GCU Forum - Need Categories for New Graphics

Websprinter_148078

Senior Member
artist

Posts: 374

Need Categories for New Graphics
Jan 2^nd, 2011, 1:41am

Dear GCU peeps,
I've loaded my graphics, ready to make cards. Please tell me the best categories for these, and where I may find them. (Yes! I am a newbie.)

The graphics are:
1. Modern, abstract, splatter computer art paintings. Some done with canvas texture. (not Psychedelic)
2. Generic cards (with customary blue stripes)
3. "My Bad", graffiti (bell bottom font)
4. "Mom Likes Me Best!" (in Rainbow colors font)

Thanks bunches! Cool

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Websprinter Cards:
http://artist.greetingcarduniverse.com/websprintercards

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Rita_140577

Full Member
artist

Posts: 149

Re: Need Categories for New Graphics
Reply #1 - Jan 2^nd, 2011, 5:50am

Nancy, I find categorizing one of the hardest things to do (seconded only by creating an inside verse) here. One tip that I picked up was to do a search for similar cards and see what categories they are in. It can be a little time consuming in the beginning, but it really helped me. I still agonize over categories sometimes because I make the card first and then try to fit it into a category...but I've also started to pick a category and then make the card for it, which can be just as challenging.

Without an inside verse it sounds like all your graphics would go into the Blank Card category. Why not try adding a verse to them or some wording on the outside (to the first two) to make them a perfect fit somewhere.

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Rita Ballantyne Photographic Arts:
http://artist.greetingcarduniverse.com/ritaballantynephotographicarts

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Doreen_137017

Gold Member
artist

Posts: 5273

Re: Need Categories for New Graphics
Reply #2 - Jan 2^nd, 2011, 7:44am

Welcome to GCU Nancy,

Please go through this Tutorial and GCU University before uploading your cards into categories. Then if you still have questions after the video and reviewing the category options, we'll be here to try and help. Keep in mind we can't see your cards, so you'll have to learn to do this through trial and error

Categorization Video - GCU University:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S2I3k-h8Fw

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Salon of Art:
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/SalonOfArt

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Websprinter_148078 Senior Member artist Posts: 374	Re: Need Categories for New Graphics Reply #3 - Jan 2^nd, 2011, 1:47pm Thanks for answering my querie Doreen and Rita! Rita, Thanks for the intel! I'm sure that will help with most of them. Doreen, I'll watch the GCU vid right away! Thanks,
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Websprinter_148078

Senior Member
artist

Posts: 374

Re: Need Categories for New Graphics
Reply #4 - Jan 2^nd, 2011, 10:41pm

Dear Doreen,

I watched Tom's video but it only explains birthday cards and that mostly if you pick a birthday category, you can't pick another. The only other thing I learned from it is there are special categories for gay and foreign languages which may come in later but that still doesn't show me where to put all my splatter paintings and graffiti. Huh

So its true that the GCU is inscription driven. The graphics are just icing on the cake, but not the cake. In this case the pics/photos/art have no pull on the category where it must fit. Shocked

Tell me otherwise if its not true.

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Websprinter Cards:
http://artist.greetingcarduniverse.com/websprintercards

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Rebecca_140932

Gold Member
artist

Posts: 624

Re: Need Categories for New Graphics
Reply #5 - Jan 2^nd, 2011, 11:12pm

Quote from Nancy_148078 on Jan 2^nd, 2011, 10:41pm:

Dear Doreen,

I watched Tom's video but it only explains birthday cards and that mostly if you pick a birthday category, you can't pick another. The only other thing I learned from it is there are special categories for gay and foreign languages which may come in later but that still doesn't show me where to put all my splatter paintings and graffiti. Huh

So its true that the GCU is inscription driven. The graphics are just icing on the cake, but not the cake. In this case the pics/photos/art have no pull on the category where it must fit. Shocked

Tell me otherwise if its not true.

Here is the link to where you can find all the categories available to you. http://artist.greetingcarduniverse.com/community/default.asp?cid=11

The best thing you can do is browse and try to figure out where your card fits best.

