Staff Farewell Card

Front of a going-away card for staff member.

A few weeks ago my supervisor--the director of public relations and marketing--tendered her resignation. Last week she had her last day. Her colleagues in administration--of which I am one--had a small farewell get-together to show their appreciation. We had some light finger food and refreshments and talked about the past and things to come.

My supervisor was not only taking on a new job, but she was also relocating to pursue it. All the way to Seattle. It would be a big move from the far southeast of America to the far northeast...2,985 miles / 4,804 km, to be exact. She would also be trading in her work as a marketeer of libraries to become a marketeer of a healthcare company. Despite the change in industries, she would still be able to take with her valuable experience she had acquired from working with the library district.

I wanted to create a simple farewell card that would impart the idea that despite the distant location of her new environment, a little of the Alachua County Library District would go along with her and would serve her well.

DANGER...Clever Alert!

I had a couple of ideas, but the one that I eventually worked up was the one shown above. When I phonetically sounded out the word "Seattle" I heard the letters: C-A-D-L. Say each letter. Then say it faster. Now say it really fast three times! What do you hear? "C-A-D-L" sounds like "Seattle"! (depending on your accent). This wouldn't normally be very exciting except for the fact that when rearranged these letters make up the exact acronym of the library district she was leaving: ACLD (Alachua County Library District).

Combining these letters with a public domain photo of the iconic Seattle skyline was all I needed to create the exterior of my card. On the inside, I would write two short lines of text that said: "If you can imagine it, there'll always be a little A-C-L-D in Seattle (C-A-D-L). Best wishes from all of us on your next adventure."

Writing that served two purposes: one to express our well wishes and encouragement to her on her new endeavour, and one to provide the answer to what "C-A-D-L" meant in case she didn't make the connection. I knew that some people would not make that connection while others would right away, so I knew I'd have to cover my bases. Sure enough, the litmus test during the get-together proved my theory. Some people indeed got it right away while others didn't. But the inside text took care of that, and hopefully, the card would also remain memorable for her as well.

It's a good thing she wasn't moving to Albuquerque!