Tropical Wedding Invitations

December16th

Tropical Wedding Invitations

Posted in: business friday, Edge Painting, letterpress technique, Wedding

We are already two months into winter here so needless to say, my mind is wandering to more tropical climates. These shipped out for a destination wedding and let me tell you, I SO wish I was somewhere warm right now. We have lose to eight feet of snow banks on our road in places.

These were letterpress printed on lettra paper, 220# as a 2-color job. One thing I’m finding is that lettra – while a great paper – seems to exaggerate the “salty” look when printing large ink areas. It seems that paired with the texture and composition of the paper there is less ink absorbancy when printing a flood in comparison to other papers (Mohawk and Arturo come to mind specifically as having better absorbancy).

In the end, I think it depends on what sort of look you are going for. The salty ink coverage can add a very unique texture to a piece, especially if you are going for a more rustic or vintage look to your wedding suite. However if you are looking for a more consistent overlay and less ink transparency then ultimately you’ll want to go with a less textured paper.

Edge painted in hot pink, and paired with hot pink envelopes, I love how the salty print on these add character to the already flowing design. Do you like the salty look? Or do you prefer a more saturated look?
January3rd

Ringing in 2011 – letterpress style!

Posted in: About Me, Business, Holiday, letterpress technique, NSS, posted by ADRIENNE, Wedding

So it’s another new year – and I’m a resolution kind of gal. So after you look at these pretty New Years Eve letterpress invitations, then check out the goings on planned for 2011 and sit back and watch it all happen as we blog and grow Dingbat Press.

Letterpress New Year’s Eve wedding invitations. Printed on 110# Ecru paper in matte metallic antique gold, and matte metallic pewter ink. A7 (5×7″) finished size for the invitation, and 3.5×5″ reply paired with printed matching envelopes.

Personal Resolution #1

I’m not buying anything for myself this year. No clothes, toys, pretty things what-so-ever. National Stationery Show is the only thing I’ll be splurging on :)

Obvious Business Resolution #1

Grow Dingbat Press!

In the coming year, the following goals will be blogged about – as we pass them off – its our biggest event yet and I can’t wait to share it with you all!

Finish 2011 Collections: Wedding, Ready-Made and Digital (yes we are venturing into the offset arena for our customizable goods!) Print New Biz Cards: and with that, master the die-cutting on the windmill. Put together THE BOOK: you know, the one that goes with the wedding collection. Design our booth for NSS: and fire-proof it, build it and ship it to NYC. Finalize our signage for NSS: and get our wholesale price-lists, order sheets, promotional material, and press kits ready. Send out our Pre-show promotions: letting everyone know where we’ll be at! Book flights: confirm hotel reservations, booth space, set-up and take-down. PRINT PRINT PRINT! all our new collections. Launch: Our wholesale catalogue…and much much more!
August23rd

October Wedding Proofs

Posted in: announcements, Wedding

These were presented to a bride who was looking for a bright fall wedding suite for her event in October.

Option 1: Maple Leaf wedding suite

This concept plays off a beautiful photo of a wedding cake with the maple leaves that the client sent over. Seeing that she had mentioned wanting bright colors, we explored oranges and warm coral/red on this option. We were going for elegant with the calligraphy typeface however wanted to explore some unique layouts for this. The inner envelope would be lined with the maple leaves liner, and the outer envelope is the cream, matching the paper stock used for the invites. The inner envelope is in poppy and both envelopes would look beautiful addressed with chocolate ink for her guests.

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Option 2: Heart Thumbprint wedding invitations

We LOVED the thumbprint heart concept that the client presented and thought it would be a good design to add in the requested plum color and the orange. Because we wanted to place emphasis on the thumbprint, we wanted the remainder of the invitation to invoke a minimalist feel with beautiful large margins and flowing typography to tie it in all together. Since the thumbprint is such a personal element of a human and no two are the same, we wanted to maintain that feel in the invitation with a simple typeface reflecting classic school penmanship. There are added dingbats throughout the layout as well, reflecting back on the symbolism of the heart and tying in the typography with the emblem. The envelop liner on this design is an overprint of purple ink on purple paper, to give the envelope a really stunning pop when opened. It sort of adds the detailing in the other pieces without making it look too elaborate or over the top.

