Colorful, Abstract, Unique: Artsy Phone Cases

I've been designing unique phone cases (not the cases but the surface patterns; I like to think that goes without saying but maybe not,) nearly as long as I have been dabbling in print on demand designing. Nonetheless, I'm just getting around to gathering some of these newer designs into a single collection to share here. Some of them already have the spaces set up for you to personalize them and some of them are just covered in the colorful digital artwork that was a big part of getting me started off down this path in the first place.

I only started designing them through Zazzle at the beginning of this year, and it seems I go in waves, with my attention span and interest level on any given day driving my creativity.

The thing about buying a custom artsy phone case is that you want more and more. Every time I design a new one, it's my favorite and I force myself not to buy more. It's good I don't have a tattoo. And this is why: I love trying new things and changing it up. I'm still carrying one around that I'm pretty tired of by now. Which makes me think that for us short-attention-span types it's probably a good idea to get a few then switch them out regularly. I just forget.

Take a look! Maybe you'll enjoy some of the abstract digital art I've make the time to put on phone cases. Zazzle offers several different brands of phone cases so that layer gets tricky too. Here's a list of the ones I can remember right now:

  • Case Mate Barely There
  • Case Mate Tough
  • Case Mate Tough Extreme
  • Otterbox Symmetry
  • Otterbox Defender
  • Otterbox Commuter Series
  • Lifeproof FRĒ®
  • LifeproofNÜÜD®

And a whole lot more, too, it turns out. There are several kinds of wallets, some wooden ones, metallic ones, clear ones. It's a little mind-boggling really. So I've just shown you some of the ones that have my own designs on them. So enjoy those or just go peruse the market. Warning: it's a little overwhelming without wine. So so many options could make a head explode!

At any rate, these are some of the phone cases I've designed this year and there are always more on the way at some point.

Personalized Items with Photos of Purple and Orange Pansies

Every now and then I take the time to look through my photo archives. For an amateur photographer, the stash I've collected for myself is a little mind-boggling. It's one of the many reasons I decided to start putting my work on merchandise I can buy for myself or others, and you, too, can give as gifts when you like.

The first fun thing I did with a few of the shots featured here is put them on leggings. I realized one day that even though I've designed hundreds of pairs of leggings (print on demand makes it possible to design tons of things that only have to be made when someone is ready to buy them... whew!) almost none of them had photos on them. (And those that did were super-abstract and maybe a little weird for your average Jane. For example.) Back to my story. I'd been designing fairly abstract leggings for a little stretch there, so when I looked through the photos, I thought it would be good to find some that would create an abstract vibe when they were printed on leggings. I felt pretty good about what I came up with. There are 6 so far.

A few days ago I thought of those purple and orange pansies and all the shots I captured the day I took these pictures. I was leaving artist friend Phyllis Sharpe's house and she'd just bought these. Maybe she had planted some that day, if I remember correctly but I think several were still in flats. So I pulled out my camera and tried to capture them in different light. So in some ways they're just sort of ho-hum pictures of flowers. I mean. How many ways are there to shoot photos of flowers and make them really interesting? Well, some people can make those shots really sing but these are kinda nice too. I thought they would look good on cards, a water bottle, mousepad and phone case. I put the shot on a bunch of other things, too, but I've put just the things with template fields for personalization into a collection so far so that's what you'll see here.

As I mentioned, there are quite a few items printed with the photo featured in this second collection. If you're in my store and search "pansies" or even "purple and orange" or "purple and orange pansies" you'll see the other items too. What I'm learning while I work in Zazzle is that whenever possible, it seems to be recommended that you (you the Zazzle designer or, in this case, I) take things further and go ahead and add a template field with names or phrases all ready to go. I'm fascinated by this and have so very much to learn about what sells and what doesn't. There's been no rhyme or reason whatsoever to the things I've sold in the short time I've been at this, so I don't have enough personal data to go on yet. But I love the learning, and there's definitely plenty of that happening in this endeavor.

Why don't I post some of those individual item photos over here at the end, just for fun, then sign off and let you look. Enjoy!

Un-Stodgy Business Cards with Deep Pink Watercolor and a Textured Mandala

While I was busy working on a new thing I'm exploring - designing one of the sets of wedding invitation suites that people can customize for themselves on Zazzle - I fell in love with some of the elements of this particular design. In a big way. And so I started using them on other merchandise. Like this collection of business card designs.

Here's what they include:

  • a bold pink watercolor background
  • a mandala (sometimes rendered in white, sometimes in a faux gold foil effect,) over that,
  • (sometimes) a solid strip in white or black
  • so your name, message, or other details can really pop

And unlike the image you see, up in the banner area of this blog post, which is a single image with everything all merged together, these cards were set up in the Zazzle template system. So IF you happen to be wired like me, we of the DIY inclined, and wanted to rotate the watercolor, duplicate the mandala then change the sizes of one or two of them, then move those around, move your name up or down, change your font AND the font color... well. You can do that! Of course nobody says you have to. These are all ready to be purchased as is, merely by typing the name and contact details you want to have appear.

What this Zazzle setup can do - in spite of my having been pretty spoiled by the limitlessness of my own graphic design tools - is brilliant and amazing and I suspect it's far more than customizable enough for your average user to do just what they want. For the other levels of editing, you can always just reach out to me and share your vision. I'm always happy to help make something even more in line with your personal vision.

For now, I offer you business cards with a tribal, boho, hippy-dippy little flair. Because not only are business cards not always meant to be formal and stodgy (though to be sure, sometimes I suppose they are, depending on your line of work,) this collection is absolutely meant to let your big, bold, colorful personality shine through. Plus? Business cards aren't just for business anymore. I've been working on a growing series of card designs that are meant for you to simply write little notes on the blank backs of and leave for your kid, your love, or even for a perfect stranger in a shop.

However you use them, if the colors and texture of this set appeal to you, check them out!