ByJms
Good Hair Cards Studios, LLC
1985: In the beginning...
Hi, my name is Jeanetmarie, and I am the creator of Good Hair Cards, originally known as Good Hair Salon Cards in 1990. All my illustrations are trademarked byjms.com.My illustrations are drawn inside of Adobe Illustratior using a interactive pen on a Wacom Cintiq Pro 27. I love to draw and do not use AI generated images on my cards!The Good Hair Cards collection features stylish hairstyles worn by Black women. The collection celebrates Queens who proudly rock their crowns!People often ask how I started illustrating Good Hair Cards. An artist since kindergarten, I redesigned a business card for my hairstylist. Her old business card had a black-and-white image of a woman with a 1960s beehive hairdo. I couldn't stand the image, so I drew an illustration using a new software program I had learned at work: Adobe Illustrator. As a graphics specialist, I used Photoshop and Illustrator to create graphs for pitch books and the company's annual reports.I didn’t think much about that illustration until other stylists started requesting custom illustrations. This side gig turned out to be a blessing because, in 1991, U.S. brokerage firms began outsourcing graphic jobs to Ireland. Working at an investment firm, I recognized this wasn't a good sign, recalling my father's experience with factory layoffs. My co-workers laughed when I expressed concerns about job outsourcing, not believing it would happen to them.By 1997, more U.S. companies were outsourcing jobs like mine overseas. I updated my drawing skills and earned a certificate in graphic design from Sessions.edu (now Sessions College for Professional Design). After two layoffs in sixteen years, Good Hair Cards debuted at the 2013 Black Women's Expo in Chicago.From 2014 to 2023, I sold my cards part-time as a street vendor in Harlem and at Pop-Up events. People from all walks of life bought my artwork. Now semi-retired, I am expanding the collection beyond greeting cards. In 2025, I will be launching it as an international brand. Many thanks to the wonderful folks who bought my cards and provided valuable feedback. It’s been a lovely journey.In the meantime, please visit my website: Good Hair Cards.com Cheers!