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Option 3: Modern Dahlia wedding invitations

The last option was based off some client provided photos of the dahlias in a beautiful peach color. We wanted to bring in a monochromatic feel to this invite, emphasizing the oranges and peaches that are evident in that photo. Again we wanted to explore a more unique approach to the invitation layout with the typography. The flower pattern is carried across all the invitation pieces, and will make such a beautiful impression when printed.

If you were getting hitched, what suite would you go for?
June24th

FREE WEDDING INVITES!!!

Posted in: Wedding

This is Adam, our 18 mo. old neighbor. After a tragic incident on the 24th, he has been life-flighted to the closest children’s hospital (SLC) and is in the ICU fighting for his life. He is 18 months and the youngest child in his family. The hospital is 350 miles from Idaho, and both of his parents are down there praying for a miracle and full recovery for Adam – waiting by his bedside. The rest of their kids are here in Idaho with extended family and neighbors. Susan & George are amazing parents, live a life of service to others, and have so much love for each of their children. My heart is breaking to see this happen to such a wonderful family. Please help and be entered to win some awesome goods!

To raise money for Adam’s life-flight and hospital bill, I am offering a free set of (100) letterpress 2 color wedding invitations and reply cards for every $2000 worth of money raised. That means if we raise $10k there will be (5) FIVE people who could win.

Winners will be randomly selected on July 31st. To qualify, you need to contribute $10 to Adam’s PayPal fund (button below). I know via my stats that I get at least 400 unique visitors a day to this site. That means that if 200 contribute, then we’ve hit our first giveaway package! AND for every $10 you contribute you’ll get an extra entry to up your chances of winning!

You may remember Jessica’s custom design proofs for her suite that was blogged about awhile back. Well it’s time to unveil the finished piece!

Jessica’s invites are a 1 color suite – remember that you are entered to win a 2 color suite! Click to donate and help Adam, all proceeds will go to help pay for his life-flight and hospital stay!
June16th

Wedding Proofs for Demi

Posted in: Wedding

BRIEF from Demi: If anything I would say our style is Tuscan elegance. Our ceremony is outdoors and our reception indoors in a barrel room/wine cave. I don’t want too much of a winery/vineyard theme going on in the invitation, but rather something elegant that sort of catches the whole winery vibe.

While working on these designs we wanted to explore damask pattern and to juxtapose typography with a simple body layout and elegant script for hierarchy significance.

Often when designing, I go through a series of steps to establish hierarchy within a piece. Wedding invitations are easy as usually the bride & groom’s names are of the most importance. Followed by the Bride’s parents (or the hosting family), and then, if included, the groom’s family. Next the reception/ceremony information and then date/time/venue information.

Not all of these areas in a layout will receive different typographic treatments but it’s good to consider the importance of each element in a piece and where it stands in relation to the next element within the design.

All designs ©2010 Dingbat Press, reproduction or derivative works strictly prohibited.
If used in your own blog, please credit by linking to the image source and Dingbat Press.
May12th

Celtic Wedding Invitations

Posted in: Wedding

Kim and her fiance are fans of Lord of the Rings and are having a beautiful wedding in the majestic Lake Tahoe. Inspiration was derived from Celtic imagery and she wanted a sophisticated feel to the invites that somewhat reflected the LOTR elvish mood. Her main inspiration was from the view below – that of her reception site over-looking the beautiful lake!

We took the shape of the windows and softened them up creating a frame around Kim’s invitation typography. She was looking for a whimsical script typeface, and blind impression of a pattern that flooded the rest of the invite. The final printed piece: 2/0 letterpress printed on 220#/600GSM paper. Paired with pool envelopes and matching dark pool ink.

Photographed by Geri – she’s been working for me since December and has quite the eye for photography. Stop by her blog and say Hi, will ya! She’s fabulous. For an engagement Snowing Hearts photo shoot or you can see her San Francisco trip City by the Bay photos that are amazing too!
April21st

Poppy Wedding Invites

Posted in: Wedding

Spring has finally arrived here temporarily (its supposed to snow again this weekend) but for now we are enjoying the lovely weather! These letterpress wedding invitations were done in 2007 but I’ve been having one of my employees re-photograph all of my wedding suites since my camera is out of commission for the time being. Let me tell you, she is doing a fabulous job with styling. I am LOVING what she’s done so far and just can’t wait to show you all!

