Whether it’s for a wedding or a new baby, the act of choosing the right greeting card for the right occasion is a craft in itself. But not all cards seek to rustle up a feel-good vibe. Inspired by ‘the way best friends talk to each other’, Mean Mail adds provocative humour to sentimental messages.

Whether it’s cluttering our inboxes or littering our letterboxes, junk mail is an unavoidable irritation; Brits receive 3.2 billion pieces every year. But while it might be hateful, it’s also effective. What is it about direct mail that spurs sales even as we rip it up and chuck it out?

Receiving a letter hasn’t experienced much of a technological upgrade. The phrase ‘snail mail’ says it all. Not wanting to be left behind in the digital era, the US Postal Service has launched an app called Informed Delivery which lets people receive electronic versions of direct mailers.

Snail mail may seem outdated in the digital era, but direct mail campaigns garnered a higher response rate than any digital channel in 2016. Canvas8 spoke with Charlotte Pearce, founder of Inkpact – a handwritten marketing company – to find out why the pen can be mightier than the keyboard.