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Greeting Card Envelope
Anisa's Greeting Card Design Vision
Anisa, a designer, merges traditional art with modern techniques to create intricate greeting card designs that resonate emotionally and visually. Her work balances trendiness and timeless appeal, offering designs that uplift and inspire.
Key Design Principles
Color Psychology: Colors evoke emotions and set the mood. Blues and greens bring calmness, while reds and oranges energize. Thoughtful palette selection enhances the emotional impact of greeting cards.
Patterns & Scale: The scale of patterns influences perception. Larger patterns create an intimate feel, while smaller ones add spaciousness. Designs range from geometric and floral to abstract and thematic, blending trends with timeless styles.
Material & Texture: Choosing paper or embellishments, such as embossing or foiling, enhances a card's visual appeal and durability.
Innovative Approach: This signature piece transforms Tezhip (traditional illumination) into contemporary greeting card art. It blends heritage with modern aesthetics and features regal hues, gold accents, and timeless motifs.
Symbolism in Flora & Fauna: Designs incorporate flowers and birds, like pheasants and peacocks, to symbolize beauty, elegance, and divinity.
Rumi Calligraphy & Gold Leaf: Elements of sacred calligraphy and genuine gold leaf evoke a sense of luxury and spiritual depth.
Birds as Design Icons: In Anisa's work, birds represent grace and harmony rather than biological realism.
Pheasant-Inspired: Elongated tails add a regal flair.
Peacock-Inspired: Eye-like tail details bring vibrancy.
Parrot-Inspired: Curved beaks and vivid hues exude energy and joy.
Design Philosophy
S-Shaped Curves: Representing fluidity and connection, intricately woven into designs.
Circular Motifs: Symbolizing divinity and eternity, these unify geometric patterns.
Interconnected Elements: Every detail originates from a central point, reflecting balance and unity.
Tezhip & Greeting Card Fusion: Tezhip, the art of gilded manuscript illumination, inspires Anisa’s work. Originating in the 9th century and flourishing during the Ottoman era, this art involves motifs like Rûmi, hatai, and floral designs. Techniques such as gold sprinkling and shaded halkâri add depth and opulence.
Why Anisa's Designs Stand Out
Emotional Impact: Thoughtfully chosen colors and patterns evoke joy and serenity.
Cultural Heritage: Traditional elements, such as gold leaf and calligraphy, pay homage to historic art forms.
Modern Appeal: Innovative techniques ensure relevance and elegance.
Anisa’s greeting card designs go beyond aesthetics; they tell stories, celebrate heritage, and bring timeless artistry into everyday life. Each piece is a testament to her dedication to beauty, balance, and emotional resonance.
The Role of Gold in Tezhip
I used traditional ancient Tezhip to create the art. Tezhip, derived from the word "zeheb" meaning "gold," is the art of illumination that prominently features gold to enhance the beauty and significance of manuscripts and artworks.
The use of gold serves multiple purposes:
Symbolic Significance ➝ Gold symbolizes wealth, power, enlightenment, and divinity, adding profound meaning to the illuminated pieces.
Visual Impact ➝ The radiant and reflective properties of gold enhance the visual appeal of manuscripts, creating a luminous effect that captivates viewers.
Durability ➝ Gold's resistance to corrosion and fading ensures that the gilded elements of the artwork remain preserved over time, maintaining their original luster.
Contrast ➝ When applied alongside other colors and materials, gold provides a sharp contrast, emphasizing and highlighting key elements within the design.
Artistic Versatility ➝ Gold can be applied in various forms, such as gold leaf or paint, allowing artists to experiment with different techniques to achieve desired visual effects.
The Gold Application Process in Tezhip
➝ Preparation: Gold leaf is mixed with a binding agent like Arabic gum and water to create a putty-like substance.
➝ Application: This mixture is finely ground to a paint-like consistency and applied to the designated areas of the design.
➝ Burnishing: Once applied, the gold is polished using a burnisher, often made of polished agate, to achieve a brilliant shine.
➝ Application: This mixture is finely ground to a paint-like consistency and applied to the designated areas of the design.
