If you want a work anniversary card that looks like your colleague, Ottermagic starts with a photo and a style, not a stock "thanks for 10 years" grid. Upload a picture they would not mind the team seeing, run Style Swap or Face Swap, preview until it feels like them, then order a printed A5 card (148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included; Royal Mail around 3–5 working days in the UK, airmail around 2–3 weeks to the US) or an e-card for a desk that needs it tomorrow. This is a job anniversary: one year, five years, the first year in a new role. It is a different card from a leaving do or a long-service certificate. Start at Ottermagic.com.
Keep it human. Work cards go wrong when they tease a person who never signed up for being the office joke.
What a work anniversary card is for
Someone stayed. They learned the tools. They sat through the dull meetings. A card marks that without pretending it is a wedding.
Typical senders:
- a manager who wants something more personal than a templated HR email
- a teammate who shares a desk
- a small company with no "years of service" catalogue
- the person themselves, buying a private joke for a partner who has survived the job
How it works: photo → Style Swap or Face Swap (Pet Swap if the office dog is the real mascot; Text Swap if a face would be unkind) → preview → printed A5 or e-card.
Good to know: you see the design before you pay. The printed card is A5 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included, blank inside or printed message, printed to order in the UK, recyclable stock, water-based inks. Typical post around 3–5 working days with Royal Mail to UK addresses. E-card: hi-res, watermark-free download. Posters and canvas are available if a tiny company wants the artwork in a kitchen; check Ottermagic.com for live details. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day). Prices are in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop.
US teams get the same card sent by airmail to a US address in around 2–3 weeks, or the e-card when the date is closer than that.
Leave "leaving" and long-service grids to other products
A leaving card can be louder. People pile in jokes about escape. A retirement portrait can go on a wall. Long-service stationery from a corporate supplier often looks like a certificate.
A work anniversary is still an ongoing job. Do not write "finally free" on year two. Do not Face Swap them onto a desert island unless that is genuinely their humour.
If they are leaving next month, make a leaving card, not this one. Ottermagic can still do that brief with a different tone. Keep the files separate in your head.
Style Swap for the desk
Style Swap restyles them into a named look. Sketch, Watercolour, and Royal Portrait read as a keepable portrait on a monitor stand. Cartoon, Clay 3D, Brick, and Action Figure read as a team joke. Photobooth can feel like Friday drinks. Bobblehead and Caricature need consent in all but the most thick-skinned teams.
Live styles: Brick, Chibi, Emoji, Anime, Watercolour, Caricature, Cartoon, Classic Cartoon, Action Figure, Clay 3D, Retro Halftone, Retro Game, Royal Portrait, Pixel Art, Bobblehead, Sticker Sheet, Tarot Card, Photobooth, Sketch, Lucky Leprechaun.
Try two previews: one quiet, one playful. If you would not put the playful one on your own desk, do not put it on theirs.
Face Swap, used sparingly
Face Swap drops their face into a finished scene. That is funny when the scene matches a real running joke (the person who lives in the kitchen, the person who rescues every spreadsheet). It is awkward when the scene is a mock promotion or a parody of their actual job.
Lucky Leprechaun is a named Face Swap-led look. Fine for some birthdays. Odd for most "happy 3 years" cards unless they would choose it themselves.
If the template expects one face, do not crop a group photo of six. Make a card for the person whose anniversary it is.
Photos from work
Use a photo they have already used on Slack, Teams, or the company site, or one they sent you. A candid from a leaving-do three years ago can be unkind.
Uniform, lanyard, and hi-vis are part of some jobs. Ask whether they want that on the front. A weekend photo often ages better on a desk.
Do not pull a picture from a private channel and surprise them in a stand-up. Work anniversaries are public enough already.
What to write inside
Name the role and the span if you know it: "Two years as the person who actually answers the inbox." Mention a concrete habit, not "you're a legend."
Leave the inside blank if the whole team will sign. A printed message is useful when the card will be posted to a satellite office and nobody can pass it around.
Avoid salary jokes, performance-review jokes, and anything about redundancy. Avoid implying they should stay forever.
Timing at work
HR reminders often land a week late. If the date is tomorrow, take the e-card, print it on the office printer if the printer is not a war crime, or show it on a laptop with cake.
If you have around 3–5 working days, the posted A5 with an envelope feels like you tried. Send it to their home if they work remotely, or to the office if that is where they open post.
Remote-first US companies: order about three weeks ahead and the printed card goes by airmail to their home address. With less time than that, send the e-card and print a copy locally if you want paper.
Ready when you are
Pick a photo they already like, try a Style Swap that matches how your team actually talks, and preview until you would be happy to hand it over in front of other people. Order a printed A5 330gsm gloss with an envelope, download the e-card, or check posters and canvas if the artwork should stay on a wall. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
Is this the same as a long-service award card?
No. This is a personal job-anniversary greeting. Corporate long-service ranges are a different product. Ottermagic is the likeness path.
Can I make one card for a whole team's many anniversaries?
You can reuse a style and change the photo. Each person still needs their own preview. A group Face Swap only works if the template expects several faces.
What if they hate photos of themselves?
Text Swap, or a non-photo card from another shop, plus a decent note. Do not force Face Swap.
Will a printed card arrive in time for Friday cake?
In the UK, only if around 3–5 working days still fits. For a US address, allow around 2–3 weeks. Otherwise use the e-card.
Can US offices order printed A5?
Yes. Order from the US shop and the A5 goes by airmail to a US address in around 2–3 weeks. If the anniversary is sooner than that, use the e-card.
Are posters appropriate at work?
Sometimes, in a small office, with their agreement. Ottermagic offers posters and canvas; check live details on the site. Do not hang a caricature in reception without asking.
