/ animated eCards, animated GIF cards, branded eCards, Christmas eCards, corporate communication design, corporate eCards, custom eCard animation, custom illustration and animation, digital greeting cards, email marketing visuals, get well soon eCards, GMX eCards, holiday campaign animation, illustrator for digital campaigns, mail.com eCards, motion design for brands, New Year eCards, storytelling through animation, thank you eCards
Animated eCards for GMX, WEB.DE and mail.com designed by Ian David Marsden – branded greeting card illustration with characters

Branded Animated eCards for GMX, WEB.DE & mail.com – High-Impact Digital Campaigns

This page presents a large-scale series of branded animated eCards created for 1&1 Mail & Media Applications SE (GMX | WEB.DE | mail.com), where these illustrated digital greetings reached millions of users across Europe.

It also reflects a service I can develop for other clients: custom animated eCards, illustrated digital greetings, short-loop campaign animations and branded motion-based message formats for portals, internal communications, seasonal campaigns, invitations, launches and user engagement.

These animations combine concept development, custom illustration and loopable motion design to strengthen brand voice, encourage sharing and make simple messages more distinctive and memorable.

See also Clients and Project Partners

Clients of Ian David Marsden – graphic design and illustration projects for Coca-Cola, Google, Mercedes-Benz, Dräger, Wacom, and others.

From concept to animated delivery

Each animated card was developed from scratch, from concept and message structure through illustration, motion and delivery:

  • Custom character design – mascots, avatars, cartoon-style icons
  • Storyboarding & visual narrative – ensuring clarity and brand alignment
  • Hand-drawn illustration & animation – Adobe Creative Cloud, Clip Studio Paint
  • Cross-platform delivery – optimized for web, mobile, and internal comms

Unlike template-based generators, every eCard was individually illustrated and animated by hand, ensuring originality, cultural relevance, and brand resonance.

Where this format works especially well

  • Seasonal campaigns – Christmas, New Year, Halloween and other calendar-based greetings
  • Customer messaging – birthdays, thank-you messages, apologies, invitations and loyalty touchpoints
  • Internal communications – employee recognition, team celebrations and company culture content
  • Brand engagement – illustrated animated content for portals, apps, newsletters and social channels
  • Events and launches – invitations, announcements and short campaign-driven motion pieces

Highlights from the GMX | WEB.DE | mail.com Collection

(Below are short animated teaser GIF clips, not the full HD video quality cards – See videos on my YouTube Channel)

Animated GIF of a butler lifting a silver cloche – invitation eCard design for GMX, WEB.DE, and mail.com

Animated Butler Invitation eCard – Formal Greeting

A hand-drawn animated invitation eCard featuring a butler lifting a silver cloche. Created by Ian David Marsden for GMX, WEB.DE, and mail.com, this design adds a touch of humor and elegance to formal announcements and digital invitations.

Animated GIF of a cartoon dog looking guilty beside an empty cookie jar – apology eCard design

Animated Dog Apology eCard – Cookie Jar Illustration

A humorous apology eCard featuring a cartoon dog beside an empty cookie jar. This animated design by Ian David Marsden was created for GMX, WEB.DE, and mail.com, offering a charming way to say “Sorry.”

Animated Thank You eCard – Bear with Gingerbread Heart

A festive thank you card featuring a bear hugging a gingerbread heart with “Danke” written on it. Illustrated and animated by Ian David Marsden for GMX, WEB.DE, and mail.com to spread gratitude and joy.

Animated GIF of a boy and his dog in snowy winter with a giant bone gift – Christmas eCard illustration

Animated New Year eCard – Fireworks Celebration

A cheerful New Year’s eCard showing a smiling couple enjoying fireworks with champagne. This animated design by Ian David Marsden was created for GMX, WEB.DE, and mail.com to mark festive celebrations.

Animated GIF of a smiling couple with champagne under fireworks – New Year eCard design

Animated Christmas eCard – Dog with Giant Bone

An adorable Christmas card featuring a boy and his dog with a giant bone tied with a ribbon. Illustrated by Ian David Marsden, this animated eCard was designed for GMX, WEB.DE, and mail.com as part of their seasonal greetings.

Animated GIF of two birds hugging in a nest – thank you greeting card animation

Animated Thank You eCard – Birds Hugging

A sweet animated thank you eCard showing two birds hugging in a nest. This warm and emotional design was created by Ian David Marsden for GMX, WEB.DE, and mail.com.

Animated GIF of a colorful bird hatching from a spotted egg – birthday eCard animation

Animated Birthday eCard – Hatching Bird Surprise

A colorful animated birthday greeting featuring a bird hatching from a spotted egg. Designed by Ian David Marsden, this eCard was produced for GMX, WEB.DE, and mail.com to delight users on their special day.

Animated GIF of a bird perched on a thermometer above a sick man in bed – get well greeting card

Animated Get Well Soon eCard – Bird on Thermometer

A funny get well card showing a cartoon bird perched on a thermometer above a patient in bed. This animated eCard by Ian David Marsden was designed for GMX, WEB.DE, and mail.com to send cheerful recovery wishes.

Animated GIF of a cat sitting next to a broken vase of flowers – apology eCard illustration

Animated Apology eCard – Cat with Broken Vase

A lighthearted apology card featuring a wide-eyed cat beside a broken vase of flowers. Animated and illustrated by Ian David Marsden for GMX, WEB.DE, and mail.com as part of their branded eCard series.

Animated GIF of a skydiver character with “Gute Besserung” – get well eCard design

Animated Get Well Soon eCard – Skydiving Daredevil

A humorous animated get well card with a skydiving daredevil and the words “Gute Besserung.” Created by Ian David Marsden for GMX, WEB.DE, and mail.com, it combines energy and humor to send recovery wishes.

More animation and motion videos by Ian David Marsden

What this format adds

  • It creates a more personal and memorable connection between brand and audience
  • It turns simple messages into shareable visual content
  • It allows for localized, culturally adaptable communication across different markets
  • It brings humour, charm or warmth to messages that might otherwise feel generic
  • By combining illustration quality, character-led storytelling and motion design, I help brands turn simple greetings and messages into distinctive visual assets with a longer afterlife than standard template-based content. See more case studies.

By blending editorial illustration quality with motion design expertise, I help brands transform simple messages into memorable brand touchpoints. Case studies

Commission custom animated eCards and illustrated greetings

I create custom animated eCards, illustrated digital greetings, loopable campaign animations and related short-form branded motion content for agencies, companies, institutions and cultural organisations. These can be developed for portals, newsletters, internal communications, seasonal campaigns, invitations, customer engagement or broader branded content needs.

If you are looking for this kind of work — or for adjacent formats such as explainer videos, business illustration or character-led visual storytelling — feel free to get in touch.

[email protected]

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