The company’s founder, a graphic designer, hit a dry spell in her work and was looking for a new project. She was inspired by her “smart-mouthed, wickedly funny” friends, who would not appreciate grandma’s florals when it came to cards.

“We get a lot of laughs from a large cross-section of people looking for cards that they can relate to and that are fabulously frank without being mean,” explains company owner and founder Jennifer Adler.

All of Adler’s cards feature one of her signature characters, none of whom have eyes or a nose, a hallmark of her typical doodling style. The characters match the diversity of the artist’s circle of friends, depicting Black, White, Jewish, Vietnamese, Mexican and Gay. “I’m a very honest person, and when you’re honest about something, you’re telling the person that you get it and you understand them,” says Adler.

• The Providence, RI-based company was founded in 2006; the owner also has her own graphic design business
• At least two retail locations carry the cards, but the cards can also be ordered online
• Individual cards cost $4.75; $24 buys either a set of eight or one 5×7 matted print

The cards often embody a unique philosophy of life. With blank interiors, some front captions include:  “Sometimes life is just a jumbled spaghetti of priorities, and you’re the meatball,” and, “Men…can’t take them out; don’t want to stay home with them either.” Tempered by realism, sentiments many of us can relate to are also offered: “This job sucks. I had a feeling it would.” And for the paranoid and pessimistic:  “All the components of my life are falling into place just the way I have always dreamed. Is this some kind of cosmic joke?”

The company’s founder has discovered that being a Challenger Brand can be, well, challenging. “Some people say, ‘these are really great and funny, but they aren’t right for my store.’ We’re looking for challenger stores. Those stores are a little difficult to find.”

Like replacing the handshake with the fist bump, Survival by Design is working to find new ways to share greetings. While the company knows that not everyone is ready to make the switch, they’ve defined a niche and are ready to greet a new day.