Before discussing how to design a sympathy card, we first need to understand what a sympathy card is.
A Sympathy card is just some kind words engulfed into a card that is to be sent to someone who is grieving a loss of a loved one. These kind words are supposed to comfort and sympathize with a grieving friend/family member who has lost a loved one. Generally, these cards are sent to the widower, children, or a deceased person’s parent.
This brings us down to how exactly you can design a sympathy card. What to write on the card? What are the necessary factors to consider prior to designing a sympathy card? We are going to answer all your questions in this blog. So, hold tight, and let’s begin!
What To Write In A Sympathy Card?
Writing a sympathy card can be a little tricky. A condolence message to someone in the form of a sympathy card must be well-constructed and well-designed. You need to know EXACTLY what you have to say while ensuring you do not hurt the recipient.
- Introduce Yourself: The recipient should first know who you are and how you are related to the deceased person. Introduce yourself and write how you were connected to their loved one. If you are not related to the deceased directly, write the card to the one you know, like a grieving friend or a grieving family member.
- Formalities: Being respectful and using the relevant vocabulary is highly necessary. Make use of Mr., Miss., and Mrs. to show your respect for them. The pertinent vocabulary is really important. Use words that should be used to comfort a grieving person and ensure not to target their emotions or soft spots for the person accidentally.
- Express Your Feelings: The sentences that you can use to comfort someone can be;
“So sorry for your loss.”
“Sending love and prayers your way.”
“My sincere condolences.”
“Please accept our love and condolences in this hard time.”
Know that your condolences have a meaningful impact on a grieving person’s heart, so make sure to express how you felt when you heard the news. Let them know that you share their sorrow.
- Offer Help: Sometimes, all a grieving family or friend needs is a listening ear and a shoulder they can cry on. Sometimes, they just want to let it all out. Be that shoulder and ear that they need. Let them know you are around and you are there for them. Do not turn your back on them.
Offering help does not necessarily mean emotional help. Do not step back if you see them struggling with something you can help with. Cook for them if you can, bring them food, and help with finances if they are struggling with it.
- Things To Avoid Saying: Certain often said phrases or sentences might end up hurting the grieving person, so avoid using such phrases at all costs. You do not know what may trigger the grieving person — try and be kind to them always.
Those phrases may include:“You will move on from this.”“We all have to leave one day.”
“(the deceased) was too young to go.”
“It happened for a reason.”
This must be a highly sensitive time for the family and friends of the deceased. Trying to make them feel like it was no big deal would affect their emotions even more. So, avoid using such sentences. Everyone takes their own time to heal and move them; what you can do is be with them, offer help, and let them grieve however they want to. That’s what a concerned person should do.
How To Design A Sympathy Card?
Here are a few things you need to consider while designing a sympathy card;
- Pattern: When it comes to design, simplicity is the key to it. Can you imagine a sympathy card being tacky and overdone? Would you like it? Most certainly not, right? Hence, keeping it simple is important for such condolence messages.
Think of what you would want to take when you visit them in person. Flowers, right? You can never go wrong with flowers when it comes to sympathy cards. They are a subtle way of expressing your feelings. Your design can include flowers to add color without making it too exuberant.
- Color Scheme: The color scheme for a sympathy card is crucial. You must select a color that may reflect grief and is not too bright to look tacky and inappropriate. Such as black is a color of sadness and grief. While black is considered a color of grief, this is not necessarily your only option. You can go for lighter colors such as light pink or light blue.
- Text: As we have discussed the appropriate text in detail above, you need to consider all those pointers. Ensure you follow the above factors thoroughly when writing the text for a sympathy card. Writing condolence messages is not everyone’s cup of tea, but don’t worry; we are here to help you with that. The text is one of the most crucial elements of a sympathy card. The right words can sympathize with a friend or a grieving deceased person’s family member.
- Don’t Make It Loud or Appropriate: Very loud colors can make your card highly inappropriate. Designs are supposed to reflect the event for which they are made. Since death is a highly sensitive event, you need to make sure that your design does not look tacky or too much for a grieving relative of the deceased. Use the appropriate colors and text to ensure you are not hurting anyone’s feelings. If you take care of color and text, your design will be good to go.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to personalize the design or card. You may have a personal relationship with the recipient, and your card should most definitely reflect that relationship. Design your card like you are grieving yourself, design with emotions, design to reflect your feelings, design to empathize with the recipient, and design with your whole heart.
Final Word
Grief is a long process. Healing does not come easy to most of us. Hence, empathizing with a grieving person is basic human decency. Let them know you are around through a sympathy card or your condolence messages. Offer prayers and help for them. Tell them you care, and offer your heartfelt emotions to them. Let them grieve however they feel like. Healing can take time, but knowing that they have a friend’s shoulder to cry on can be highly comforting for someone grieving a loss of a loved one.
Offer something more than emotional help as well. Cook for them, meet them often and show your presence. These are just a few ways to show that you care. And if you struggle to design a card yourself, you can hire any professional logo design service provider to do this for you. Better to hire a professional than to make an inappropriate card that might hurt the recipient’s sentiments.
