xαρis (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} cyberskiver) wrote,@ 2007-05-21 12:20:00 |
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Generic Sending Card
Tired of buying fancy greeting cards with messages that don't quite fit the occasion? (Or worse, sappy poems that try so hard to rhyme?)
This is how it started. We thought it would be a great idea to make a card that could be sent to anyone, for any occasion. It said:
Dear Person,
Happy ___________
Such a card could be used for birthdays, holidays (both national and religious), anniversaries, and so on.
Immediately, we encountered problems. This card is not as generic as it could be. It does not cover thank-you notes, get-well-soon cards, sympathy cards, thinking-of-you cards, and all those other cards created just so that you can buy them and send them to people, thus supporting the government by spending money on postage stamps.
So we changed the card to read:
Dear Person,
Appropriate greetings.
Yet more problems ensued. What do you do, for example, if you plan to send the card to something that is not a person, like a pet or favorite tree?
We amended it again:
Dear Recipient,
Appropriate greetings.
But what if you intend to send the card to someone who is not dear to you, such as an arch-enemy?
That one's easily solved.
O Recipient,
Appropriate greetings.
This way, if you are sending your enemy a gloat-over-your-misfortune card, the enemy will be able to fill in whichever greetings are appropriate for his or her situation, such as 'hahaha, you idiot!'.
But not all cards contain greetings. Some contain the aforementioned cute poems. Others seek to amuse the recipient with some kind of weird joke. Also, just saying 'appropriate greetings' can be construed as terse and unfriendly, and you won't just be sending this card to people you hate.
So:
O Recipient,
Appropriate sentiments to you on this occasion.
This is a perfect generic card.
BUT...
There's one last problem. Sending cards are traditionally adorned with some sort of picture on the cover. Even the ones that don't have messages on the inside have a picture. It's the picture that makes a sending card so special.
A generic picture...
In the end, that problem was easy to solve as well. An inkblot! Taking Rorschach's theory a step further, the recipient of the card should see in the inkblot whatever picture is suitable for their occasion, such as a menorah, birthday cake, sailboat, entire marching band, or Nativity scene. Or whatever.
There you are. This card should be easy to create and reproduce. You will never have to buy another sending card again!
Tired of buying fancy greeting cards with messages that don't quite fit the occasion? (Or worse, sappy poems that try so hard to rhyme?)
This is how it started. We thought it would be a great idea to make a card that could be sent to anyone, for any occasion. It said:
Dear Person,
Happy ___________
Such a card could be used for birthdays, holidays (both national and religious), anniversaries, and so on.
Immediately, we encountered problems. This card is not as generic as it could be. It does not cover thank-you notes, get-well-soon cards, sympathy cards, thinking-of-you cards, and all those other cards created just so that you can buy them and send them to people, thus supporting the government by spending money on postage stamps.
So we changed the card to read:
Dear Person,
Appropriate greetings.
Yet more problems ensued. What do you do, for example, if you plan to send the card to something that is not a person, like a pet or favorite tree?
We amended it again:
Dear Recipient,
Appropriate greetings.
But what if you intend to send the card to someone who is not dear to you, such as an arch-enemy?
That one's easily solved.
O Recipient,
Appropriate greetings.
This way, if you are sending your enemy a gloat-over-your-misfortune card, the enemy will be able to fill in whichever greetings are appropriate for his or her situation, such as 'hahaha, you idiot!'.
But not all cards contain greetings. Some contain the aforementioned cute poems. Others seek to amuse the recipient with some kind of weird joke. Also, just saying 'appropriate greetings' can be construed as terse and unfriendly, and you won't just be sending this card to people you hate.
So:
O Recipient,
Appropriate sentiments to you on this occasion.
This is a perfect generic card.
BUT...
There's one last problem. Sending cards are traditionally adorned with some sort of picture on the cover. Even the ones that don't have messages on the inside have a picture. It's the picture that makes a sending card so special.
A generic picture...
In the end, that problem was easy to solve as well. An inkblot! Taking Rorschach's theory a step further, the recipient of the card should see in the inkblot whatever picture is suitable for their occasion, such as a menorah, birthday cake, sailboat, entire marching band, or Nativity scene. Or whatever.
There you are. This card should be easy to create and reproduce. You will never have to buy another sending card again!
