There is little question about who is the next contender, SANTORO LONDON Santoro-london.com UK popup cards.
Looking at their impressive selection of greeting cards is hard to be disappointed.
We recommend their fresh and colorful collection of Santoro “Swing cards.”
Their more complicated buildups are more like toys, not cards.
But who cares? Let’s see and let our hearts go wild in London’s dark, dusty corners.
Here is the link to my post about their mighty popups
#3 Paper D’Art meandmcq.com popup cards from the UK.
No doubt, Paper D’Art deserves a high ranking regarding high-level quality illustrations. The reason we mention them in the 3rd place is the fact that we spotted a card that was not entirely original. The effort to develop the original card takes, in our experience, a few days and sometimes longer, mainly when such a detailed illustration is used. The extra effort pays off. So no wonder they use one not entirely their design to enlarge their offer. The WOW factor is high when you see their creations.
#4 Up with Paper US popup cards
When I saw their designs for the first time (years ago), I was impressed with their offer. What put me away was the desire of the CEO to be an author of some children’s books. I think such a task is performed better by people with more skills and fewer ambitions; up with Paper has quite a variety of simple designs. They experienced ups and downs with the quality of their cards in the past. Now it is very nice.
The problem I have (same with most brands featured here) is that they stick to one popup mechanism and repeat it in various designs. In the long term, some innovation is desirable to keep your offering fresh. Our First impression is here.
#5 SECOND NATURE UK popup cards
Finding the next worth mentioning in the vast landscape of popup cards is not easy.
There are too many lookalikes. I can show you 100 designs from 100 different sellers claiming to be very original yet peddling the same.
You cannot distinguish one from the other, even if your life depends on it. At first sight, you will find them entertaining, but after a while, they become BORING.
Certainly, SmartPaperCuts.com Is NOT dull. US-based.
Have you seen ROUND, not SQUARE, popup cards? Unique, Hand made in Chicago.
Their designer desire is not to be boring and do something different, defying any established popup card norms. They first started with a collection of Flowers designed around the Flowers since they are perfect for carrying any love, sympathy, or friendship message. It is much more challenging to do a good job and make it attractive without the usual noise of unnecessary colors or shape embellishments. They started a collection of “Ambassadors,” Whimsical Characters perfect to deliver your message. So helpful to be employed instead of the overused sentimental subjects. When I recently asked about enlarging their collection, I learned about their quite impressive line of Eco-friendly Ringless Office/ school binders, notebooks, and organizers designed to function without a bit of metal or plastic usually involved they are working on right now.
We will update the list with any truly unique Cards but for now, let’s list a couple of manufacturers present on the market by the sheer power of their resources, not originality.
Lovepopcards.com popup cards
Because their designs are generic and virtually indistinguishable from popup cards offered by many other sellers, they do not belong to our list of Best popup cards you can buy.
Most of us know the story of two young people lucky enough to get plenty of financing, hosted on the Shark Tank TV show. They now employ people outside the Naval architecture field with designs based on the Chinese – Vietnam variety. Cards are more polished and much nicer than their initial offering. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened their page today, remembering rather drab designs from the past.
But for example, their “Japanese Maple 3D card” is not original and is an unimpressive clone you could see everywhere on virtually any other seller site. The cover remains unchanged, and the tree itself too. No update. I am biased looking at the people claiming that they are “original” when they are NOT.
Next is the Hallmark 3D card
Hallmark.com popup cards
Over-sweetened and simplified. Late Sunday afternoon when the city is dead and surviving under summer’s relentless heat.
Voice of the past.
But since we are now in the 21st century, let us see the future.
Or maybe Not in the future.
Another voice of the past is American Greetings popup cards.
American Greetings 3D cards. An over-simplified clone of the already simple offering of the Up with Paper.
CARD” Is an exercise in pure lack of imagination. High school designers were trying to escape boredom. There is just essential visual execution without a bit of an original subject. The other designs are nicely put together visually, but their cards seem to have grown in the same garden, with the influence of Chinese and Asian techniques. The familiar story of BIG boys. Plenty of marketing power, thin with originality.
Check for details. If you still purchase one of their generic cards after learning about the details of their operation, you truly deserve a medal. Plus, you have the same or better card you can buy elsewhere.