The secret to a great greeting card is simple: It needs to create an emotional connection, have a unique design, and provide that all-important feeling of personal touch.
According to Patrick Laurent, that formula is true whether you’re shopping for a card to give to someone special or designing one for the world to see. He should know. Along with his wife, Maya, he runs the popular Laurent Collective design group and has created hundreds of different greeting cards over a nearly two-decade career — including many cards you can find on 1-800-Flowers.com.
Shared vision
Though they are currently based in London, the Laurents are originally from the United States. Patrick grew up on the East Coast and lived in Pennsylvania for much of his youth, while Maya calls Indiana home.
Both showed an interest in the arts early on, Patrick in graphic design, Maya in photography and literature. They both attended Ball State University to pursue their passions, and once they met on campus, they soon developed another — each other.
After graduation, the two got married and began putting their plans for an art-driven future into motion. Maya started a photography business, and Patrick went to work for a local ad agency.
But while their careers thrived, the long hours began to take their toll.
“I was tired of late nights in the office and had begun thinking about making a change,” Patrick says. Then, when Maya became pregnant with their first child, they decided the time was right to try something new. He gave his notice, and the two brought their work together to start their own design company — and they haven’t looked back since.
A leap of faith
When they launched their business, the Laurent Collective, Maya and Patrick decided to focus on their strengths. He did the custom, hand-drawn illustrations and she served as business manager, marketer, and “idea” person.
“I always loved typography,” Patrick says. “When we were starting out, I was spending a lot of time hand-painting song lyrics onto old vinyl records. That was the initial focus of the business.
“But then, at a certain point, we realized that hand-painting things was not sustainable. We wanted to find a way to grow into something bigger. So, we started doing more stuff electronically, and began creating our own prints and posting them on social media to build a following.”
The plan worked. Before long, companies began taking note of the pair’s work and even started reaching out to ask about potential licensing and partnerships.
“A lot of those initial designs ended up in greeting cards,” Maya adds. “So, from there, we started creating work specifically for cards, and things just continued to grow.”
Today, Laurent Collective designs are available as posters, mugs, printed clothing, and — of course — a wide variety of cards to celebrate every possible holiday and special moment.
The magic of collaboration
Every greeting card starts with an idea. For the Laurents, Maya is the keeper of those creative sparks. She maintains a massive spreadsheet of ideas for all the work the pair create.
“I’m always adding to it, too,” she says with a laugh. “I send myself a lot of emails when we’re out and about, phrases I think of or things that come up at dinner that give me an idea. Anything that might lead to a new card or design.”
From there, Patrick gets to work, selecting his favorite ideas and sketching out several variations of each. Then, they sit down together and decide which ones they want to take further.
Being in London is a huge help in that process, the couple says. They moved to the U.K. capital eight years ago following some work with a charity organization, and they say that the city’s diverse vibrancy — from colors to textures and even its graffiti — is always a source of inspiration.
So, too, are their three children, Zane, 17, Jude, 13, and Veda, 10.
“They’re all super creative,” Maya says. “They’re always playing and exploring different things. They help keep us up on trends and will always tell us if something looks cool — or doesn’t.”
Giving back
For the Laurents, creating a single card can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Sometimes, they’ll print out a “test” card to give to a friend to get their opinion. But other times, they say, they just know when a card is done and ready to send to production.
“At this point, we know what we want our cards to bring,” he says. “They’re all about connection. To get something in the mail — something somebody has created a handwritten note inside of with artwork they liked or felt connected with — that’s special. And being able to help create that connection, and design that for them, is just so encouraging and cool.”
“I always think of our cards as a form of encouragement,” Maya adds. “Maybe a card makes someone laugh. Maybe it makes them smile. Even with a sympathy card, ultimately cards are meaningful because they help the person who is getting them know that someone was thinking about them. For us, being part of that process…it’s just a gift, and something we’re so happy to be doing.”
AUTHOR
Brian Good is a writer, editor, and project manager with more than 20 years experience in publishing. He's written for some of the country’s biggest magazine brands including Men’s Journal, Men’s Fitness, Shape, Men's Health, Muscle & Fitness, US Weekly, AARP: The Magazine, and websites including Mashed, Health Digest, DiversityInc and others. Good specializes on topics including lifestyle, travel, pop culture, health, food and nutrition, spirits, products, politics, and activism.
