Questions

Where did you get this idea?

I found the idea behind the postcard in a book called 'The Guerilla Art Kit' by Keri Smith. A couple of years ago, I made about ten of these and spread them around. Obviously, I never saw them again. After some time thinking about it, I decided it might be fun to send the cards out in much larger numbers, and to provide a web address for people to find out more information.

Why are you doing this?

Really, the patter on the front page might sound pretentious, but it's on the mark. If you prefer, I could say that the world is too boring, and this is unusual.

Did you make the cards yourself?

It would have been possible for me to print 1000 of these cards by myself, but cutting them would have been a pain, and I didn't have any nice card stock. It was much easier for me to pay a professional printing company to do the legwork for me. The company I used was 'Cambridge Print Solutions'.

What about the pictures? did you make those?

All of the cards that I distribute, I draw or write something on first. These images are just hand-drawn onto each card before I distribute them.

I'm not sure what to do with my card.

There are some ideas here if the ideas on the card itself aren't enough.

Can I make my own cards?

Yes, please do. If you want to use my templates, they're available at the top of the site - or make your own, I don't mind.

Do you sell cards?

I'd encourage you to make your own cards, and let me know. If you want to buy blank cards off me instead, I will sell you a stack of 10 cards for £1. (I won't draw anything on your blank cards.) Yes this is at a profit, but it's a nice round number. I'm not expecting to make any money out of this, and I needed to print 1000 of them to get them so cheap.

What cardstock did you use?

The cardstock is 300gsm, A6 white card. (It was one of the options at the printing company.) If you're making your own, make sure to use matt cardstock, otherwise you won't be able to draw on it.

How much did all the printing cost?

I paid about £42 for 1000 cards. For me this seems like a bargain, I don't think I could buy cardstock of this quality at 4.2p per A6 sheet, and all the printing and cutting has been done perfectly for me in the process.

Isn't this just a subtle advertising campaign?

If you mean this in the manner that everything we do serves to advertise ourselves as individuals in some way, then yes I guess so. I don't doubt that as a result of this, my webspace will gain a small number of visitors that it wouldn't have otherwise. Other than my portfolio page, which offers commissions at a price that's far below minimum wage, nothing on my website has any commercial intention. In other words, as advertising goes, this has got to be the most effort-intensive, least cost effective method of advertising I've seen.

Isn't this littering?

Not really. While the cards may not be solicited, I'm not just strewing them all over the place. These cards are being given to friends placed in public leaflet displays, or hidden in places where they won't be unsightly or irritate anyone. Sure, I can't stop you taking a card and dropping it in the street, but I like to believe that people are more responsible and thoughtful than that.

---

Back to: 1000 Postcards | Socks and Puppets