Our Favorite finds…
The Product: Hindi Greeting Cards, by teryyo
This year for Thanksgiving, I want to do something special to let friends and family know how thankful I am to have them in my life. So, I’ve decided to send out Thank you cards to all of them with a little note letting them know why I am thankful for them. While I was pondering this idea, I was also window shopping on Etsy.com (this ties into my original thoughts- I swear!) and stumbled upon this image:
For those of you who may not know, ‘dhanyavad’ is the transliterated spelling for the Hindi word for ‘Thank you’. Kismet. My task had been affirmed! Immediately intrigued by this product, I clicked on it to see if there were any more cards like it and to also find out more about the seller. To my happy surprise, there were several beautiful cards that captured the eastern flare through western design- this is hard to do, many people tend to overdo the Indian aesthetic and create something tacky. In this case however, designer teryyo finds a balance in color, graphic and text with her simple and elegant greeting cards. They are at once quiet and striking, traditional and contemporary…they truly speak to modern South Asian style.
The sophisticated simplicity is really what I love most about her designs- they are not littered with words, but instead use one or two words either in Hindi script or transliterated Hindi, enabling both the design and message to make a cohesive statement. Along with the Thank You cards, teryyo offers apology cards (I’m sorry or ‘maaf kijiye’), Congratulations (‘badhaai ho’) and blank cards. Each card is handmade with care, good quality, and very easy on the wallet- each card is on average, $4.00 and you can also purchase some designs in sets of 4 for about $10.00.
One thing I found very interesting about the Designer/Seller, is that she is not Indian! What on earth, I wondered, inspired her to begin designing Hindi greeting cards? Curiosity got the best of me, so I contacted Tery and asked for an interview. She was more than happy to share a little about herself and also offer a 10% discount for our readers! Just go to teryyo.etsy.com and use the coupon code “generationginger”. Hurry, this code expires by 12/31/2011.
Generation Ginger Interview with teryyo
1. Describe your cultural background/experience- how does it influence you as a designer?
I am African American and grew up in two opposite neighborhoods: one with a small minority population
and a second where the minority was the majority. From this experience as well as being taught to have respect for people of all nationalities, I have grown to love many things from different cultures and nations. My desire is that my work will display the respect and love I have for the Hindi language.
2. Where do you find inspiration for your creations?
Having many Indian friends and visiting them frequently, I have always wanted to send them a thank you note in the Hindi language for their hospitality. Since I could not readily find cards in the Hindi language, I would write my sentiments in Hindi, but the card still had English on the cover. I thought it was time to be able to have the card in the same language as my sentiments.
3. How did you get into graphic/stationary design?
As a teenager, I remember my interest for art in general increased. Also, I have always appreciated receiving cards, especially handmade ones, from others. Over the years, I’ve thought it would be nice to make cards, but was always intimidated by the thought. So, I went to a local scrapbooking store in my neighborhood and took a few lessons on how to create cards. After that, I was confident this was something I could do!
4. Do you do design other products (aside from paper)?
“Right now I plan on focusing on greeting cards. I am definitely open to explore more options in the future.”
5. Who is your customer, or rather who are you trying to reach with your designs?
I would like to especially reach those of Indian descent who are Hindi speakers. Recently, I had an order placed by a non-Hindi speaker who wanted to purchase cards for some of her associates. One facial expression that never leaves my mind is when you can show someone something in their mother tongue when what they expect to see is something in English – it’s priceless. I would love to have a part in recreating this experience for others.
Shop URL: teryyo.etsy.com
Blog URL: teryyo.blogspot.com
