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10+ Thank You Card Templates
There are so many instances in our lives that we have to be thankful for. But there really are certain occasions wherein it is important for you to let someone special in your life know how appreciative you are regarding certain matters. Whether it is showing them your thanks through a gift or a special note, thank you cards will never go out of style, may it be digital or printed out for you to hand over.
Elements of a Good Thank You Card
1. The Greeting:
Consider who you are handing over your thank you card first before deciding on a greeting.
- “Dear John / Jane”: This can come off quite formal and is rarely used when addressing family or very close friends. This can be used for your superiors at work or someone who you do not necessarily have a close emotional relationship with but wish to continue showing your appreciation.
- “My Dearest John / Jane” or “My Dear John / Jane”: This type of greeting has a very loving and caring vibe. It is perfect for addressing significant others, children, grandchildren, or nieces or nephews.
- “Hi, John / Jane” or “Hey Jane”: A type of greeting that is utilized for when addressing acquaintances that have the potential to become close friends. It conveys a casual vibe or great for casual letters. This can indicate a deeper relationship with the recipient as opposed to using “Dear.”
- “John!” or “Jane!”: This is probably the most casual out of all the greetings. Showing comfort and closeness towards the recipient, this is excellent for addressing close friends, and this shows excitement.
2. The Body:
- Articulates an Emotion: Express the appreciation and gratitude you feel towards the recipient. Take your time to draft out all the emotion and make sure the card is filled with this gratitude.
- Be Specific: Point out the specific details of how and why you appreciate or are thankful towards the receiver.
- Look Back on the Past: Discuss how the recipient’s gift or action has impacted you and how this act of kindness will help me in the future.
3. The Closing:
Make sure that the recipient knows that it was you who sent out this thank you card. It is the last thing a person reads so it must be consistent with the purpose of the card. Some of the most common closings are as follows:
- “Sincerely, Jan”: Appropriate for formal thank you cards, but not necessarily great for sending it out to close friends or relatives. This has the tendency to keep a person at arm’s length with it being so formal. The purpose of a thank you card is to deepen relationships and show appreciation, and this does not accomplish either.
- “Love, Jan”: This is a perfect closing for sending thank you cards to family and very close friends.
- “Thank You, Jan,” “Many thanks, Jan,” or “Thank You so much, Jan”: This is the most common closing when a person expresses appreciation towards a person, may it be in person or through a written letter. It shows that you really are thankful and can be used for any recipient.
- “Take Care, Jan”: Other than showing appreciation, this closing shows concern and care towards this recipient. Especially if the sender is aware that the receiver is going through a rough patch or if the person’s time is difficult, this is a great closing that adds empathy.
4. Design:
This talks about the creative aspect of the card. Having bright colors and a loud typeface is perfect for showing your appreciation towards happy events such as thanking a person for their presence during a child’s celebration. When it comes to acknowledging a person’s help or attendance during a difficult occasion such as memorials or funerals, neutral colors and classic fonts work best.
10+ Thank You Card Templates
Bi-fold Thank You Card Sample
Floral Funeral Thank You Card Template
Christening Thank You Card Template
Black Funeral Thank You Card Example
Wedding Thank You Card Sample
Personalized Thank You Card Design
Business Thank You Postcard Design
Water Color Funeral Thank You Card
Creative Thank You Card Design
Thank You Card Sample
Steps to Make a Great Thank You Card
- Choose the Materials Needed: Whether you want to add embellishments or not, it’s good to prepare all the necessary materials for the thank you card. Of course, the most important materials are the paper and envelope. But if you are adding extra decors, do not forget the glue and even scissors.
- Make a Sketch of How Your Thank You Card will Look Like: On a piece of paper, make a simple drawing of how you want the thank you card to look like. This will enable you as a creator to visualize and see where to place certain elements of the card.
