September27th
Below are some wedding proofs we worked on early this summer for a bride getting married in Montana. While this isn’t where it ended up in the end – the first round explored a western/Victorian theme with imagery and typography. The overprinting would have been so cool on the 4×9 with the sunburst, but alas I can’t wait to show you the finished piece! Until tomorrow….
September15th
Here are the final invitations for Jen and Christina. I love how the overlap of the blue and orange create a beautiful olive color on the leaves, this is one of my favorite designs to see printed in different colors because every single suite turns out so differently!
This was the first RSVP where the couple requested music suggestions from guests. I thought it was brilliant, and so fitting for a wedding and RSVP. What a great way to involve guests!
What you might not have noticed from photos alone is that this wedding suite was actually not a standard A7 (5×7″) wedding invitation. To save a little money (which can go a long way for a budget savvy bride) the election to go with a smaller A6 (4.5×6″) invite/announcement can help cut cost in postage and printing. It worked well also because Jen and Chris had minimal information so it didn’t feel like all the elements were squeezed into a tight space.
These were escort cards we printed with the suite paired with a custom diecut pouch. We will be offering these for all escort card orders as well as for direct purchase over the next few weeks if you are a DIY bride (they also look fabulous with square business cards)!
In the end, I was so surprised with how well the color combo worked. It’s such a great aspect to working with a couple that has a defined vision and are confident about it. Printed on 110# lettra paper, paired with matching printed envelopes, this wedding suite is perfect for a fall or spring wedding. Thanks Jen and Chris for being so awesome to work with, best of luck to you both and congratulations on your new adventure!
September12th
So you most likely saw the teaser photo in yesterday’s blog post, but how about the proofs before the pudding? When I started working with Jen she had indicated that she was looking for a blue/orange wedding suite that was rustic and autumn in nature. I really struggled with the blue for the first few hours of digging in, and then we were able to work some magic. Below are the different nature themed explorations, modern as well as organic for the first round of proofs. Man, I love Futura. (tangent) Do you ever feel like there are so many fonts in your library that you forget some of the hidden gems among the hundreds? I know I do – this was a happy re-discovery!
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Ultimately in the end we went another route similar to a previous design we had produced for another bride. However that doesn’t mean you won’t see these in a wedding book and online in the near future. If you had to choose one of these proofs, for your autumn wedding which one would it be?
All designs ©2011 Dingbat Press. Be real, don’t steal. If you are interested in having us do design work, printed goods (or both) for your wedding, contact us – we’d LOVE to work with you!
August18th
On occasion we are asked to take one of our existing designs and adapt it to a new color scheme as well as size. Nicole wanted her invites similar to Sarah and Jeff’s but adapted to the 6″ Square invitation size. Her wedding will be a tropical destination wedding and she’s drawing off the bright fuchsia and green hues to convey the type of event she is going for. Below are the proofs adapted to Nicole’s specifications, I can’t wait to show you the finished piece!!
July25th
These wedding invitations were for a summer wedding and I love how the diagonal stripes panned out in this suite. While the Chevalier typeface for the bride and groom’s names comes with a horizontal stripe, we opted to use the open-face version of the font and create a diagonal stripe on the interior instead. That has the same alignment as the diagonal stripes that make up the border of the invite, and then for some contrast, we reflected the diagonal in the envelope liners so as to create more interest with the single ink color.
These invitations were printed as a single ink, on our house 110# cotton paper, paired with matching envelopes and RSVP postcards. I love how the bride elected to leave empty space on the RSVP so that her guests could fill in a note of congratulations on there instead of the standard layout that so often accompanies RSVP cards. What a great idea!
July18th
This invitation suite was beautifully calligraphied by Kathryn of Della Carta whom we work with regularly for calligraphy calling cards. THe bride is looking for an ice blue or pool color paired with a gold. She wants some shimmer which can be interesting with letterpress as our inks are matte. When you print on uncoated paper stock you lose the ability to have a glossy ink and also the sheen that metallic inks can put off. While the inks are mixed with mica flecks to give it that shimmer, I am always advising brides that the ink will be a matte metallic. If you are looking for something super shiny, then a foil is the way to go. Presses with a foiling unit usually have the inking disabled and a foiling unit is attached. From there spools of foil are wound through and with plate and heat, the foil is impressed into the paper giving it that super shiny look. I love seeing foil work done by other presses, and maybe someday I’ll get a windmill with a foiling unit for Dingbat Press.
