Kindly Designed

What a year it has been. On January 1, 2020, who could have imagined what was ahead of us. The pandemic, protests, and politics weighed heavily on us all. There has never been a more critical time to find ways to come together to bring out the best in humanity. 

As a designer I pondered what I could do to counter the negativity. All I had to do was look across my desk to my cork board. I have had one since college. My colleague at the media center where I worked and I used to design notes and cards and post them on each other's boards—something I always treasured. Unfortunately, I lost touch with John, but I think I still have one or two of his cards in a box somewhere over 30 years later.

As I looked at my current board, I saw a handwritten note with the words "You Rock" that had been given to me by one of my son's first grade classmates. I volunteered in his classrooms when he was younger and always tried to create some memorable activity for the kids at the holidays. Obviously my efforts had an impact on this student, but her appreciation was equally important to me because a decade later that note is still on my board. Also on my board are a couple bag tags that I designed for my son's baseball teammates when he was younger. One season, one of the moms told me her son was so happy he was on my son's team because he knew that meant he was going to get a bag tag. I have kept both the bags tags and the note from that student all these years to remind me that all the extra effort we put forth matters.

Another tag I saved was from a gift a colleague gave me. It was bright yellow and says, "You're awesome". Simple statement, but the fact that she thought to give that to me was incredibly meaningful.

So, what better way to spread kindness than with a small card. The Kindness Cards that I designed are bright and cheerful with positive messages that can be shared with anyone—small phrases that can have big meaning. The graphics (an exclamation mark, shamrock, heart, flower and star) woven into the border embellishments correspond to the messaging where appropriate. And on the back, I added a decorative pattern, because I love how the repetition of one small element creates something greater and even more beautiful than that one thing on its own.

These stories are the inspiration behind the design of my Kindness Cards. They show how a small piece of paper acknowledging someone's effort, attitude, success or struggle can mean so much. By using these cards to spread just a little kindness every day, someone may just treasure one of them far longer than you ever thought, and those small gestures may just end up having a much bigger impact than you could ever have imagined.

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