In collaboration with Southend United Football Club, Solopress has crafted a seasonal surprise for all Southend season ticket holders with a personal Christmas Card.
With 2023 nearing an end, the timing seemed perfect to reach out to over 3,000 loyal fans and thank them for their continued support, during what has been an extremely challenging time for the side and its fans.
A 10-point deduction early in the season for failing to clear tax debts and a change in ownership for the club led to a nerve-racking first half of the season, but thankfully things are finally on the up at Roots Hall.
As front-of-shirt sponsors for the 2023/24 season, Solopress is proud to contribute its Christmas Card printing services to help connect the club with its supporters at this time.
To spin a seasonal twist, our talented team went behind-the-scenes with Blues’ top goal scorer, Harry Cardwell, known to fans as ‘Cards’, dressed up as Santa.
Southend United’s commercial executive, Rylee Doe, added: “We are extremely grateful to Solopress for this incredibly kind gesture to reward our loyal season cardholders. It has been a rocky year for all associated with the club, but Christmas brings us a time to reflect and look forward to what will hopefully be a prosperous 2024.
“I know our supporters, like the club, will be eternally grateful to Solopress for their continued support and we look forward to many more seasons together.”
Follow Solopress’ steps
After going behind-the-scenes at Roots Hall and then producing our Christmas Card, our graphic designer, Oscar, shared his creative process and some tips you can use when making your own.
Oscar said: “I arrived early with Matt, our senior graphic designer, to decide the angle of our shot and set up the lighting. Matt had done some reconnaissance beforehand so we had a good idea.
“Once our model, Harry Cardwell, arrived, we got him into character and began taking photos. After we’d taken a few shots in the stand, we used the opportunity of the sun being out to get a few photos on the pitch by the goal.
“Unfortunately, these images didn’t turn out as well as our shots in the stand. They didn’t seem as classic as the football stand version, so we decided to use that photo for our Christmas Card cover.”
Now that the content had been produced, Oscar had the task of turning this shoot into a table-topping Card.
He added: With the design, figuring out how to get a good balance was the challenge. Since Cardwell was the main character, I tried to avoid having anything overlap him so he remained the focal point of the Christmas Card.
“I added a few shadows and adjusted the lighting to create a greater focus on Cardwell. I edited in a few presents just to add to that seasonal spirit.
Are you looking to design your own Christmas Card? Here’s Oscar’s top tip:
“To begin with, understand the style and audience you’re targeting, this will help you to decide what message you want to send them and whether a vector image or photo is best-suited.
“Also, consider your space for copy on the front. For example, our image of Cardwell was the centrepiece, so we used minimal copy. Since he was dressed as Santa, we didn’t need to go full out on the Christmas theme as our image made that clear.”
Create your Christmas Card in four steps!
From foil finishes to making your carbon copy of our design through the Solopress Green Range, here’s our Christmas Card checklist:
- Make a list
- Check it twice
- Naughty or nice
- Solopress is coming to town
Make a list
Before you start creating your Christmas print, you need to know who you’ll be sending them to. Make a list of the businesses, brands and customers who deserve to receive your season’s greetings.
Check it twice
Our constant commitment to quality print means creativity can remain your sole focus. You have two produce your print:
Naughty or nice
We guarantee all our Christmas Cards are more than nice. With our wide selection of stocks, special finishes and eco-friendly options, you will struggle to find anything naughty about our range!
Solopress is coming to town!
All Christmas Card orders come with free UK delivery. You can choose your accompanying Envelopes too, with white Envelopes being a free addition and coloured options incurring a small fee.
A big 2024 in store
Hidden inside the front cover was a surprise, as each Christmas Card owner had the chance to win a signed Southend away shirt signed by the team.
United sit mid-table of the Vanarama National League, despite their 10-point deduction. This Christmas, fans will be wishing for the team to bridge the current 11-point gap to the play-off places in the second half of the season.
We hope that under the new consortium, headed by Justin Rees, 2024 can become a memorable year for all associated with the club, especially the fans.
Come on you Blues!
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