This bride is looking for a shimmer pop but isn’t necessarily going for the foil so we are going to go the matte metallic route and utilize shimmer in the liners or envelopes. By using an antique gold ink it will give a hint of shimmer, or we can add silver ink to the pool options to get that blue a little shimmery as well. Which one would you go with?
June21st
These were some proofs awhile back for a client that was going for a traditional typographic feel paired with a more modern layout. I love working on one color designs because it really forces you to organize your information and not overwhelm the piece. I also love when there can be variation between the pieces, so they tie in together but stand on their own as well. What do you like to do when working on designs? Do you like to have everything match perfectly or is there some variation that you like to include in your designs?
May4th
I’m heading to the big city in exactly one week. I have bronchitis and am about ready to kill over, but the excitement is really starting to get crazy!!! The booth (#2152, mark your maps) has arrived. The product is printed (about 90% of it) and we are officially launching a wedding book! Above is a glimpse of one of our series that is going to debut May 15-18th, 2011!
May3rd
National Stationery Show is getting dangerously close. I have bronchitis and am armed with a Z-pac and inhaler. Lets hope the anxiety doesn’t kill me. Below is a wedding we’ve been working on for Emilie. These were RI proofs and you might find one of them in the wedding book as part of our new collection! Come see us at National Stationery Show booth 2152! Dingbat Press, leaving a mark of character in its making!
April17th
Here is another set of letterpress invitations in alternating colorways. Originally the yellow ink was being used as the body copy and on the RSVP – ultimately the yellow ink was proving difficult and wanting to be orangish. So bizarre! So in the end the bride went with the pool/gravel ink colorway, paired with the yellow envelopes. Printers of the world, how do you feel about printing type with light colors?
Sometimes I feel like there is a time and place where hierarchy and imagery marry well enough to let the blind impression type (or lightly printed type) work beautifully. However, on other occasions it just doesn’t seem to mesh. Have you ever dealt with that on a particular job? Clients, what is your opinion – what is more important on a wedding invitation specifically – color harmony or type? I can’t wait to show photos of the finished product!!
April6th
These letterpress wedding invitations were the first invites I printed with the technique of a split ink fountain. To achieve a gradient, the steel cylinder on the press is inked up with two colors, one on the left and right of the cylinder. When the ink distributes it creates the gradient that happened here in the great oak background. I’ve found since printing this and other split fountain pieces, that it is a lot harder to keep color consistent with two analogous colors on the color wheel as they just want to blend all together as the ink distributes more throughout the run. We had to clean the press about 3 times for this set of 100, so as to not have the yellow and green become one middle color from the continual distribution. In the end though, this is another favorites of mine – the gradient is intense yet subtle at the same time and creates some beautiful depth in the piece paired with the chocolatey brown.
Included in the suite were thank you notes, RSVP, and Map (obviously with the invitation). Above is the 4Bar thank you note.
4×6″ Map/directions insert. Have I mentioned I LOVE maps? They are sooo fun to create!
An isolated shot of the invitation only. Letterpress printed on 110# soft white Lettra paper. Two inks, background split-fountain gradient.
March12th
Who doesn’t love maps?! In another life I could have been a cartographer. All throughout k-11th grade (I skipped out on Sr. year with an early graduation) I was always the designated map maker for geography, history, or any other class report that required teams. I loved organizing the information in a unique way, and presenting it as a really stellar map. This one is for a wedding suite locating accommodation/hotels, major area attractions and transportation. 
February10th
Check it out! wohoo! I love how this design turned out. Debuting with the Book – you know, our wedding collection launching at NSS 2011?!
What To Expect...EDGE PAINTING (click the image below to be directed to the post)!
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