"The ‘I Said a Prayer for You Today' sentiment has been a traditional best-seller for Dicksons Gifts over the last several years. We felt that the design was ready for an update more in line with today's trends. Initial sales results show this product being very well-received by the retailers as well as the targeted consumers.

"Dicksons sold through most of its initial inventory quantities within the first 60 days of release (of the newly designed products). The products performing the best are: Resin Table Cross, Bone China Mug, Resin Music Box, Resin Plaque with the Black Metal Easel and Resin Candleholder.

"To keep updated on current market trends, many of our designers research what certain demographic groups are buying by watching their purchasing choices and decisions. Local paint stores can prove to be a great resource for researching the most up-to-date home-décor color trends.

"In this instance, the designer, Amy Langeler, targeted the products for the ‘I Said a Prayer for You Today' collection to an end consumer that was female, ages 25 and up, so a design was developed that was more free-spirited than contemporary, with an urban chic floral print. She found a great pattern at a local scrapbooking store to be her foundation for the design. She changed the orientation of the flowers as well as adjusted the colors to be more age-appropriate for the design collection. She then overlaid a celadon-textured filter and a deep salmon floral filter, which was distressed. The title font kept the same flow of the floral stem curves and is more pronounced with a scrolled border (that) was created out of certain fonts. To give contrast to the whimsical title and border, she went with a more straight-lined font for the poem. She felt it was easier to read in small caps and chose this particular font for its curved serifs which (also) coincide with the whimsical floral pattern."

Jeff Ray
National sales and marketing manager
Dicksons