# Cliche-Free Sympathy Cards Emily McDowell's Greeting Card Collection is for Seriously Sick People By Alyson Wyers | Published 2015-05-06 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sympathy-cards References: [designtaxi](http://designtaxi.com/news/375370/Funny-Heartfelt-Cards-Say-The-Things-People-With-Serious-Illnesses-Want-To-Hear/) & [emilymcdowell](http://emilymcdowell.com/collections/empathy-cards) Instead of being cheesy and overly sentimental -- or worse, inappropriate -- these humorous yet heartfelt sympathy cards were designed for people with serious sicknesses. Created by illustrator and greeting card designer Emily McDowell, the collection of [greeting cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wishbot) is called 'Empathy Cards' and enables you to support very ill loved ones. The awkwardness-acknowledging series covers topics from treatment on the internet to the helpfulness of the [#fuckcancer campaign](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pick-up-your-poop) to lemon-based tropes. Rather than becoming distant because you don't know what to say, you can say what your sick friends and family would want to hear with these sympathy cards. The colorful, hand-lettered cards also offers cliche-free messaging, allowing you to be touchingly honest without overdoing it. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.6/10 - Popularity: 54% | Activity: 16% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Humorous Sympathy Cards:** Opportunity to disrupt the traditional sympathy card industry by offering humorous yet heartfelt cards for seriously sick people. - **Empathy Cards:** Opportunity to innovate and create a new market of empathy cards specifically designed for supporting loved ones with serious illnesses. - **Cliché-free Messaging:** Disruptive potential to redefine the messaging in sympathy cards by offering cliche-free messaging that allows for more authentic and honest expressions of support. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Greeting Card Industry:** Opportunity for greeting card companies to expand their product lines and capture a market of people seeking more genuine and relatable sympathy cards. - **Illustration and Design Industry:** Innovation opportunity for illustrators and designers to create unique, hand-lettered sympathy cards that strike the balance between humor and heartfelt messaging. - **E-commerce Industry:** Market potential for online platforms or e-commerce retailers to offer a curated selection of empathy cards, providing a convenient and accessible way for people to send supportive messages to seriously ill individuals. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Quirky eCard Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/happiepages.md) - [Candid Mother's Day Cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mothers-day-card-collection.md) - [Convenient Online Greeting Cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/happy-tree-cards.md) - [Bereavement Gift Registries](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bereaveme.md) - [Greeting Card Kiosks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/greeting-card-kiosk.md) - [Poetic Greeting Cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/poetic-greeting-card.md) - [Unconventional Valentine Cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/happy-disingenuous-romance-day-valentine-card.md) - [Festive Digital Musician Greetings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/creatacard-greetings.md) - [Redesigned Father's Day Cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fathers-day-redesign.md)