Illustration competition: design a Christmas card for ShelterBox

An exciting new creative competition has been launched today, giving both new and established illustrators,

graphic designers and artists the chance to have their work featured alongside some of the UK’s top illustrators in

a special range of charity Christmas cards for ShelterBox.

The cards will be sold in packs of 10, featuring two sets of five designs. Competition entrants across the UK will be

vying for their design to be featured as the fifth card alongside the four other high‐profile illustrators contributing

work. All profits from the cards will go direct to ShelterBox, the international disaster relief charity based in

Helston, Cornwall.

Jon Burgerman, one of the UK’s most revered illustrators and cartoonists, is designing the first card in the set: “In

this iAge of digital everything, a nicely designed card is a great little goodie to give,” he said. “It can be like a mini

artwork, beaming from a mantel piece.”

Exhibiting across the world from LA to Shanghai, Barcelona to Melbourne, Jon’s distinctive style has gained a cult

following in recent years and won him a Cannes Lions Advertising Award. He’s designed everything from tees,

trainers, toys and video games to a popular iPhone app launched earlier this year. The second card in the set will

be designed by Jenny Bowers – whose recent projects include illustrations for Channel 4, The New York Times,

Creative Review and Samsung – with two more names being announced at the official launch in November.

The Christmas cards and competition are the idea of Penryn‐based creative communications agency, Stranger

Collective – the team behind the former award‐winning creative lifestyle magazine. Helen Gilchrist, director of

Stranger Collective, said: “We wanted to create an alternative range of Christmas cards this year – cards that are

original, colourful and fun, which we would want to send our friends. After publishing the magazine, we’re lucky to

be in touch with a fantastic network of illustrators like Jon and Jenny – but wanted to use this as an opportunity to

show off fresh talent too.”

Helen has recently become a ShelterBox Response Team member, trained to accompany ShelterBox’s aid into the

disaster zone to ensure it reaches those who need it most. She adds: “ShelterBox was our natural choice of charity

– they’re highly respected on the international stage, they were the leading provider of emergency shelter in Haiti,

and are based just up the road from us!”

Each ShelterBox provides an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and essential survival equipment to

use while they rebuild their homes.

A special event to launch the cards will be held on the evening Thursday 11 November at The Poly, Falmouth,

where the final five designs will be unveiled. The cards will then be available to buy in shops and online up until

Christmas.

This rare opportunity to contribute a design is open to everyone. The competition closes at midnight on

Wednesday 20 October and the winner will be announced on Friday 22 October.

How to enter:

• Email your designs to christmascards@stranger‐collective.com

• Designs should be 300dpi, 105 x 150mm JPGs in portrait aspect ratio.

• Illustrations should focus around a seasonal theme of Christmas, contain no specific religious content and

appeal to a wide audience.

Stranger Collective is an all‐encompassing creative communications agency that evolved out of the award‐winning

cult Cornish lifestyle magazine, Stranger. The Collective has over 45 years’ combined experience working with a

wide range of local, national and international clients including iTunes Live, Port Eliot Festival, Saab, Guava, Sony

BMG, Telstra International, the NHS, Discovery Channel, Time Out, The Observer, The Guardian and University

College Falmouth. Stranger Collective’s primary activities include conceiving and producing creative

communications campaigns and managing new brand, design and website projects for a wide range of clients.

ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that provides shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by

disasters worldwide. It delivers boxes of aid, each of which provides a family of 10 with quality survival equipment

to use while they rebuild their homes – including a large tent, blankets, mosquito nets, water containers and water

purification equipment, a cooking stove and equipment and a toolkit. Each box costs £490, which includes the cost

of delivery to those who need it. ShelterBox Response Teams (SRTs) accompany the boxes into disaster zones,

responding to earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, hurricanes, cyclones, tsunami or conflict. Recent deployments

include Haiti (over 27,000 boxes sent so far), Brazil, Pakistan, Guatemala, Niger and the Philippines.