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Here’s a challenge for card designers.

(58 Posts)
Cabbie21 Wed 01-Jun-22 12:23:28

Looking for a birthday card today, I struggled to find a gender neutral one for my granddaughter who now identifies as non - binary, if I’ve got it right.
Moving away from any specific designation, even then I struggled. Nothing floral would suit, and though they are very sporty, they don't enjoy cricket or football. I looked for a horse but couldn't find one. I have exhausted my local shops.
I also struggle for other relatives who don’t fit the usual stereotypes.
Come on, card designers!

Germanshepherdsmum Wed 01-Jun-22 18:18:48

If you address a person directly you say YOU regardless of gender/lack of!!! It's only 'them' if speaking ABOUT them. Who would say Happy Birthday Them to someone?! How are 'them' instead of 'you'|? I don't think so.

HowVeryDareYou Wed 01-Jun-22 17:14:21

Have a look at online card places such as Moonpig, Card Factory, Thortful or Funky Pigeon.

StarDreamer Wed 01-Jun-22 17:12:17

Use of 'they' for one person has been in use for quite a while quite separately from gender issues when whether the one person is male or female is not known.

It seems to me that there wasn't a gender neutral word for one human in the various noun cases so they and them got overloaded with an extra meaning.

So start with a noun such as "the doctor"

Ask the doctor and see what (don't know if the doctor is he or she, ah, um) they say (got through that!)"

silverlining48 Wed 01-Jun-22 17:04:57

You could make one yourself. Plain card and envelopes available in craft and even poundland shops, then its up to you. Hope your gc has a lovely birthday.

saltnshake Wed 01-Jun-22 17:01:20

I always have a supply of Whistlefish cards ready to use. Lovely cards, great variety. I order about once a year and order my Christmas cards at same time.

Germanshepherdsmum Wed 01-Jun-22 16:52:09

If you were talking about them, yes. But if you were addressing them direct, saying Happy Birthday, it would be ‘you’.

Kate1949 Wed 01-Jun-22 16:48:49

I think that's what they do now GSM. They or them for non binary people. (I think. Someone put me right if I've got this wrong!).

Germanshepherdsmum Wed 01-Jun-22 16:28:08

Why would you address one person as ‘them’?

MrsKen33 Wed 01-Jun-22 16:08:03

And what about the wording. ‘Happy Birthday to them’?
Best go to Moonpig and do it yourself

Kate1949 Wed 01-Jun-22 15:49:20

Etsy have several non-binary cards.

shysal Wed 01-Jun-22 15:40:41

If you can think of subject matter which would be suitable, just do an Ebay search and you will be spoilt for choice.

StarDreamer Wed 01-Jun-22 13:28:52

NotSpaghetti

There are 1,000s of great "arty" cards.
...but I don't buy cards with words.
Try a big garden centre if you don't have a decent card shop. Or look at some artisan ones via a local museum/art gallery.

Yes, a nice art card without words is good as they can be framed using a frame from the supermarket and thus provide a lasting art object that is conserved.

There are classical works of art ones and also new ones such as those published by Art Angels and Green Pebble.

www.art-angels.co.uk

www.greenpebble.co.uk/

StarDreamer Wed 01-Jun-22 13:21:54

Please note, this is not spam, my only connection with them is as a customer. It is just favourable customer comment in this chat thread.

Papier does cards, mailing them either to the recipient direct, or to the customer together with an envelope.

www.papier.com/

Basically four types.

Preset picture, or preset picture with preset fixed wording, you add a custom greeting inside, or leave blank.

Preset picture with lettering, you can change the words, colour and font, and add a custom greeting inside, or leave blank.

Preset template to which you add an image or images that you upload (how many being dependent upon the template) add a custom greeting inside, or leave blank.

Produce a card entirely using an image of your own and wording of your own with none of their preset content (except for an imprint on the back of the card)

They name the ones where you supply an image or images as photo cards, but as one is not actually uploading a photograph but a jpg file containing the image of a photograph, it is possible to use a jpg image file that is not a photograph that one has generated on a computer.

I have used both the second one in the list above and the fourth one.

I have used the facility both to send Christmas cards direct, Birthday cards direct, and to send custom cards of my own computer artwork to myself and framed them using frames from Tesco delivered with the grocery.

Papier has an online chat facility to advise.

I have found the quality of the printing to be excellent.

What I particularly like about Papier is that the cards are matt finish and on quite thick quality card. They are sent from Guernsey.

Some of the cards are seven inches by five inches, portrait or landscape orientation, some are square.

For what are termed the photo cards, the pictures shown are just illustrations to show an example, you don't get that picture.

Some of the other websites do a glossy finish.

Some have options for large cards.

It is a matter of what you prefer.

annodomini Wed 01-Jun-22 13:20:39

Why do designers of cards for grandsons always assume that they are football players or even into cricket? None of my DGSs fits that image. They all like animals of some kind - horses, dogs, cats, so I focus on such things which are probably gender-neutral too.

Elizabeth27 Wed 01-Jun-22 13:18:06

Thortful.com, choose one or design your own.

Greenfinch Wed 01-Jun-22 13:09:00

That too Zoejory! I wasn’t going to mention it.?

NotSpaghetti Wed 01-Jun-22 13:03:58

There are 1,000s of great "arty" cards.
...but I don't buy cards with words.
Try a big garden centre if you don't have a decent card shop. Or look at some artisan ones via a local museum/art gallery.

Germanshepherdsmum Wed 01-Jun-22 13:01:06

I always find something suitable on Amazon and as Meryl says you can get many of them delivered next day. Saved my bacon a few times. Ditto Moonpig.

Zoejory Wed 01-Jun-22 13:01:05

* They did not pay much attention to the picture on the card but were more concerned about the personal messages inside.*

Charming! Mine were always concerned with the money inside!

ginny Wed 01-Jun-22 12:57:33

Non binary, surely any picture is fine as you would not be stereotyping.
Any way I think flowers, landscapes, seascapes , animals are fine for anyone .

Greenfinch Wed 01-Jun-22 12:52:34

I would not worry too much for youngsters. My twin grandchildren were 15 yesterday ( boy and girl). They did not pay much attention to the picture on the card but were more concerned about the personal messages inside.
As far as I am concerned I hate ones with a silly verse inside and usually go for ones produced by a charity. They generally cost about 99p which I consider is enough for something soon to be recycled and have pleasant pictures on the front.

Cabbie21 Wed 01-Jun-22 12:49:16

Thanks for the ideas. I’ve got a couple of weeks to look.

BlueSky Wed 01-Jun-22 12:48:42

Well a lot of Christmas cards will have to be re designed, ‘To our daughter and daughter in law’ ‘To our grandson and his husband’ for instance, etc.

Zoejory Wed 01-Jun-22 12:48:25

I used to find it harder to buy boys cards for mine who were not sporty!

I had that problem. Things are so much better today.

You can get cards for every occasion for anyone, anywhere. I even got 2 sympathy cards when one of my dogs died!

Especially for you at the loss of your dog type thing. Had me in floods of tears .

glammanana Wed 01-Jun-22 12:48:16

What about a plain "Happy Birthday" they are very easy to find in most cards shops.Best of luck.