like to add that I fell in love with Paper Source long before I became a vendor. I even took my first calligraphy class at the Lincoln Park location before my wedding almost 16 years ago. I bought supplies to design invitations for baby showers for my friends before I became a designer. I've always appreciated the whimsical details and unique products that were offered so it's an honor to have my cards lining the shelves.
Find Posterity Paper's Flamin Hot Love Card at your local store or online at papersource.com. For more inspiration and behind-the-scenes action, follow @posteritypaper on IG.
