B'NAI MITZVAH GONE LICHTENSTEIN

What an amazing family!  The Goldstein twins - Sydney and Robert - and their mother, Carrla, wanted to do something funky and unexpected with their B'nai Mitzvah invitation.  They all agreed that vibrant color was the way to go, paired with a clean, modern aesthetic.  So, after some brainstorming, we decided to turn a summer vacation photo into a Lichtenstein-inspired piece of art.


This was their save the date, and I am obsessed with each detail.  The art!  The colors!  We engraved the text on both the cherry red save the date and the boysenberry envelope in crisp, white ink - delicious!  The card was actually Z-folded, with all of the weekend details captured on the inside panels.  Then, we hand-adhered the image of Sydney and Robert using 3-dimensional foam tape, to give the image a mounted, museum feel.  The stamps were custom, also giving a glimpse into the pop-art deliciousness to come.

For the invitation, we went big.  No really, we went big...like 9 x 11 big.  So, the size was dramatic and the colors were bright...so we kept the design very clean and contemporary.  And, instead of making the artwork a focal point on the invitation, we lined the large envelope with a huge print: a little {big?} surprise when the envelope opened.


On the invitation, we switched up the colors a bit, keeping the rich boysenberry hue and pairing it with a bold tangerine.  Because this event was for a boy and a girl, I wanted to be certain that the invitation felt neither too masculine nor too feminine.  I love that it just feels modern and a little edgy...very much like this amazing family.


See the return address on the deep back flap of the envelope?  Just a simple touch, but one of my favorites.


The cards will all custom duplexed, with two layers of the boysenberry, and one layer of the tangerine, creating a sturdy, heavyweight card with some heft...even at the large size.  As such, it felt significant and important, like this very special event.


We used the Lichtenstein image for the response card stamps...and carried the font pairings to each piece of the invitation.  Again, the script is funky and fun, yet not "girly."

The perfect complement to the invitation design: the sleek hand-lettering done by the crazily-talented Crystal Kluge.  The white gouache was bold and crisp, and her modern hand was perfect introduction to the enclosed invitation.  Not too whimsical, not too curly, just unique.

For the invitation stamps, we took the dotted pattern - so characteristic of Lichtenstein and the background of our artwork - and created custom stamps with an S {for Sydney} and a R {for Robert}.  Sometimes the custom stamps look so sticker-ish and fake, that they can overwhelm an envelope.  But on this one, they looked perfectly at ease.


This is one of my most favorite invitations: from the rich color palate, to the pop-art elements, to the weight of the cards and the varying sizes of each piece, I just love it.  Thank you, Carla and Jeff, for being such trusting clients to let me "go for it"...and for allowing me create an invitation that really set the tone for the amazing event to follow. {You should see photos...beyond incredible!}...TJG

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SUNSHINE + CHARCOAL

I love this little invitation that we created for my brother's - and now sister-in-law! - wedding.  The color palate makes me so happy: fresh sunshine yellow and soft charcoal, with a crisp, bright white.  And the letterpress impression was deep and tactile...



We used Nelly Script - a typeface by Crystal Kluge - for the bride and groom's names.  I love that it is clean and delicate, and so beautifully mimics the feel of hand lettering.  {AND, she is so talented and sweet, whether you are looking for gorgeous unique fonts or amazing custom work.}

Paired with a clean, all-caps typeface, the feel of the invite is pretty and contemporary.


See the way the flower illustration wraps around the envelope; front the front to the back flap?  A fun surprise in the mailbox.


The most fun part of the invitation: the way the white portions of the floral image look almost embossed, in contrast to the rich sunshine yellow ink pressed into the cotton stock.


Loving the vibrant yellow...and my brother and NEW {!} sister-in-law.  Happy, happy stuff, guys...TJG

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CHINESE NEW YEAR

Earlier this year, we had the the opportunity to create some beautiful invitations to help The St. Regis celebrate the Chinese New year with their clients.  We wanted to keep the invitation elegant and upscale - in line with the hotel's brand - but also to play off Chinese colors and symbols.

We actually ended up printing the invitation in two reverse color-ways; we couldn't decide which we loved more.  One version was letterpress printed in gold on heavy-weight, bright white stock and featured red edge-painting; the other version was letterpress printed in red with shimmery gold edge-painting.



Both were paired with red envelopes, letterpress printed in a tone-on-tone red ink.  The cherry blossoms wrapped across the envelope, with the hotel's return address on the envelope back flap.  I love those little touches that make you want to pluck that envelope right out of your mailbox, to save it from drowning in all of the junk mail and bills.




Love the subtle sheen of the gold ink, and the tactile impression of the clean, all-caps typeface with the Asian-inspired brush script.  And, the edge-painting for that extra touch...



So, which do you prefer: the gold or the red?  Either way, doesn't that shimmery gold edge painting make you happy?  Enjoy...TJG

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