- Include 1 to 3 Pictures for a Contemporary Design or Add Appropriate Illustrations: If you are thanking a person’s attendance for a funeral, birthday, christening or wedding, a personal picture of the person who has recently celebrated can be placed on the thank you card. Showing someone your appreciation for a simple favor, on the other hand, can do without pictures and can use illustrations or vectors instead for a more artistic feel to the design.
- Consider the Text You Want to Include: Remember that more formal thank you cards, using fonts that are classic and timeless will always be the most appropriate. For more upbeat and personal thank you’s, you can definitely get away with using more bold and colorful typeface for this. Just make sure you do not go overboard and limit the use of 2 to 3 fonts to avoid making it too crowded.
- Layout All the Necessary Elements on Preferred Software: Whether you are using Photoshop, Illustrator, or Word, you can now start laying out all the parts of your thank you card. With your keen eye to detail and sense of style, adding the necessary parts of your card will now give designer almost a concrete example of what your thank you card would look like.
- Second Opinions Help: Whether it is for proofreading purposes, or checking to ask if your thank you card is aesthetically pleasing, asking for someone else’s opinion will be quite helpful. Having stared at your work for probably a few hours in a day for a few weeks at this point, seeing the perspective of an outsider really makes a difference. This is crucial as you do not want to be printing an incorrect file. You’ll end up throwing them in the trash and be wasting lots of money this way.
- Print Thank You Cards: After checking that your designs and texts do not need modifications anymore, it is time to print these. If you are printing these thank you cards at home, make sure your paper and printer are compatible with each other. Having thick paper might not be suitable with the printer you have at home. If you are printing for many recipients, perhaps it is best for you to have these cards professionally printed.
Simple Tips for an Excellent Thank Card Tag
- Print the Inside of the Card First: Printing the inside of the card first will lessen the scratching of this side since it will only pass through the printer once.
- Add Embellishments for a More Personalized Effect: Including a ribbon or some simple glitters will add to the charm of a thank you card. It also conveys effort in making the card more personalized and that you really are appreciative of the recipient.
- Maintain Simplicity: Though embellishments and graphic designs are elements that make a thank you card special, try not to overcrowd the thank you card with too many of these elements. Thank you cards can definitely benefit from the white space for a more clean look.
Types of Thank You Card
- Physical Thank You Card: This refers to the thank you card that is sent through the mail or is personally handed over to the recipient. This involves printing a hard copy of the thank you card. Especially for traditional and more old-school folk, this type of cards is more preferred as it can seem a lot more personalized. The downside of this card is that it is more costly to make and you may have to travel some distance or invest for shipping in order for the thank you card to be received by the recipient.
- Email Thank You Card: Probably the cheapest and quickest option for those who are always on the go, Email Thank You Cards do not require a bunch of materials to be used or bought in order to show your appreciation for someone. All you need is a skill set for using editing software programs, a message of thanks, and you are ready to send it over to them as soon as you are done. The one factor that can make it difficult is if your recipient is not tech-savvy and will have difficulties seeing your thanks. Emails can also have the tendency to seem insincere and be in a rush.
Thank You Card Template Sizes
- 5×7 (with an A7 envelope)
- 4 1/2 x 6 1/8 (A6 envelope)
- 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 (A2 envelope)
Thank You Card FAQs
Why are Thank You Cards important?
Thank you cards allow us to express our appreciation and gratitude towards the recipient. It gives us the opportunity to connect with others on an emotional level. Sending these to the people we care about and/or love allow us to express through words and art how much you are grateful towards them.
What kind of paper is used to make Thank You Cards?
Cardstock is always the best type of paper used for a thank you card. It is smooth, stiff, and thin yet it is sturdy. In between a regular sheet of paper and cardboard, not only is it great for thank you cards, but it is also great for greeting cards and thank you tags as well.
In this day and age, we may take for granted how it feels to be given appreciation through letters and cards as it is normal for us to shoot our close friends and family members a text or an email regarding a favor they did for you. Receiving a heartfelt card that expresses gratitude is something that is not our norm anymore. But hopefully, with our simple tips and tricks in making thank you cards, more traditional and classic values are restored.
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