These Father’s Day cards feel like a family camping trip. (Is that weird to say?) The woodsy icons and retro color palette in Artist Rie E.-Z.’s mid-century modern Father’s Day Gold Crown Studio Collection kinda make you want to pack up a teardrop trailer and head for a national park. We headed to Hallmark’s coffee shop chat about her inspiration for these eight new designs that are fresh and familiar at the same time.
Our studio participated in a collection-building project, and I was asked to do a 1950s design look. I collect mid-century stuff—I used to sell vintage clothes, and my husband sold vintage furniture. We used to go junking every weekend. Now we make furniture and large-scale sculptures. [Ed. note: Check out their amazing studio and creations.]
I do research quite a bit on Instagram and Pinterest. I don’t really look at greeting cards—more like art and sculpture, architecture, textile design. There are some patterns in my Father’s Day collection—that’s kind of my field. I came here from the fashion industry in New York; I used to design fabric. I started at Hallmark in gift wrap, which makes sense, because I was in textiles. Riga S., who designed the collection, came up with the color palette that helps hold it all together.
The feathers, fish, and leaves, I created for the project. I was trying to do something that isn’t feminine—more simple and geometric, clean, but not cold. Then I designed to the copy to finish the collection: I hand-lettered “Happy Father’s Day” and “Love You,” and the Writer and Art Director suggested images for the rest.
Usually, most of us [illustrators and lettering artists] work in layers on the computer, so things can be manipulated. But if you did a clean look on a computer, it might look cold. I hand painted everything—I wanted that hand-painted look from the background up. It’s more crafted. I like ink on rice paper—that’s my favorite. It kind of bleeds. You can’t control it, but that’s part of the fun.
You’ll find these mid-century modern Father’s Day cards in Rie’s exclusive Gold Crown Studio Collection at Hallmark Gold Crown stores and online.
Art Directors: Kit Spratlin and Ann McGillicuddy | Editorial Directors: Mandy Jordan and Abby Bender | Designer: Riga Sutherlund