GCU IMAGE GUIDELINES

GCU Image Guidelines

Currently artists are allowed to create as many cards as they desire as long as they abide by several basic rules.

Terms and Conditions on images - Important!
Submission Guidelines - This is CRITICAL to creating a Professional Grade greeting card. Download PDF.
Marketability - GCU cards need to be as professional looking as possible and be purposeful. Beginning in July 2011, GCU will be replying with a "No Thank You" to submitted cards that do not meet a basic criteria of marketability. Here are some things to consider:

Hand Drawn Images - Only very well done hand drawn images will be accepted.
Hand Drawn Text - This rarely looks good. Utilize no text or only computer generated text on your card images.
Clarity - Must be in exceptional focus, be smudge and dust free, and lack graphic artifacts/pixelization issues.
Lighting - Must have exceptionally good lighting. Avoid submitting images with obvious shadowing and blown-out highlights, or red-eyes..
Flash - Reflections from the camera flash must not be seen in photographs
Text added to Photos - There are artists who do this well and with a light hand. This must look professional.
Graphics added to Photos - This takes a special touch to make it look professional. Be careful here.
Dull/Boring - Card images need to draw the eye, invoke feelings, and attract interest in being purchased
Use of items such as a Teddy Bear - OK, but must be used creatively and be of studio quality. It must also not infringe on the copyright of the manufacturer. It is best not to use store-bought items in your photos.
Photo Tips by Artist Doreen Erhardt.
Photographing Pets by Artist Peggy Mundell and Photographing Animals by Doreen Erhardt
Photography Tips for the Beginner by Artist Sheryl Kasper
Photographing Flowers by Artist Doreen Erhardt
The Fundamentals of Focusing Techniques by Artist Doreen Erhardt
Marketability tips in the Community Blog

