I opted to create a birthday card, since that is one of the most popular (and profitable) types of greeting cards. For the inspiration phase of my design, I combined two methods (brainstorming and getting an outside perspective). I made a list of all sorts of expressions about birthdays, cake, getting older, partying and having fun. I also interviewed my trendy younger sister about what type of birthday card she and her friends would like to receive. 

Here is the resulting thumbnail sketch session. I cringe as I share this because I don't like revealing the "ugly" phase of my creation process. Normally my thumbnails never see the light of day,  but I want to show you that It's an important step that should not be skipped!

 

I decided to move forward with thumbnail #4, which features a festive cocktail with a tiny slice of cake on the rim. During my brainstorming session, the expression "you can't have your cake and eat it too," jumped out at me, and after getting my sister's perspective about cards (she loves cards with festive cocktails and clinking glasses), I had the idea to create a birthday cake cocktail with the copy: "You CAN have your cake, and DRINK it too." 

I used this photo I took at the botanical gardens near my house to establish my limited color palette. It gave me sweet, feminine, festive vibes! Perfect for a birthday cocktail!

 

Finally, here is my finished design! 

 

 

And here is another one! I was really inspired by a lot of my thumbnails! This one is inspired by Marie Antoinette. (To be fair, she never actually said "let them eat cake" but the expression makes a fun birthday card!)