Just a little over 2 weeks ago, I ordered a personalized Starbucks Coffee card and, low and behold, it arrived today! I’d give it an 8 on a scale of 1-10; it’s clever and generally works, but there are still a few bumps in the road to work out.

The Envelope

Pros: A “real” stamp and not a preprinted indicia or meter stamp, “pseudo” handwriting is certainly more friendly than general computer fonts, generous size card and envelope, and the envelope is made 30% post consumer waste.

Cons: Pretty boring, plain white envelope.

The Card Front

Pros: The design is simple and produced in sophisticated colors: white, cream, red, and dark brown on a heavy card stock.

Cons: The design is reminiscent of a corporate Christmas card; I know those are coffee berries, but it could be a sprig of holly.

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Inside the Card

Pros: The same simple design and sophisticated colors (sans red) are used inside the card; the left and right sides are personalized: the amount of the card is on the left, the custom message is on the right; the message on the left stresses that this card “is uniquely yours” and directs the recipient to a web address to register the card.

Cons: Because I was not able to “proof” the greeting card, I did not notice that I needed a comma between my name and my company name.

The Card Back

Pros: A nice little message was printed on the back, and the card is marked “made with 30% post-consumer fiber.”

Cons: I’d be picking nits to say that the barcode on the left distracted me, but then it’s pretty difficult to design around barcodes.

Overall

I’d give the whole ordering process and the resulting greeting card and coffee card, high marks. The price is certainly right: $4 “customization fee” and $15 for coffee credit loaded on the card. No charge for “snail mail” postage, so the total was $19. Just the right ballpark for nice little business gifts. There is no way to upload a logo or other design, but having my company name in two places - the card and the greeting card - is just fine by me!