If your card is blank inside it will indeed go in the blank category.

It is not necessary to write text on the inside of your cards. If customers want text, they can add it themselves. I have lots of cards in my store that do not have text and are listed in the blank category.

If you need more help with this, the only way we can help you is if we can see your image for your cards. You can email them to the artist you wish to ask, that is one way, or you can post links to them here. I don't think you can directly post your pictures for viewing. I have never seen anyone do it unless it had an html code.

If you wish to email them to an artist for an opinion you can find their email link at the bottom of each of these posts. Good luck and I hope I have helped. Wink

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Grant Greetings:
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/GrantGreetings

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Websprinter_148078

Senior Member
artist

Posts: 374

Re: Need Categories for New Graphics
Reply #6 - Jan 3^rd, 2011, 4:16am

Thank you Rebecca

My mind is still digesting all of this.

I searched the splatter paintings before, they look nothing like mine but ... I'm *glad I went back!* because I found a category called: Invitations » Art Show / Gallery / Exhibition Invitations that may fit if I make invitations out of some.

Searching "Collections" I found Art & Architecture that had no inscriptions.

Fine Art, didn't have any modern stuff in that I saw. Neither did Digital Art. I've never thought of splatter paintings as Psychedelic Art, but I saw two there.

I've decided to put one in blank in Collections, one in Invitations and another in, maybe, Psychedelic Art.

Since the categories always go blank when making a new card, I can easily follow Tom's suggestion and put each card in a different category. Now I have to think of some snappy sayings that go with drizzle. Grin

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Websprinter Cards:
http://artist.greetingcarduniverse.com/websprintercards

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Websprinter_148078 Senior Member artist Posts: 374	Re: Need Categories for New Graphics Reply #7 - Jan 3^rd, 2011, 4:34am I just read what I wrote. Of course I'll put one up in splatter paintings!! I must be tired
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Doreen_137017

Gold Member
artist

Posts: 5273

Re: Need Categories for New Graphics
Reply #8 - Jan 3^rd, 2011, 8:17am

Quote from Nancy_148078 on Jan 2^nd, 2011, 10:41pm:

Dear Doreen,

I watched Tom's video but it only explains birthday cards and that mostly if you pick a birthday category, you can't pick another. The only other thing I learned from it is there are special categories for gay and foreign languages which may come in later but that still doesn't show me where to put all my splatter paintings and graffiti. Huh

So its true that the GCU is inscription driven. The graphics are just icing on the cake, but not the cake. In this case the pics/photos/art have no pull on the category where it must fit. Shocked

Tell me otherwise if its not true.

Hi Nancy,

Yes...much to learn and visiting categories to see if adding certain text will make your design a good fit for a category is certainly an option. This process will be trial and error for you...as it was for all of us. One of the biggest GCU sellers (12,000 cards last year Grin

) put together a Squidoo lens that is also quite helpful and this quote from Corrie is what turned the light bulb on for me when I started...

"you can ONLY categorize a card by what it IS, not what it COULD BE. In other words, a picture of a rose with the inner verse "I love you" is not suitable for the Valentine's Day category. Why? Because nowhere on the card does it say "Happy Valentine's Day." Remember what I said? What the card IS, not what it COULD BE."

Her link for GCU 101 is here:
http://www.squidoo.com/gcu101

The key to successfully getting into a category is that the card, via TEXT on the front and/or inside MUST fit the category. So blank cards can only go in Collections unless the art happens to be category specific.

One more bit of advice, though it is helpful to browse cards in the category you might be considering, don't rely completely on what you see. You may very well see cards in a specific category that would not be allowed there today. As GCU grows, their guidelines have changed, which affect newly created cards. When you visit a category you are considering, choose NEWEST sort and you will see cards that have been accepted into the category more recently than if you view with POPULAR sort. I made this mistake early on and had my little tantrums...which got me no where Grin

We are here to help, but again we can't see your cards so our advice will not be any guarantee that we have guided you correctly.

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Salon of Art:
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/SalonOfArt

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