Zazzle Serving Trays

Zazzle operates internationally.  Many of my sales go to international recipients.  Do not underestimate the wider focus of appeal.  Once a product is made for one group it is easy to alter it and offer it to another.  In the examples of my products observe how a product designed for an audience in the United States has been easily changed to a product designed for use in other countries.

I found a nice serving tray with a blank space at the bottom of the inside.  My idea was to decorate the space with a United States flag image.  Since the image does not completely cover the inner bottom of the tray, I choose blue as a backdrop for a flag, but I needed a shade of blue that would not blend with the blue in the flag.

I had two images available.  One was of a waving flag and the other of a fully opened flag.  I liked the waving flag, but it would not work.  There was a rectangular image with white where the waving flag did not cover.  These small patches of white would look strange.  So, I tried the rectangular flag that occupied the entirety of the image.

My thought for words was to reference the huge event about to occur, the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the original Independence Day, the Fourth of July.  But I like products that are evergreen that can be useful in the future.  So, I let the flag hint at the holiday and added the word barbecue.  The tray is rustic looking enough to hold barbecued foods.  Now it is just a patriotic tray that can be used anytime, and it will continue to be useful in the future.

One has to decide which option one wants.  This tray comes with a choice of natural wood or black, and in two sizes.  Below I show one with the black option where I altered the background color to black to blend with the sides of the tray.  Be flexible.

Below I have included a few of my designs.  Some are from digital photos, others are from designs made on Paint or Paint3D.  Either way the result should be appealing, or the item will be dismissed.  

The image with stars featuring red and blue against a white background hint of the colors in the U. S. flag and incorporate the star symbol.  While the stars in the actual flag are white, this can easily be identified as a tray to be used for such occasions as the Fourth of July and Flag Day.

The Canadian and French flag (above) images are from public domain art, and they have no restrictions on their use.

If it is not party time, then look for when a tray might be useful daily.  The British have no real patriotic party holidays, but many Zazzle items sell internationally.  So how can this be handled?

Well, tea time is important, and can occur daily.  So, a tray that addresses the importance of tea time can serve to transport tea and snacks such as scones to a patio or wherever the tea is being served.

Zazzle also has acrylic trays.  The image also goes on the bottom, but the material is acrylic, not wood.  These are and may be best used for serving gatherings large or small.

Notice the same image can be used on each kind of tray, giving the designer twice as many products to offer for sale.

The introductory image is a patriotic U. S. flag tray.  It may be used for such gatherings as a barbeque on a patriotic holiday, but in reality it can be used any time.

Different countries have different rules.  I particularly avoided placing wording on flag images.  I do not know every country's etiquette rule, so I tried hard to be respectful.  One country has no copyright on flag images, but insists the image not be used disrespectfully.  If I recall, the country is Canada, but I suspect other countries have similar requirements.