Cards must match the purpose of the category - If the category is specific then the card must be specific. If the category is general then the card can't be specific. Make sure something on the card clearly matches the purpose of the category. If it's a Grandson Birthday card it just can't just have an image of a child, it must be clearly have the word Grandson shown either on the front or in the verse. It must also clearly be a birthday card. Likewise, don't place specific cards like a Grandson Birthday card in non-birthday categories like those under Collections.
Maximum of 2 Categories Video available at GCU University
- Most cards can be placed in 2 categories. This is to increase the cards exposure to card buyers. The exception are name, date/year, relationship specific type cards, etc. It might take a while to tune in to this rule as there are many categories you might think apply when they might not be ideal. Card buyers come to GCU sometimes for very specific cards, so categories like Occasions>>Miss You need to actually have the words Miss You in some form on the front or inside of the card.
Maximum Image Reuse of 3x Video available at GCU University
- Identical to nearly identical images can be used up to 3 times as long as they are in different categories.
  - This applies to variations, only 3 allowed. Examples:
    - Color variations - Father’s Day tie in red spots, blue stripes, green paisley, purple diamonds, pink zig-zags, etc. These are considered to be essentially the same.
    - Borders - Borderless or various styles or colors of borders are considered to be essentially the same card.
    - Orientation - Changing the image or card orientation (landscape and portrait)is considered to be essentially the same card, even if the border or color is varied.
  - In addition to the above variations, name or similar text variations must be different. If in the same category only up to 3 are allowed. For example: Happy Birthday Buddy, Happy Birthday Friend, Happy Birthday Pal, Happy Birthday Buddy Ole’ Pal, Happy Birthday Long Lost Friend. These would all fall into the same subcategory Birthdays >> For Friend and thus would be limited to only 3 variations.
  - Different inside text alone does NOT make an identical image card unique. It is still limited to 3 times and the cards need to be in different categories.
- Images are not considered identical if the text on the FRONT image of the card differentiates it from another using the same image. The differentiation needs to be strong, so having I Miss You as well as Missing you is not strong enough differentiation.
  - OK examples: The same image of flowers can be reused more than 3 times with COVER text of Happy Birthday Mom, Happy Birthday Sister, Thank You, Missing You, Baby Shower invitation, etc.
Category Rules Video available at GCU University
- Relation/Age/Year Categories - Relation/Age/Year specific cards ONLY go in the Relation/Age/Year specific category. They can NOT also be put in a general category. For example: Anniversary >> Year Specific >> 25 Years and Anniversary >> Love. This also applies to specific cards like Zodiac/Birthstone/Month.
- Specific & General Categories - Cards can not be both in a specific and general subcategory for the same category. For example: Birthday >> For Her and Birthday >> General. If the card is feminine then it goes in For Her only. If the card is general it goes in General. One exception is with subcategories that are characteristics like Humor, Vintage, Animals, Sports, etc. A card CAN be in both a General and a characteristic category (Birthday >> Humor AND Birthday >> General).
  - Relationship cards are specific cards - Especially on Mother's Day and Father's Day confusion erupts over use of cards in general and specific categories. If the card is designed for a specific relative, then it is specific and can only go in the relationship category under these holidays. If the card is not aimed at a specific relative, bit still offers good wishes for these holidays, then this card is considered general and can only go in the general categories under these holidays.
  - General categories - Some main categories have subcategories like flowers, pets, humor, vintage/nostalgic in addition to General. These are all considered General categories, so feel free to pick the ones that best suit your card and will give it the mose exposure.
  - Exceptions - With the above in mind some Relation/Age/Year specific cards can find places under the Collections category as well, such as Outdoors, Photography, and Sports. Take advantage of these to give some of your specific cards potentially more exposure.
- DUAL Age/Year & Relation Specific Cards - When a card has two specifics (age/year and relationship typically) then it goes in the relationship category only. We are adding an Age Specific subcategory under many relationship categories. For example: Birthday>>Family Relation Specific>>Mom>>Age Specific.
- Age & Name Specific Cards - Cards such as Happy 40th John goes in the name specific category only, again not to bog down the age category.
- Twin vs. My Twin Category - A card “For Twins” is a card being sent to the twins. A card for “My Twin” is from one twin to the other twin.
- Label text - Label text is permitted only in Invitations, Announcements, Save the Date and RSVP cards.
  - IMPORTANT - Instructional text and URLs are not allowed except as stated below. Any messages or instructions to the shopper should go in the Artist Notes field. For example: "Your text here", "Add your own verse here". However label text is permitted only in Invitations and Announcements. For example: "Date: Time: Place: RSVP". We do allow ______ as instructional text in In Lieu of Flowers Sympathy cards.
Adult Content
- General - GCU will consider adult content submissions. GCU will be very selective when reviewing images or creative content that is determined to be / exhibit: sexually explicit, nudity, violence, drug use, discrimination and profanity. By nature this is a subjective and discretionary determination, GCU may decline any submission it feels is not a good fit for GCU's market. GCU will NOT consider creative works considered to be pornographic.
Humor - Must not be discriminatory (race, gender, nationality, sexual preference). GCU allows crude & rude humor.
Automotive/Car Rules - GCU will approve images of cars/vehicles where the make/model is indistinguishable. No branding elements should be in the image nor in any of the text (title, keywords, verse, notes, etc.). This includes car likenesses in both photographic and artistic renditions.
- Private Cards with a Car - GCU will approve images of cars for Private galleries under the following circumstances:
  - The artist feels they have the rights to use the image for resale
  - NO Volkswagens will be allowed even in private stores
  - No branding, make/model manufacturer’s names should be used which includes keywords, titles and the like
  - The card remains Private
- GENERAL - Car image cards must be abstract or partial in nature so even the defining body lines and profile can not be identified. This is due to “Trade Dress” laws. Antique/Vintage cars of the 20’s and 30’s will be considered with a softer eye ie: Model-T but still must not contain any logs, emblems, make & model names.

