Lip Service Coupon

Lip service is what makes the world go ’round. We are all participants, with coworkers, classmates, friends, family, strangers; we all tell those little white lies that help to make social interactions go more smoothly. We generally know when we’re getting or giving lip service, but that doesn’t stop its persistence.

Coupons seemed to be on my mind as I’d been working on some for work. I thought it would be fun to make my own coupons, and the idea of lip service had been buzzing around in my head for a while, so I decided to combine the two. I thought it would be a fun little card to give someone (unused) where that person would use later at his or her discretion (giving it back to the person they received it from). The bottom half of the back of the coupon has a space for a message, so you can expand upon the details of the lip service you’ve checked.

From the get-go, I knew I wanted my coupon to be pink and gray. I wanted a soft feminine look to the coupon that was more inviting and would act as a counterbalance for the lip services offered. The lips were the most difficult part of the layout; I tried lipstick kisses on paper, but a good kiss mark is more difficult than it looks. After several failed attempts, I gave up and ended up drawing several lips and choosing the best one instead.  

I think the part I enjoyed the most during this design process was creating the list of lip services, because there are just so many to choose from—such an abundance of platitudes and acceptable lies. I could tell myself that this coupon was a “Great idea!” but that could just be a lip service given to myself.