Gift cards incorporate striking SA art

In November, the Foschini Group will be launching its own range of gift cards, which can be used in its 1600 stores countrywide. The gift cards are not just about convenience and choice, each of the eight cards designed by Am I Collective, is a miniature work of art and themed to appeal to different consumers and celebratory occasions.

23 Sep 2009

For general celebrations

Two have feminine and masculine themes, another one for youth, an all-purpose card for whenever congratulations are in order, a festive card and a romantic love and devotion card. The festive card can be used throughout the year, as it has top up facilities.

Each card was South-African inspired, utilising elements of local language, street culture & graphical images and can be collected as a set. “The Foschini Group must be commended for taking the initiative in exploring an art theme for their gift cards,” says Mark van Niekerk, MD at Am I Collective.

“We were somewhat apprehensive at first, as normally projects of this nature are inevitably diluted in exchange for adherence to corporate parameters. However, we were given a lot of freedom to express ourselves creatively and we have been able to produce something we are proud to endorse as art pieces.”

With the focus so strongly on the cards' artistic value, a launch took place recently in a Cape Town art gallery, where local celebrities, artists and designers were invited to create their own art piece inspired by the cards.

The Foschini Group believe that its challenge as a retailer is to reinvent the gift card offering in the South African context by continually adding innovation to its products through new artwork designs and packaging as well as finding new methods in which to market the gift cards. Each gift card is presented with a greeting card and there is a supporting line of other greeting cards and tins.

These gift cards are epitomized in Sascja Bowes, group campaign and communication manager's comment: “The gift card will no longer be a means to a beautiful gift; it will be the beautiful gift.”