Brighten My Day

B'NAI MITZVAH GONE LICHTENSTEIN

2010-11-16T08:56:00.000-08:00

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

SUNSHINE + CHARCOAL

2010-10-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

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

CHINESE NEW YEAR

2010-10-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

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

DO NOT DISTURB

2010-10-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, we created these fun invitations for The Ritz-Carlton Hotels of Atlanta. We created two versions: a fun, bright fuchsia for the more contemporary Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta; and a pretty metallic platinum version for The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead.

The invites were letterpress printed on 160lb. bright white stock - a deep, beautiful impression - and die-cut into classic "Do Not Disturb" door sign {which happened to slip perfectly into a no. 10 envelope}. Each card invited a guest to experience The Ritz-Carlton Hotels, and were a fun play on a classic hotel symbol.

I love the mix of bold, clean type and pretty vintage-inspired scrolls and flourishes. And, I am obsessed with the subtle sheen of that platinum ink. Can you see the shimmer below?

Wouldn't you want to take advantage of this invitation? Count me in for sure...TJG

SWEET AVA REESE

2010-09-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

My sister, Rachel, had a little girl at the end of July and the announcements just came back from the printer. I have to say, I am in love: with my little niece and these sweet announcements.

When I was designing the announcements, my sister's only guidance was that these announcements should be fun, sweet - but not too juvenile - and with a pop of bright color {no pastel pinks, please}. And, this is what we selected in the end.

We used a heavy, 160lb. bright white stock with a slight vellum texture and letterpress printed a whimsical floral illustration with no ink. The result is this amazing texture: subtle and wonderful. We then printed Ava's name and "stats" in a pretty peony pink that perfectly matched the Amy Butler fabrics that my sister chose for the nursery.

We paired the announcement with a kraft color envelope in a monarch size - not too narrow, not to short. Unique. The envelope was printed with a matching peony hue, mimicking the floral design on the announcement. Often, the thin text-weight paper of the envelope doesn't show a dramatic letterpress impression - but the texture here is amazing. And, the design wraps around to the back of the envelope, for a little surprise.

We printed thank you notes to match, a little taste of the blind letterpress impression and the bold contemporary take on Ava's name. I love that she can use these to write notes on now...and then stick them away for 10 years. They work for a baby, a teen and on {I'd use them now, at any rate.}

These were so fun to create: not only was I so pleased with the end result, but also, it was so amazing to have the opportunity to create something special for my sister. Love you, Rach...TJG

SIXTY AT SAKS

2010-09-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law, Dale, loves shopping {which works out very well for all her kids, since she is also exceedingly generous}. She's not a casual-traipse-around-the-mall type of lady. When at a shopping destination, she is a woman with a mission. So, when dreaming up the perfect way to celebrate her sixtieth birthday, the middle of Saks Fifth Avenue was the ideal venue. It is unique, special and fashionable: so "Dale".

For the invitations, I went with a black-and-white color palate - a la Saks Fifth Avenue - with pops of color. I tore pages from every Saks catalog that I could get my hands on, duplexed them to 160lb. bright white stock, and hand-trimmed each to frame the accessories. Then, I stitched small, letterpress cards inviting guests for cocktails in Chanel and dinner in Dior. Each invitation was unique; so fun to put together...

The letterpress impression was deep and crisp on the 110lb. cotton Lettra. And, the fonts: a mix of clean and modern and pretty flourishes.

Each invitation also included a little discount card, which featured a Saks-inspired logo to mark Dale's sixtieth. I used the same logo on the envelope back flap, with a reminder to keep the event a surprise.

I used a black-and-white Katharine Hepburn stamp as postage: elegant, sophisticated and the perfect color palate.

Amazing woman. Amazing event. I hope the invitation did it all justice...TJG