Categories: Pat Stevenson,
Good Hair Cards Studios, LLC is more than a stationery brand, it is a celebration of Black women’s beauty, cultural pride, and the enduring power of hand-drawn illustration. Founded in New York City by artist and designer Jeanetmarie Smith, the company creates greeting cards that spotlight women joyfully rocking their crowns, from curls to coils, braids to blowouts, paired with uplifting, affirming messages. In an era of digital fatigue, each card is intentionally crafted as a keepsake, something to hold, cherish, and revisit when comfort is needed most.
Jeanetmarie draws every illustration by hand using Adobe Illustrator and a Wacom Cintiq tablet, no AI, just pure artistry, skill, and a lifelong love for Black hairstyling. Her work captures the joy, confidence, and individuality expressed through Black women’s hair, transforming everyday moments into vibrant, celebratory art.
The origin story of Good Hair Cards is as bold as the artwork itself. In 1989, Jeanetmarie redesigned a business card for her hairstylist after noticing it featured a white woman with a 1960s beehive, an image that didn’t reflect the salon’s clientele or spirit. She replaced it with her own illustration, newly created using Adobe Illustrator, a tool she had just learned at work. The response was immediate: clients loved it, and hairstylists began requesting custom designs.
What began as a side gig soon became a lifeline. As U.S. brokerage firms outsourced graphic jobs overseas in the early 1990s, Jeanetmarie recognized the warning signs, the same ones she had seen in her father’s factory layoffs. She sharpened her skills, earned a certificate in graphic design, and prepared for a new chapter.
After two layoffs in sixteen years, she debuted Good Hair Cards at the 2013 Black Women’s Expo in Chicago. From 2014 to 2019, she sold her cards as a Harlem street vendor outside Red Rooster, where New Yorkers and tourists alike stopped to buy her joyful, stylish designs.
In 2020, Jeanetmarie shifted to online sales, but by 2022 she paused her business to become a full-time caretaker for her elderly parents. With those responsibilities eased, she is now relaunching Good Hair Cards as an international brand, with major retailers, including Barnes & Noble, inviting her to sell through them.
Good Hair Cards is not just returning — it is rising.
