Every year, I make my Mother-in-Law a calendar with photos of the kids and she ooos and ahhhs over it as any good grandmother would. But, after doing this for the past ten years, I am feeling a little ho-hum about the whole thing and wonder if the calendar has become the equivalent of the gift card: A great practical gift but not very exciting.
Leave it to cool custom card company Minted to make me rethink my annual gift as anything but ho-hum with a designy version that is worthy of anyone on my list, including me.
[Don’t miss the great giveaway for SIX readers after the jump!]
Minted’s brand new Photo Calendars are as amazing as the customized photo cards featured here before. Cool typefaces, super-interesting backings, unique layouts, modern colors and two sizes mean you’ll spend almost as much time deciding which calendar design to choose as the photos you put in it.
If the designs look different from anything else out there, it’s because Minted uses a crowd-sourcing model (kind of like CMP fave Threadless) to invite smaller, indie designers to submit their ideas in themed contests. I love the results which range from Potts Design’s super-playful Billboard calendar to the sleekly sophisticated Hip New Year Calendars by Annie Clark.
The paper used also rocks: It is thick and lightly textured—color photos print gorgeously on it, though I love the look of black-and-white photos on it so much, I’d probably try that out this year.
This isn’t a write-all-over calendar: The spaces for each day are just too small for that, though birthdays can be included when you create the calendar–cool feature. Even so, I just dare someone try to be first to sully my lovely calendar with a ballpoint.
The smaller Standard Calendar would be ideal for an office space or crowded refrigerator, though I like the oversized Grand Calendar enough to clear off some wall space for it. Yes, prices are higher than what I’ve spent on calendars in past years, but when you consider the recipient will think you are a great gift giver for 365 days, I think it’s well worth it. –Christina
The new Photo Calendars from occasional sponsor Minted are ready to be personalized now for 2011.
Congratulations to lucky Minted Photo Calendar winners – Homa, Kristi, Joel, Carolyn, Lala, and Kami!