Non-English - All cards that are not in English must be in an appropriate subcategory of the primary category under Non-English / Other Languages and/or in the language appropriate Collections. If we do not have a language subcategory for it you may suggest that we add it or add to Non-English / Other Languages >> Other.
- Collections - Note the differences between the Collections categories relative to languages. Ex: Collections >>Non-English / Other Languages >> Chinese and Collections >> Places & Cities >> China. Chinese is for cards in the Chinese language and China for cards of the culture/country.
- Other - If you create non-English cards, use the language properly. Unless you speak this language, there is no way for GCU to review this card effectively. GCU would appreciate Non-English card translation be provided in the Artist’s Note field. This is also very useful to shoppers.
IMPORTANT - URLs are not allowed on images or in verses.
Trademarks/Intellectual Property - GCU will not approve cards that infringe on the copyrights of other parties. This applies to any brand names & images, sporting team names, logos & images, famous people and their likenesses, even in caricature. Many quotes, song titles, and song lyrics are also protected. As stated in the Terms & Conditions accepted at registration, artists must have written approval from the appropriate entity and/or a model release to use these images, or the images are in violation. Each artist is responsible for their own content.
- Specifically:
  - 1. Artists must have a signed consent form to use the photo or likeness of:
    - A minor under the age of eighteen (18) where the face is recognizable - such release is needed from their parent or guardian
    - An adult where the face is recognizable and the photo was taken at a non-public event, such as someone walking down the street - such release is needed from that person
  - 2. Use of the image will not infringe the copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, right of privacy, right of publicity, intellectual property right, moral right or any other legal right of any party. For example, images and artwork depicting:
    - Musicians - Janis Joplin, Elvis, etc.
    - Actors/Celebrities - Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Martin Luther King, etc.
    - Sporting Teams - NY Giants, Dallas Cowboys, etc.
    - Cars/Vehicles - Ferrari, VW, Harley Davidson, etc.
    - Brands - Dos Equis, Ghirardelli, etc.
  - NOTE: Similarly this applies to keywords of the same nature that would produce unauthorized and misleading search results that are not allowed and should be removed as well.
Vintage Postcards & Findings - Parts of Vintage work, such as from vintage postcards can not be used in their entirety, but parts can be used as elements in your own original piece of art.
- Specific note to Artists - Vintage works, particularly works pre 1978 copyright laws, have limited, non-existent or expired copyright protection particularly when used in a new, creative or ``reworked`` manner. It is your responsibility as the artist to ensure that your images use vintage findings as elements in a new composition thus creating your own original piece of art. Using the original work ``as is`` to create a card is merely ``copying`` and is not permitted on GCU.
- Reviewers may ask you to confirm that the work is an original composition of vintage elements.
Home Photos, Snap Shots & Household Objects - Photographs of people are absolutely welcome however with caution and good judgment as to what is marketable to shoppers. Far too often home photos tend to have unfavorable lighting and distracting elements in the background (chairs, blankets, doorways, shoes, laundry, etc).
Rubber Stamp Art - If your creative uses a rubber stamp impression it is important that you research the stamp company and their Angel Policy to determine if it can be used in this manner. Also see this.
- An Angel Policy clearly defines whether rubber stamps can be used to create products to sell. It will state whether there are any specific restrictions or limitations. Most rubber stamping companies have an Angel Policy. This is a form of Limited License and states how a rubber stamped image may be used, for instance, whether it can be used to create products for sale. Most Angel Policies allow the use of stamps to create hand crafted items for sale, providing that the images are hand stamped and not mechanically produced (read: digitally reproduced as in the case of PODs).
- Copyright is particularly pertinent to rubber stampers as the images replicated on stamps are typically designed by someone else. The originating artist may wish to protect their designs and how they are used. An Angel Policy is a limited license that specifies how the stamped images can be used.
- The types of restrictions that a stamp company may wish to apply include:
  - Number of items made
  - Places that items are sold
  - Copyright statement required
- How to find out the specifics - Angel companies or companies with Angel Policies will define this on their website or in their catalog. If there isn't a web page headed 'Angel Policy', other places where an Angel Policy might be listed include FAQs and About Us. These policies are not designed to inhibit the creative output of stampers and in fact help protect the hand stamping business, by ensuring that stampers who want to sell their hand crafted products can do so without the fear of competing with mass produced versions of the same image. It also protects the designers ensuring that they can continue to provide a wide range of interesting and innovative designs.
Tabu List - Many words and phrases cannot be used as they are protected copyright/trademark items. Examples are Hersey kisses, Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy, We bring good things to life, etc. If in doubt, don't use words or phrases that could be protected. It is best to use your own words and phrases to avoid legal issues. Refer to this page that discusses tabus in more detail: Tabu Information
Overall
- A few things to keep in mind when submitting:
  - 1. Image Quality (clarity, quality, background elements)
  - 2. Snapshot / household objects (are their random, unsavory elements in the background that make it look unprofessional)
  - 3. Appropriateness to the Occasion – does it make sense, might the photo of the person be mistaken as the person related to the occasion ex: birthday invitation, baby announcement.
  - 4. Appropriate verse/text – have you used a creative verse to make the image work, tie it together, give it a punch line, etc. (this would not be a consideration if submitted as a Blank Note Cards or only under Collections)

Bleed Area Requirements