Say Hello To Poppy, Winner Of The Art File's Greeting Card Competition

This month we've been joined by Poppy, the winner of The Art File greeting card competition with Nottingham Trent University. Here she tells us about her experience working for The Art File and what's next for her.

Last year, we were thrilled to partner with Nottingham Trent University on an amazing greeting card competition. We welcomed four of the winners to intern with us over the summer, and we published two card ranges from the internship as part of our Everyday 2026 collection. They have been brilliant additions to our ranges, and we’ve been proud to see them flourish over the course of this year.

Our internship scheme gives young artists the chance to work in the industry, and we’re pleased to be able to say that we have continued this amazing partnership in 2026. 

The winners of the competition this year had the chance to publish designs with The Art File, with the first place awarding an internship at The Art File. This year's winner was Poppy Robertson, a Graphic Design student from Nottingham Trent University. She joined us this month for a two week internship, where she learned about the greeting card industry and had the opportunity to work on something for our 2027 releases. Here she tells us more about her experience and what's next for her.

I studied Graphic Design. What I loved most about the course was being able to build on my illustration skills while learning how to apply them in a practical and commercial setting. Alongside developing my drawing and visual style, I learnt new techniques, processes and software, as well as how to take an idea from an initial concept through to a finished piece of design.

I also really valued the variety of briefs throughout the course, especially being able to work on live briefs. It gave me the freedom to experiment with different areas of design and illustration, which helped me understand what I enjoy creating and the kind of work I would like to pursue after university.

The Art File brief immediately caught my attention. It felt like the kind of brief I had been waiting for. I’ve always loved making cards for the people close to me; I think it’s my way of showing how much I care, especially through the time and thought I put into creating them. So the idea of being able to turn my love of illustration and card-making into something that could actually become a commercial collection was really exciting.

I also loved that the competition offered the opportunity to have the designs published and potentially lead to an internship. Knowing that there was even the small chance that my cards could become real products made me even more determined to put everything I could into the project.

I don’t think I quite believed that I had won for a few days! It honestly felt like a dream come true. I had put so much time and thought into the project, so it was amazing and incredibly rewarding to have the work recognised.

I’ve spent years drawing little illustrations filled with mice and seeing them displayed on the shelves at home, so the thought that I might one day see those same characters on the shelf of a shop was pretty overwhelming. I was just so excited to see where they could go.

During my internship, I had the opportunity to learn much more about The Art File and how the different parts of the company work together. I was given the opportunity to design something for Christmas 2027. I decided to create an advent calendar that fits with the greetings card collection I designed as part of the competition. Designing an advent calendar is something I’ve always wanted to do, so having the opportunity to create one was amazing, especially as Christmas is my favourite time of year!

The whole experience has been such a joy. I left the office every day feeling inspired by the other designers and excited to come back the next day. Everyone was so welcoming and made a real effort to involve me in everything, which made me feel like part of the team from the beginning. I was genuinely really sad to leave at the end of the two weeks because I had such a great time.

I was surprised by how many different projects the designers work on at the same time, while still having the opportunity to experiment and develop their own styles. I loved being in an environment full of creatives who each had their own unique approach to design, and seeing how all of those different styles come together to create such a strong team.

It was also really interesting to understand how collections are created and how far in advance everything is designed. I enjoyed seeing the different stages each product goes through, from the initial design to artworking and all the way to production. I enjoyed learning more about how much goes on behind the scenes at The Art File. I also loved seeing how the other designers work and learning about the different techniques they use.

Scamper & Stamp is a whimsical greeting card collection inspired by nostalgia, vintage themes and the theatrical world of the circus. I wanted to create a world that feels like stepping back in time, combining colourful, detailed illustrations with playful mice and humorous situations.

The collection is influenced by paper theatres, traditional circus aesthetics and Victorian streets, while giving these nostalgic references a modern and playful twist. Each scene is packed with little details and visual jokes to discover, creating cards that are joyful, characterful and designed to be treasured as miniature pieces of art.

Now that I’ve graduated, I’m going travelling to New Zealand. I plan to start looking for a design job for when I come back. Before my internship, I wasn’t completely sure what direction I wanted to take. However, after my time at The Art File, I’ve realised that this kind of work genuinely feels like my dream job, so it’s now a career I would love to pursue.

After some really helpful guidance from the head designer, I have a much clearer idea of how I can develop my portfolio for this type of role, so that’s what I’ll be working on while I’m preparing to travel. I’m really excited to see where it takes me!