Art Cards Ireland

Showcasing Ireland’s living artists, one card at a time

Marion Hancock identified a gap in the market for contemporary cards by Irish artists. She shares the realities of building a greeting card business, from convincing artists to take a chance to navigating the crucial Christmas season.

When Marion Hancock launched Art Cards Ireland from her kitchen table, she had a simple vision: to showcase the work of contemporary Irish artists through high-quality greeting cards. More than a decade later, her venture has become a beloved brand, bringing original Irish art into homes, shops and galleries across the country.

The genesis of Art Cards Ireland came during a period of transition. “In 2011 my husband was working and I was not, and I needed a project,” Marion explains. “I’d worked as an editor and writer, I liked paper products, and I’d always check out the stationery in shops.”

While taking art classes, Marion noticed a lack of modern-looking cards by Irish artists and had the lightbulb moment of launching a greeting card range herself. “Even though the barriers to entry were low, there’s a fair bit to learn, from types of paper stock and printing methods to dealing with retailers and how they like to buy,” she explains.

Building Momentum

The early days required courage and perseverance. “Initially I was taking the cards around to shops. I was nervous about it and wasn’t sure how it would go,” Marion recalls. A lucky break came when she left samples with a cashier at one shop, who passed them on to the chain’s owner. “Her sister was an artist, and I think she just liked the idea of promoting Irish art. That chain started ordering every month and became a mainstay of our business.”

Equally challenging was convincing artists to come on board. “It was a proud moment when the first few artists I approached agreed that we could publish their work,” says Marion. “Artists are paid a royalty on each card sold, but when we started we had no customers to speak of, so the artists had to have faith. They could see the value in what we were doing and were really supportive.” 

The business gradually expanded, adding more artists, designs and retail outlets. Marion fondly remembers receiving cheques from prestigious venues in those early days. “I think I pinned a cheque from Ballymaloe onto my noticeboard, to motivate myself!” she laughs.

Eclectic Images

The Art Card Ireland range is deliberately eclectic, encompassing abstracts, figures, landscapes, still-lifes, seascapes and images of craft work. Each card includes an artist biography on the back, and the cards are printed in Wicklow, maintaining local connections. Importantly, most of the artists in the card range are well established in their career. “I think you can tell that from the calibre of the work,” Marion says.

“The quality and Irish provenance of our art imagery are important selling points for us,” Marion adds. “I wanted to focus on living artists, and I had it in mind that we would look for images that were a bit non-traditional.”

This year, Art Cards Ireland handed over trade sales to Cardboutique.ie, a Wicklow-based distributor handling numerous greeting card brands. Meanwhile, Marion maintains the company website and promotes the business through Instagram and Facebook. The cards are sold online at Papermintstore.com and in physical locations throughout Ireland, including bookshops, gift shops, galleries, museums and garden centres.

As a greeting card business, Art Cards Ireland’s relationship with An Post is fundamental. “An Post is obviously essential to our business,” Marion states, adding that the business has evolved its packaging approach over time. Cards used to be packed individually in cellophane but now they are dispatched with envelopes and nothing else.

Irish Provenance

Unlike many card publishers who create specific ranges for different occasions, Art Cards Ireland takes a more versatile approach. “Our cards are blank inside and can be sent at any time. They are all-purpose, although there is some seasonality in the range, for example winter scenes,” says Marion. “Some people frame our cards, and lots of people send them to friends and family abroad. Occasionally charities and businesses have used our cards as a warm way to communicate.”

The Irish provenance resonates particularly strongly. “The Irishness of our brand is a nice thing,” Marion observes, adding that in an increasingly digital world “a card is a thoughtful touch, perhaps more so now that so much of life is online”.

The festive season is important for the business. “By offering some beautiful winter-themed cards I hope we can add something of quality into the Christmas mix,” Marion says. “I’ve sometimes received e-cards at Christmas but I think people have tired of them and their novelty has worn off. A handwritten paper card is a much more cheering thing to receive.”

Art Cards Ireland cards are available online at www.peppermintstore.com and in selected retailers.