In a digital age of apps, email and instant messaging, it's almost incredible that the 19th century tradition of sending Christmas cards to friends, family and colleagues remains in good health – with around a billion cards sold in 2018.
According to the Greetings Card Association (opens in new tab), the market is worth £1.7 million, and so with so many people getting involved, it's perhaps understandable that there's a temptation to let loose with designs, sometimes leading to unintentional hilarity.
Other times, intentionally bad designs can raise a smile from even the most jaded Ebenezer Scrooge. Here are our favourites of the bad, the ugly and the downright weird. And if you're feeling inspired to make your own creation, you could always take a look at our how to draw tutorials to help you on your way. And if you're shopping for Christmas presents, make sure you see our article on what NOT to get a graphic designer for Christmas.
01. Awkward smiles
To many of us there might seem something strange about sending a Christmas card with your own image on it, but it’s long been a tradition among public figures – the first ever commercially produced card designed by civil servant Sir Henry Cole in 1843 depicted his own family, and family Christmas cards are a tradition in the US.
The strangest thing about this 2014 card from former British prime minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie is that presumably this shot, in which Cherie seems to be holding her husband back from setting upon the photographer, was chosen as the best from the session. Comments on Twitter at the time ranged from calling it "Menacingly odd", to "terrifying".
02. All-out bling
The Kardashian-Jenner clan took family Christmas cards to a characteristically OTT extreme with this 2013 offering, which cost a reported US$ 250,000 to produce. The photo shot by David LaChappelle shows the women of the family in black dresses, Kim in a revealing gown and Kris wearing a Metropolis-esque head-piece, against a gaudy carnivalesque backdrop decked with neon lights, pop art, Olympic gold medals, mannequins and graffiti reading 'fame', with discarded Rolling Stone magazines on the floor showing Kanye West as Jesus for an extra festive touch. It’s horrendously (or wonderfully) garish and perfectly captures the out-of-control consumerism of the season.
03. Random animals
For #InternationalCatDay the worst Christmas card in our collection. Possibly the worst in anyone's collection pic.twitter.com/JrXWR6d9QaAugust 8, 2017
Animals feature highly in the great Christmas tradition of greetings cards, from robins in the snow to airborne reindeer and penguins relocated to the arctic. So why not cats? Manchester’s Chetham’s Library thinks this card is the worst in their Edwardian collection and the choice of picture seems to be as random as it is ugly, but, produced by Raphael Tuck & Sons in the early 1900s using artwork by French artist Maurice Boulanger, the randomness of the image and the message 'Splashing with loving Christmas wishes' gives it a certain charm.
04. Cringeworthy in-jokes
There’s nothing like turning to popular culture for some pop references and more puns and Christmas humour, like this delightful wish for the season from celebrity chef and TV presenter Paul Hollywood, a judge on The Great British Bake Off known for his appreciation of a moist fruit cake. It’s so squirm-inducing that it’s brilliant.
05. Unfortunate composition
As with any project, designers need to pay close attention to composition, scale, colour and the juxtaposition of all the elements in a design for a Christmas card. The snowman in this card sent out by a company to its customers seems to be just a little too excited about the imminent holiday season.
Read more:
- Hilarious viral tweet will change how you see the KFC logo forever
- This surprising playing card design secret can never be unseen
- Apple Boxing Day sale: The best post-Christmas sales on Apple devices in 2020
