About Hallmark Inc.
Hallmark Inc. is a Kansas City, Missouri-based private firm with family roots dating back to 1910. Hallmark is the oldest and largest supplier of greeting cards in the United States, having been founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall. The company was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1985. The company is also known for its long-running radio and TV series Hallmark Hall of Fame.
Hallmark produces greeting cards, as well as party supplies, gift wrap, and stationery. After purchasing Binney & Smith in 1987, Hallmark changed its name to Crayola LLC following its popular Crayola brand of crayons, markers, and colored pencils. The firm has produced the long-running Hallmark Hall of Fame series since 1951, and in 1997 it launched the Hallmark Channel (which replaced an earlier joint venture with The Jim Henson Company, Odyssey Network).
In 1998, Hallmark Greetings was losing share to its closest competitor, American Greetings Corporation (AGC). In the previous year alone AGC had gained $61 million in market share and was increasing its market share at a rate of 1.7 percent annually, whereas Hallmark’s had declined by 2.3 percent (Welkos 1998).
About Hallmark Logo
The Hallmark logo was modified subtly, making the script lighter and the crown larger. Andrew Szoeke, a lettering artist and designer from New York City, led the design team. He began working on the project in 1949. The “handwritten” wordmark topped with a five-point crown was trademarked in 1950, but it was only in 1954 that Hallmark Cards, Inc. became the official name of the business.
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