When I first started email marketing for my previous employer, we had three e-newsletters we published regularly. Given that our audience was made up largely of commercial printers, we’d get some flack about using email to distribute the content (it was 2008 and anything digital was seen as the enemy). Some customers were constantly complaining about it. The worst part though was the email marketing solution we used – it was painful. I knew when I started Parse & Parcel I’d still use email (in addition to the USPS) to communicate content and share with our audience, but I couldn’t wait to find a better email marketing solution. I chose MailChimp because it offered a ton of features. After sending my first email I was smitten, I even convinced my former employer to give it a try. Now I’ve fallen in love with MailChimp all over again, this time for their beautiful use of my favorite media – print! In collaboration with Fuzzco and Theory11, they’ve gone and created some stunning MailChimp Playing Cards.
MailChimp is known for its ease of use and is a fan favorite among creatives. Now they’ve combined their business sense and creativity to produce an exquisite set of playing cards. You can choose from one of two color schemes: blue and red or black on black. The cards were designed from the inside out – each deck is housed in a sleek box featuring either red foil stamp on a dark blue cover stock or black foil stamp on black cover stock. Each card box is enclosed with a embossed gold foil seal featuring their iconic chimp.
While designer cards are a thing at the moment, these are more than just pretty face cards, well actually the face cards have chimp like features, they are cards with a cause. MailChimp is donating 100% of the proceeds to the Fugees Academy, a non-profit devoted to working with child survivors of war. The Fugees Family began in Atlanta as a way to offer refugees free access to organized soccer. It’s grown into the only school in the U.S. dedicated to refugee education. Children who have fled war or persecution have unique educational challenges, and the Fugees Family provides an atmosphere for learning, literacy, and soccer.
I love this concept. And to add to the goodness, they’re offering a special edition package. This is where I totally geek out on paper. It’s a special edition brick box containing 12 decks. Like the deck itself, the box has been designed from the inside, out. Featuring red foil on blue cover stock, or black foil on black cover stock – the brick acts not only as a beautiful container, but also protects the cards within. You know I’m a sucker for packaging, looks like we’ll just have to host a euchre tournament in the sample studio soon.
