We want thortful to be a place where great designs stand out, where Creators feel proud of the work they put forward, and where customers can easily discover cards that feel thoughtful, well-made, and meaningful. As pioneers in this space, part of thortful’s responsibility is to keep pushing the market and pushing the standard of what great design looks like, thanks to the evolving talents and creativity of our Creators.
In many marketplaces, customers end up scrolling past designs that don’t quite meet the level of quality they’re hoping for. We want customers to browse because they’re excited to find the card that truly reflects their relationship with the recipient, not because they’re trying to sift through cards not quite hitting the mark.
To protect that experience, we’re making our curation more focused and tightening the standard of what we accept into the main catalogue as the cardmarket and consumer expectations evolve. In traditional retail, buyers shape the customer experience by hand-selecting products that meet their standards. In a marketplace, we do this through what we choose to publish from thousands of Creator uploads. Stronger curation ensures our catalogue stays high-quality, distinctive and keeps the browsing experience inspiring rather than overwhelming.
By opening up our criteria here, we hope to give you clearer guidance and build a catalogue together that feels current, thoughtful, and a joy for customers to explore.
Primary Questions
These are the core considerations we apply to every design, regardless of style, tone, or subject matter. They focus on intentionality, clarity, and overall execution; the fundamentals that determine whether a card feels polished, professional, and ready for the main thortful catalogue. If these foundations are strong, your design will be well positioned before we even move into the more specific secondary criteria
Musts:
•Good bleed allowance
•CMYK colours
•No misleading textures
•Correct spelling and grammar
•No political bias
•No derogatory language
•No pornographic imagery
•No copycats or infringement
•Original
Design:
•Cohesive line weights
•Consistent and effective shading
•Complementing background
•Not overly busy
•Harmonious colours
•Font originality, cohesion, and readability
•Good visual hierarchy with a clear focal point and flow
•Balanced composition and use of negative space
•Visual cohesion
•Accuracy and effectiveness of illustration
Subject:
•Effective sentiment
•Clear purpose
•Word choice and message clarity
•Commerciality
•Appropriateness
•Theme saturation
The key factor that makes or breaks a design is intentionality. All of the points above should address the main themes that help to make a design look skilled. Every choice should look deliberate, cohesive, and purposeful. When the elements, style, lighting, focal point, composition, text, and overall concept all feel intentionally crafted, the design appears professional. When any of these areas seem accidental, inconsistent, or unclear, the design quickly looks out of place on thortful shelves.
If you are repurposing a design from one occasion to another, or adding different recipients, does the message still land? Is it still relevant? If the new design is not as impactful, it won’t be as commercially viable.
If the illustrations used are reminiscent of AI-generated imagery or ClipArt, they don’t represent the individuality or design credentials we’re striving to forge as a community of independent designers. As such, anything perceived as AI-generated or ClipArt will not be accepted for standard cards. However, we welcome AI generated designs for our Face Swap cards, particularly photorealistic designs.
Secondary Questions
These questions apply to specific types of designs: Funny cards, Celebrity/Pop Culture cards, and everything else.
Funny
These questions focus on how well the joke and the visuals work together, ensuring the humour is clear and intentionally delivered. Funny is what we’re known for, but the design still needs to look good (unless the poor design is part of the joke). The card should feel great as a whole, not carried by the joke alone.
It’s important to check whether a joke is overdone because humour loses impact when customers have seen the same gag countless times. Fresh humour stands out in the marketplace, while overused humour feels predictable and reduces the overall appeal of the design.
Intentionality is key. We love a card where the formatting enhances the humour because it adds another layer of cleverness. The humour has to land instantly, so the formatting plays a huge role in how quickly and clearly the viewer understands the gag. For example, if the text is crowded, poorly spaced, or visually confusing, it slows down that moment of recognition and weakens the joke, even if the idea itself is strong.
For funny cards, the image and text need to work together to amplify the humour. The visual should strengthen the joke, not distract from it. When the illustration style and typography feel cohesive, the card delivers a clearer, sharper punchline, whereas mismatched styles can dilute or confuse the humour altogether.
Celebrity
These questions centre on the quality of the celebrity illustration and how well it captures the person at a glance. The illustration needs to feel polished and instantly recognisable. A strong caption matters too, but the card shouldn’t rely on the joke alone; the visual has to stand on its own so the design feels cohesive and high-quality as a whole.
Celebrity cards rely on instant recognisability. If customers can’t tell who it is at a glance, the concept loses its impact.
Shading needs to be very intentional. If it’s too flat or too dark, the illustration quickly looks amateur. Precise, thoughtful shading helps keep the celebrity’s features clear and the artwork polished.
The caption needs to feel clever and well-informed, because fans can immediately tell when a Creator truly understands the celebrity, moment, or reference behind the joke. Surface-level humour tends to fall flat, while a caption with genuine insight shows intentionality and delivers the kind of sharp, satisfying humour that resonates with people who love the subject.
Everything Else
For these designs, the visual execution is doing most of the heavy lifting, so the artwork and formatting need to look polished and intentionally crafted. With no joke or pop culture hook to carry them, the visual standards here are stricter and the design has to stand out on its own.
Some visual choices can unintentionally make a card feel older or more traditional, especially when compared to modern greeting card trends. Here are the some elements that most often create a dated look:
1. Outdated or overly ornate fonts (classic scripts, old-style serifs, “wedding invitation” typography…)
2. Old-fashioned textures or effects (parchment backgrounds, marbling, heavy gradients…)
3. ClipArt style or stock-looking illustrations that lack modern polish.
4. Crowded layouts with too many decorative elements, making the design feel fussy rather than clean and contemporary
5. Low-contrast or muddy colour combinations that make the design feel flat or muted rather than fresh and vibrant
Clean formatting is essential because these designs rely on clarity, tone, and visual harmony rather than a punchline or recognisable reference. If the layout feels busy, cluttered, or distracting, it makes the card harder to digest and takes attention away from the message or artwork, causing the overall design to feel less intentional and more amateur.
A Note on Intentionality
Above everything else, what matters most is intentionality. Strong designs sometimes break rules with skill, clarity, and purpose. What makes a card feel professional and distinctive is whether the choices look deliberate rather than accidental. If the style, proportions, humour, or layout feel intentionally crafted, unconventional design choices shine, but if they feel unintentional, even otherwise good ideas can fall flat.
That's All Folks
By tightening what appears on thortful’s shelves, we’re shaping a catalogue that feels fresher, more exciting, and more reflective of the incredible creativity within our community. These clearer expectations will help us build a marketplace where great designs shine, customers discover cards they genuinely love, and Creators feel proud to have their work featured. We’re excited for what this next chapter brings and we can’t wait to see what you create.
