I’ll never forget how exciting it was to get a call from a trade editor soon after sending out a press release announcing the launch of our flagship PASSAGES line. (This was back in ‘93, when greeting cards were so much worse than they are today.) “So, how would you describe PASSAGES?” the editor asked, “They’re relevant and intelligent,” I said, then heard her giggle. “What a concept! and went on to explain how rare she believed smart and true cards were in our $7 billion industry!”

She was right. In those days cards were either schmaltzy or sappy. And I was determined to raise the bar on what people could expect from our industry. What a great challenge! From a former PR client ~ the brilliant branding guru Bill O’Connor of Source/Inc ~ I’d learned that to create new products and packaging, “look at all the products on the shelves and try to see what’s Not there.” I knew from personal experience what was sorely missing in the card marketplace: Depth and authenticity. Messages that honor emotions. So, at Cardthartic, we aimed to keep it real.

Beginning with those first sincere condolences from friends following the death of my father, our designs have always begun as some sort of interaction between my friends, family and me. In fact, here on the website you can read how many of our designs came to be by clicking on “Enlarge and See Inside” beneath the card thumbnails on the shopping pages. And, look on many of our card backs and you’ll find telling dedications.

Looking back to 1993, I can’t believe how naive I was at our start, thinking, “How hard can making better cards be?” Now I know the answer is: “Very!” In the beginning, I think I saw only how goofy and pointless cards in the ‘90s were. No way did I fully realize that creating them entails putting total strangers’ innermost emotions into words. Oh, and figuring out how to say Happy Birthday 1001 different ways. I'm here to tell you, neither is easy.