At the GCA, we love to celebrate initiatives that champion diversity, inclusion, and meaningful connections through greeting cards.
We’re shining a spotlight on an inspiring collaboration between Cardfactory and Macmillan Cancer, a project that puts empathy and representation at the heart of card design.
Julie Hardy, Studio Manager at Card Factory and a member of the GCA Diversity & Inclusion Sub-Committee, has shared with us how this thoughtful range was created to support those affected by cancer below;
A Collaboration with Purpose
Representation and inclusion are core to cardfactory’s values and design principles, and these are reflected in a new range of cards that have been developed in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support. The cards are designed to help people express care and compassion to those affected by cancer.
Designing with Lived Experience
Thirteen people with lived experience of cancer, including carers for those with cancer, were at the centre of the creative process. By holding sessions with the people with lived experience and representatives from macmillan, cardfactory’s in-house creative team crafted 12 simple yet heartfelt cards.
With more than 3.5 million people living with cancer in the UK in 2025, according to Macmillan Cancer Support, these cards are far from being a ‘niche’ range and serve to include people whose needs are not normally associated with the celebratory nature of card sending.
Julie Hardy, Studio Manager at cardfactory said:
Voices from the Panel
The lived experience panellists openly shared their insights into thoughts, feelings and visuals of things that they found comforting, calming or cheering, as well as things they would all prefer not to be reminded of on their mantelpiece, such as the word ‘cancer’ itself, or referring to their illness as ‘a journey’.
Reflections on the process and the range from panellists included:
Bringing the Range to Life
Emily Edwards, cardfactory’s Social Media and Digital Content Lead, said, “To bring the new card range to life, we invited three of the lived-experience panellists to their local cardfactory store to see the range on display, take part in a Q&A and share their thoughts on the collaboration. Focusing on the creative process and the partnership itself allowed us to capture authentic but sensitive storytelling. The feedback has been fantastic, the panellists told us they felt genuinely proud that cardfactory wanted to create this content for use on our social channels and involve them beyond the product launch.”
Where to Find the Cards
The range is in stores and online now, priced at £1.49 each with a 15p donation from every sale going to Macmillan Cancer Support.
This collaboration is a powerful example of how greeting cards can go beyond celebration to offer comfort and solidarity during life’s most challenging moments.
