Cards to Celebrate Black History Month 2021

As you may know, this month is the UK’s 34th Black History Month. To celebrate, we’re putting the spotlight on some of our amazing black card artists that are dedicated to championing diversity in their designs.

At Moonpig, we want to make sure everyone has the chance to be awesome at celebrating, which means having a range which represents all of our wonderfully diverse customers. As we work to promote more inclusivity in our cards, we’re showcasing five artists who share that same goal.

Keen to celebrate diversity and meet the artists comitted to representation? Grab yourself a cuppa and get ready to read the stories and explore the designs from this talented bunch. 

Huetribe Cards

First up we have the lovely Huetribe, a card company which celebrates the beauty and diversity of modern day relationships and people of colour.

The brains behind it all belong to founder Tineka, who created Huetribe after struggling to find cards to represent the diverse range of relationships in her life, from her interracial relationship with her husband to her multi-cultural social circle. 

We asked Tineka a couple of questions about her inspiration and her message for Black History Month.

What inspires you when designing cards?

Real people! Diverse couples, families and people who are living their truth in simple everyday ways. Most photos featured on our cards are actual couples or families. I always want to create designs that reflect the real world and celebrate the beauty of diversity.

What’s the one message you want to send for Black History Month?

That diverse cards shouldn’t only be stocked during Black History Month, and that to become truly diverse companies are required to hire more diverse talent, support charities which promote racial equality and take the time to learn.

Nicola Lespeare

Next up in our artist showcase is Nicola Lespeare. In 2016, unable to find a relatable birthday card of a black girl for her sister’s birthday, Nicola decided to put her illustration skills to the test and create a unique card as a surprise. Seeing her sister’s eyes light up with joy at receiving a special card that reflected her skin tone and afro hair, she was inspired to extend this joy to other people.

Armed with pencils and a great idea, Nicola built her card business. The response has been amazing, with people of African and Caribbean heritage saying ‘This card looks like me!’, ‘Great to see positive images’ and ‘Representation matters!’.

Doodles By Ini

Our third shout-out goes to Doodles By Ini, a personalised card company based in founder Seiwaa Osei Afriyie’s home country Ghana. Seiwaa always loved the idea of personalised greeting cards (a girl after our own heart!), and loved the joy she felt from customising designs for her friends. This led to her wanting to brighten more people’s days while filling the gap in the industry; she felt compelled to represent black and African people after finding that even in the predominantly black country of Ghana, most cards did not reflect the culture. 

We asked Seiwaa to give us some more insight into her collection as well as her message for Black History Month.

Do you have anyone or anything in mind when designing your cards?

I think of cards I’d like to receive. I also draw a lot of inspiration from my family, my friends, and their personalities. Sometimes when I’m mid-conversation with my friends, if anything funny, naughty or rude comes up, I write it down! Another thing that inspires me is my favourite Ghanaian foods - I’m the biggest foodie, hence why there are so many food related cards! And finally, my tribe, culture, my country, and my continent inspire me.

What’s the one message you want to send for Black History Month?

I’d like for everyone to be educated about black history, to understand how it has shaped today’s society and to unite in combating the issues that continue to affect the black community, as we need society to come together.

Bonita Ivie

Our fourth artist is Bonita Ivie, a card company celebrating black culture through the use of bold, colourful African prints. Designer Bonita Ebeuhi is passionate about creating products that black people can easily identify with, to make both celebratory and everyday moments authentically special. Just like our other artists, she was dissatisfied with the diversity in high street card and stationery stores, so decided to take matters into her own hands. And we’re so glad she did!

Anoela Cards

Last but certainly not least, we have the talented Anoela Cards team, a fun, new-age greeting cards company based in Lagos, Nigeria. Just like us, Anoela Cards believe in the gift of giving and how cards connect people and impact lives; their personal mission is to spread the love and celebrate black culture, one card at a time! Launched in November 2017 out of a young girl’s passion for giving, love for greeting cards, and a lack of suitable options in Nigeria, the range has expanded so much that there really is something for every occasion.