How to Make an Awareness Postcard

How to express your voice

"Give me a voice" by Photographer Kay Korster

Awareness campaigns and even election campaigns require postcards that make people feel for the particular issue or position the campaign is talking about. People should react to the image in the postcard in a strong way, good or bad.

Because of this, postcards like this need to have a "scene". This usually involves an actual picture representing the issue, such as malnutrition in children. In addition, it can have a dramatization of the issue such as an awareness postcard for harassment. For lighter themed postcards, a funny comic strip can be used. The goal here is to illicit a reaction from the postcard reader. The best postcards in the business are remembered because of the feelings attached to them. Aim for this effect when you do your postcard design.

Postcards can be mysterious.
Lastly, one of the best postcards that have been released for marketing have an aura of mystery to them. These kinds of postcards "invite" people to the particular project without saying too much. People like mysteries because people like to solve them.

Therefore, a mysterious postcard with a date or time and a cryptic but interesting image or tag line can really work. People will read or buy them, and try to figure out for themselves what the postcard is all about. If you put a teaser on a postcard, then you can also add a website address to it. People will definitely visit that site. Therefore, postcards can be mysterious if used correctly. Doing so makes them wildly successful.

That should cover the main hallmarks of successful postcards. Be sure to consider this as you design your postcard for your postcard printing company. Always aim to illicit feelings. Impress the people with your image, make them react a certain way, and even interest them my offering a mystery. All this will lead you to make a successful postcard.


Article by Katie Marcus

"And the day came whe the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Anais Nin (1903-1977).

The first step in creating your postcard is to determine your message, subject matter, medium,and size.

Message and Subject matter

Some questions to ask yourself;

How does this make me feel? What emotion can I depict? ex: anger, sadness, hope etc.

Ideas for Designs

MS Awareness

Health and Medicine Postcards

Art to Enjoy

Medium
Watercolor, pen &ink, colored pencil, paint, photography,computer graphics,colored pencil, scrapbook techniques, collage, etc.

Sizes

4 x 6"
4.25 x 6
5 x 7"
5.5 x 8.5"
6 x 9"
6 x 11"


US Postal Service size restrictions
Postcards must be rectangular
the smallest mailable size is 3 1/2" x 5", the largest is 4 1/4" x 6" and no more than 0.016 inches thick

Your postcards are designed and printed, now who should receive them?


Friends

Family

Workplace Associates

Community Bulletin Boards; Libraries, Town Halls, Laundrymats, Retail Businesses, Hospitals

State and Local Rep.

Doctors and Dentist offices