Over the years I have written a lot about Artifact Uprising, and with very good reason. With its focus on elevated design and high quality, sustainable materials, every last custom card, photo book and gift that this Denver house of design produces honors its most important subjects — namely, you, me, our loved ones and the planet.
The company is the brainchild of three professional photographers: Jenna Walker, her husband Matt and her sister Katie. Over time, they realized that a lot of their best work never saw the light of day. “As one click of the shutter turned to another turned to hundreds of thousands of photos, they realized their documented lives were sitting on phones and computers with no true place to live on,” the site recounts. “As Jenna explains: ‘It’s something we kept coming back to — what are we leaving behind?’
“This question spiraled into experiments that included baking (yes, baking) photo books in their oven and eventually into dreams of a photo book business. They knew their choices needed to sit right in their hearts and with the wild places they love. And so they focused on creating products that were congruent with their beliefs — sourcing recycled papers for book pages and wood products made from locally-sourced fallen beetle-kill pine. They wanted to give good materials a second life.”
The brand launched October 9, 2012. Their very first order was from the renowned photographer Jeff Gleason. Then Holly Becker at Decor8 shared Artifact Uprising’s photo books, and “changed the course of the company.” Every milestone — from that one day 7,000 people shopped their site to the first million images in their databases, has been celebrated along the way.
“At the end of the day, we want to build great things with great people,” they emphasize. And that my friends is a fantastic opportunity for all of us, because to celebrate its 10th anniversary, the digital photo goods company is giving away 10 free holiday cards to anyone reading this!
Before I get to the code, however, let’s quickly talk card design. One of the company’s taglines is “materials matter,” but in addition to focusing on every last micro-decision that goes into a product range, a lot of thought and care goes into its signature modern yet timeless aesthetic where the photo is always firmly center stage.
The new designs that do just that. This dynamic gold foil arch below, for example, enables a newly married couple to send holiday tidings with subtle yet distinctive style — and is poised to elevate many other extraordinary photographs for posterity.
Due to the strength of their layouts, every year, I have a really tough time selecting my choice for our annual New Year’s Card. Each is that good at telling a story in a quick instant.
Once you are over the hump of choosing a design, elements like foil color, background color, photo orientation, copy selection, and typefaces enable you to create a truly individualized masterpiece.
Start your Christmas Card here, and you can see New Year’s Card designs here. Why do I love New Year’s Cards you ask? Well, you get extra time to send them out, I have yet to meet anyone who does not observe the New Year each December 31, and they arrive on the tail end of the holiday season, so they tend to be more memorable.
Whatever you select, I just know they will be fabulous! The promo code is 10FREE and it is valid through 11/5. Just one per customer please!
Thank you Artifact Uprising for putting so much beauty into the world this past decade, and for letting us put a lot of joy into the mail this holiday season. I can’t think of a year where it’ll resonate more.