These poppy invites were the inspiration behind the other poppy product in The SHOP.

The pieces included invitation, reception insert, thank you note, ceremony insert, and bridal luncheon insert.

If you are interested in a custom letterpress wedding suite from Dingbat Press, contact us, we’d love to work with you!
April19th

Real Wedding: Sarah + Jeff

Posted in: Wedding

Sarah came to me wanting a letterpress wedding suite that was bright, modern and sort of cirque de soleil looking for her invitations. To see her previous round 1 proofs and round 2 proofs click to link! Below is the final product. Curry and fuchsia were her colors of choice and they turned out totally awesome with the impression and reverse print band on the bottom of the invite creating a faux emboss.

Check out that close up! This was such a fun job to print and design. It really came together in the last design round and was so unexpected. Perfect for a fun summer wedding. Below is invitation/envelope, thank you note, and table card.
April7th

Wedding Proofs: Traditional Romantic

Posted in: Wedding

Jessica was looking for traditional, black and romantic letterpress invitations with a hint of oversized script typography for the bride and groom’s names. She wanted clean, classy and sophisticated with light pink envelopes – this job is in the final design phases and I can’t wait for it to go on press!
March25th

One Color Letterpress Wedding

Posted in: Wedding

This letterpress wedding suite was printed last fall for a Victorian Christmas wedding. Often I have the bride & groom looking for budget letterpress and I usually recommend a wedding suite with one ink color in that situation. So many people shy away from estimates if it includes only one ink color, however I wanted to provide an example of how beautiful a suite with one ink color can look! This couple had their budget pretty conservative but needed a lot of pieces in the suite so on the initial consult I provided an estimate for a 1 color suite. Since I was working with a designer (the groom), he was open to the option as well. In the end, it was printed on the thick 110# paper, and included was the reply/food option insert as well as a directions/map insert along with the initial invitation and outer envelope. When utilizing illustration in your wedding invitation design, you can really pack a lot into your design with only one ink color and still have it impress your recipients, so don’t rule it out from the beginning!
March5th

Wedding Proofs: Jenn Bates

Posted in: Wedding

After being enamored with Jessica Morrisy’s business cards and Sweetie’s Bakeshop proofs, Jenn wanted an adaptation for her letterpress wedding invites. Going for a light/dark combo, the next round will explore some brown in replacement of the light blue. Latte maybe? I can’t wait to see how these turn out!

If you are interested in an estimate for wedding invitations contact me and fill out the form, I’d love to work with you!
March1st

Wildflower Wedding

Posted in: Wedding

This was a one color letterpress invitation suite for Penny and Brian. Penny was super easy to work with and so enjoyable. I have to say, the whole time I was designing this invitation I kept humming Penny Lane by The Beatles! I know, original. It’s like when people call out to my “Yo Adrienne!” from Rocky – I digress. Penny’s whole wedding will be wildflowers and outdoors in the wilderness. Since I’ve lived in the bedroom community of Jackson Hole, this was fun to work on because it’s right in the vein of living rural. We have a strip of grass on the outside of our driveway with an 80×6′ garden of wildflowers. It was so amazing last summer to see the California poppies, lupine, aster, hawkweed and more blooming in bright color in my front yard. Can you tell I’m itching for spring?!

If you are a budget bride looking for letterpress, but aren’t sure you can afford it, you should consider a one color invitation. This one is simple and minimalist however I’ve seen some really intricate and beautiful wedding invitations done as a one color as well. If you are interested in an estimate, don’t hesitate to ask!
October13th

Real Wedding: Nicole + Chris, 2

Posted in: Custom, Wedding

This is option 2 for Nicole and Chris, option 1 first shown here. This invitation design came about because Chris wanted to see how we could make a typographic invitation with flourishes work. Here’s an alternate layout with some calligraphic examples of flourish and border that was popular during the time-period. Layout is non-traditional in that there are large and small variations of the border, however typography is kept simple and centered on a horizontal format.

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KNOW before you buy! A blog series dedicated to letterpress technique and what you should know before investing in letterpress printed goods.

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