Sponsored Trade Show News

October 25, 2021 •
Sharing the Positive Message

Gift & stationery industry returns for the trends at Atlanta Market 

{Sponsored} July’s Atlanta Market at AmericasMart was high-energy, with buyers eager to restock inventory and discover new resources. The stationery offerings echoed the positive vibe of the show. 

“We found that products focusing on nostalgia and comfort and cheer sold really well,” said Glen Biely, one of the principals at Biely & Shoaf, “as did products that featured positive messaging and products focused on diversity.” 

Ralph Shamah, Vice President of Èccolo, also found positive messages trending, especially spiritual sentiments. Calming, earthy tones, and simple designs are also current favorites. 

Going into January Atlanta Market, Biely hopes to share the positive messaging that the gift and stationery industry always offer the world. This means sharing ideas with others in the industry and making new connections, and Biely looks forward “to the vibrant atmosphere that speaks to a new year of adventure, special times, and making memories.” 

Searching for a new card line? Here are some trends and themes in the world of stationery that you can find at Atlanta Market! 

Watercolors and painted designs abound. Cards are moving back toward being pieces of fine art, with watercolor paintings from lines such as 1canoe2, Compendium, The Lang Companies and Noi. Color Box Design & Letterpress takes the watercolor a step further by offering mini watercolor painting kits. 

Cavallini Co
Cavallini Co

Florals, botanicals, house plants: These patterns continue to be wildly popular, their marks found in many lines throughout the show. Check out styles from Rifle Paper Co., Cavallini, Studio Oh!, Punch Studio and even pop-up florals from Up With Paper. 

Letterpress designs are still popular, with lines like Color Box Design & Letterpress, Iron Curtain Press and Elūm Designs. Yellow Owl Workshop’s Risograph prints have a vintage feel with layering effects of the one-color-at-time printing process. 

Gold foil contrasts beautifully with solid backgrounds or to pop from floral designs. If your card offerings need a streak of gold, check out Graphique De France, J. Falkner and NIQUEA.D. 

Funny and punny still reign, with many lines creating rather ingenious and sometimes irreverent messages or designs that are just plain silly. Sapling Press, E. Frances Paper, Maginating, Girl w/Knife, and Avanti Press are standouts. 

Use of white space and dark space continue to dominate, with card designers embracing the contrast between the background and design. Compendium is master of the use of white space with color blocks; for designs that include a dark background with a pop of florals, check out Rifle Paper Company’s bold florals on navy, black or aqua backgrounds, as well as the stationery collection from Vera Bradley for a more subtle version including prints from their textile lines. 

Laser-cut and quilled paper from Quilling Card and NIQUEA.D create movement on the card’s surface with dynamic designs in a panoply of colors. NIQUEA.D also offers styles with laser-cut paper that looks like lace layered together on the front of a card. 

New a few years ago, vegan leather journals have hit their stride with styles from makers such as Punch Studio, Designworks Ink and Graphique De France. 

Designworks Ink Journal with moon phases in gold foil
Designworks Ink Journal with moon phases in gold foil

For fans of astrology and astronomy, check out designs from Èccolo and Designworks Ink for themes related to moon phases, solar systems, constellations and astrological signs. 

The popularity of text-focused designs hasn’t wavered; buyers can still find cards with messages in script, hand-lettered watercolor capitals, and even some printed plain text where the message is the focus. Standouts include Sapling Press, Chez Gagné, Emily McDowell & Friends, Elūm Designs. 

Bold, classic designs like geometrics, stripes, dots are popular in the Fiorentina and Kate Spade lines. 

It’s not just cards; buyers will find travel journals for adults and kids from Peter Pauper Press, cute gift vouchers for those intangible or experiential items at 1canoe2, cards with tiny gifts attached and integrated into the art from C.R. Gibson, plus puzzles from Designworks Ink and The Lang Companies and much more. 

Atlanta Market is your stationery destination with hundreds of lines in a single buying destination that includes everything else your customers could want. 

January 2022 Atlanta Market Dates

Showrooms: Jan. 11 – 18, 2022 

Temporaries: Jan. 12 – 16, 2022 

To learn more about Atlanta Market and to register, visit AtlantaMarket.com. 

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 © 2021 International Market Centers 




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