➝ Burnishing: Once applied, the gold is polished using a burnisher, often made of polished agate, to achieve a brilliant shine.
Anisa's Approach to Gold in Tezhip
In her work, She blends traditional Tezhip techniques with modern design elements. For example, in Magnificent Fresco, She integrated Tezhip with classic motifs. This piece features intricate floral designs and genuine gold leaf, paying homage to the opulent illuminated manuscripts of the past while ensuring harmony with contemporary aesthetics.
DIGITAL DRAFT PROCESS
Anisa Ozalp seamlessly integrates tradition with technology, employing digital tools to enhance precision and creativity. Her designs are luxurious yet sustainable, catering to diverse tastes while minimizing environmental impact.
Digital Process
Tezhip Process
PAPER SKETCH PROCESS
TRADITIONAL SKETCH PROCESS
TEZHIP ILLUMINATION PIECE and GREETING CARD application
The Gallery Collection Greeting Card Scholarship Contest
Win a $10,000 Scholarship for Your Original Artwork!
About the Contest
The Gallery Collection, the leading publisher of premium-quality cards in the U.S. since 1929, hosts an annual contest offering a $10,000 scholarship to students for the best original artwork. The winning design will be turned into an official greeting card by The Gallery Collection.
Contest Process
Contest begins – Submissions are accepted ➝ Monthly Voting Starts – 100 entries are posted for public voting ➝ Monthly Voting Concludes – The top 10 entries move to the Finalist Round. The judging team may "Save" one additional design per month ➝ Finalist Voting Round – The top 10 entries from each monthly session + saved entries compete➝ Top 10 Finalists Selected – The five most-voted designs + five chosen by judges ➝ Winner Announced – The judging panel selects the final winner.
How to Enter
Submit an original artwork that could be featured on the front of a greeting card.
Upload your artwork or photograph in JPEG (.jpg) format (max file size: 15MB).
Application Link: Submit Here
The winning entry will be announced on May 15, 2025, via email and posted at: https://www.gallerycollection.com/greeting-cards-winners-and-finalists.htm.
Types of Art Accepted: Original artwork (hand-drawn, painted, etc.), Photography, Computer graphics
Prohibited Designs: AI-generated or synthetic media artwork, Internet images, rubber stamps, or quotes, Three-dimensional elements (wire, sequins, fabric, etc.)
Themes to Consider: Christmas (biggest seller), Birthday & Anniversary (businesses use these to thank employees), Sympathy & Get Well (corporate-friendly themes)
Card Size: Most designs are 5 1/2" x 7 7/8" (vertical or horizontal).
The exact size is not required for submission.
The wording is optional but can be incorporated.
The Gallery Collection is only interested in front-cover artwork, not inside text.
The design must match The Gallery Collection’s style (browse here).
Entries will be scored on: Overall aesthetic appeal, Quality of execution
Creativity and originality, Successful incorporation of design elements, Appropriateness as a greeting card, and attractiveness to corporate & consumer customers. A panel of greeting card design experts from The Gallery Collection will select the winner.
Scholarship Prize & Payment: $10,000 cash scholarship
If enrolled in school, payment will go toward tuition, fees, books, and supplies.
Any remaining funds will be given directly to the winner.
If the winner is a minor, the scholarship is awarded to a parent/guardian or the educational institution.
Tax Responsibilities: Winners are responsible for applicable taxes. Prudent Publishing will issue a 1099 form.
Who Can Enter: High school, college, and university students in an academic program leading to a diploma or degree. Home-schooled students enrolled in accredited programs.
Legal residents of: All 50 U.S. states & D.C. U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico).International students with a U.S. student visa.
Minimum Age: 14 years old at the time of entry.
Publication & Artist Credit: If a design is published, credit is given in the catalog and website but not on the card itself.
A standard Gallery Collection© credit line appears on all published cards.
Non-winning designs may still be published with the artist’s permission and will be compensated accordingly.
Ownership & Return Policy: All submitted artwork becomes the property of The Gallery Collection. Entries will not be returned.
FRAMED VERSION
DIFFERENT VARIATIONS
