Why print so many invitation cards that people will throw away? People may only read invitations once, but printed cards with memorable designs will stick in their minds. They might even keep the cards and get curious about the designer. 

Don’t stick with standard designs for your invitation cards! Here are seven simple ideas you can execute easily and make your cards stand out.

• Chalkboard-style Design

Love seeing all those chalkboard arts at coffee shops and bistros? You can bring that charm to invitation cards. Chalkboard-style designs will grab attention, thanks to the black background and slightly thick, bold-colored texts. This design also makes your invitation cards look more modern.

If you want to nail the design accuracy, use the chalk or brush effects on the fonts. You can stick with white chalk color, but make sure to use different font styles and sizes, so people don’t get confused when reading the information.

• Rich Embossed Design

The embossed design is often treated as a small element of an invitation card. You have probably seen it on the corners of the cards or around the names, for example. However, adding an embossed design as the main feature will give your invitation cards subtle elegance. You can fill almost the entire surface with embossed patterns and leave enough space for the texts.

To match the subtle elegance brought by the embossed design, you can add simple elements. Metallic foil texts or small ribbons, for example, are great small touches for embossed invitation cards.

• Watercolor Background

Want to make your cards look beautiful and chic? Use bright colors as watercolor background. You can leave a lot of white space to make the watercolor effect looks more prominent. Choosing colors like red, purple, pink, orange, blue, and yellow can make your cards more eye-catching.

Pair the watercolor background with modern script fonts or any elegant fonts that have bold strokes. Make sure they have enough contrast to ensure readability. Otherwise, you can get creative with the color palette, especially if you want to use the favorite colors of the people involved with the event.

• Whimsical Illustrations

People tend to have “soft spots” when it comes to whimsical illustrations. Whether they are animals, creatures, or sceneries, whimsical images convey positive adjectives like adorable, colorful, cute, and many more. You can make your designs more memorable by using whimsical arts as the main features.

If your design style leans to whimsical, you can use it as the basis for your invitation cards. Create a mockup sample and show it on your website or social media, so future clients know what to expect when they order your cards.

• Custom People Illustrations

If you design invitations for personal events, like birthdays or weddings, you can use custom illustrations of the people being celebrated. Designers with specific illustration styles can draw people with their styles for invitation cards. These custom illustrations add unique and personal charm to the invitations and can be parts of collections.

The illustration style can be anything, from realistic to cute, whimsical, and flat with a simple 2D look. They can depict the people in standard poses or as full figures doing their favorite activities. These artworks will add a unique touch to any invitation cards.

• Retro Travel Poster Design

Turn regular invitation cards into collectible items by drawing them in retro travel poster designs. These illustrations are colorful and vibrant—and can turn even the most mundane sceneries into unique artworks. You can design the invitation using places that are meaningful for the people involved.

You can make the cards look like a colorful poster, a postcard, or monochromatic artwork. Use fonts that can blend seamlessly into the artwork.

• Invitations with Doodle Arts

Doodle arts can be cute, whimsical, humorous, or elegant, depending on the design. The rich, highly-detailed art adds a modern touch to any invitation card. You can use a black and white theme because the doodle art itself already contributes to the unique look.

There are many ways you can use doodle arts for invitations. You can place them on the corners, above/below the texts, or turn them into the background. Make sure the texts are readable if you use doodle arts as background.

An invitation needs to be interesting as well as informative. Use these ideas to create memorable invitation cards that people would want to keep.