Option 1: This design is more concept based, emphasizing the circles in the typography as well as the knocked-out ampersand between Jones & Vandermeer. We wanted a subtle hint of the circular motion of a ball of yarn rolling around but also wanted it to relate to a global shape symbolizing process and the travels invested in procuring this yarn. The typography has been manipulated so that the the balls in the letters have more motion and don’t feel so static but still providing a strong sophisticated brand that is not too crafty looking.

Option 2: This design is a mix of the casual stylistic watercolors that we were inspired by on the Hermes website (per the client’s suggestion). We wanted something that spoke to the handmade generation and yet still felt high end and regal. The typography was set and then hand traced to give it a more distressed and whimsical feel, then paired with a banner and seal option that brought in a hint of Edwardian flourish without feeling too stuffy. By putting the typography on a diagonal we felt it created a more playful look to the brand without getting too childish.

Option 3: The third option is more sentimental. After hearing about the business being named after the client pet doggies, I really wanted to give this design more meaning. Often one feels proud of a brand because it is a reflection of them. We took typography in this design that had really beautiful and elegant swashes – they almost double as a doggy’s tail. I felt like they were so playful and reflective of a pets love and excitement. Since the other two designs were more concept and theory based, with this design we also explored an illustration of a ball of yarn so that the client could compare imagery versus concept.

What is your favorite and why?

These were done for Nicole a little while back. She provided the beautiful handwritten “events” cursive which we based off the rest of the designs. She was looking for classy, fun and not too stuffy but something that still screamed high end. Here is her first round of biz card proofs.

Dubbed Caesar Pig

Dubbed Vintage Pig

Dubbed Zodiac Pig

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All designs ©2010 Dingbat Press

It was such a pleasure to work with Amanda of Paper + Nest on this branding refresh. Amanda already had a great start with her nest element but wanted more help with her typography and layout specifically. This was a fun card to design for letterpress because all these amazing elements would look so awesome letterpress printed.

When working with this, I wanted to explore some typefaces that were softer as the main stationery she is looking to rep are wedding, personal and baby. I thought that with her modern look we needed to try some soft options as well as typefaces that were light in weight. In all of these layouts, I wanted to be consistent with the natural elements of the nest and to do so we adapted it from its straight lines to a more roughed up and organic look.

I can’t wait to see where Amanda goes with these cards and who she picks up for representation in her trunk shows. Amanda, will you rep me? You’ve been so fun to work with, I can’t wait to blog about the finished letterpress printed piece!

If you are interested in a brand refresh or custom work, not only do we provide letterpress printing but design services as well. Contact us for info or a bid on custom letterpress printing for your business or purchase a letterpress sample pack here!

Emma had a great logo already established but we needed to adapt it for letterpress. Often gray-scale imagery either has to be bitmapped in Photoshop, or a line-screen needs to be created. Sometimes it works – like for Sandra Suy’s cards – however this cupcake, being multiple colors and of more minute detail, wouldn’t benefit from a line-screen print. Above is the process in taking Emma’s logo and breaking it into basic shapes with light and shadow that would print better for letterpress. The cupcake was re-drawn in Adobe Illustrator, the white areas were bulked up so the ink wouldn’t bleed in while printing, and there were one and two color options presented for the cupcake in her business card layout. Below, the final printed piece!

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!

Laura came to me wanting a letterpress business card that reflected her modern style. She wanted a card that indicated quality (thus the letterpress) but didn’t scare away her lower budget clients. This was the round one draft and brief for her initial design concepts.

While on press, I really like it when clients can specify a pantone number as it’s easier for me to match on press. This design was a perfect example of how proofs can look different on monitors vs. seeing a print. For the specific job I custom mixed both colors and here is the proof pulled to check and compare against the swatch book.

And here’s a color comparison of the blue Laura had selected, followed by the finished piece. Thanks Laura for being such a great person to work with!

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!

These Wall Envy letterpress cards shipped ages ago, but yet again I found them while archiving my photos. Vickie was really inspirational to work with. She knew exactly what she wanted and was great about providing the client brief to help direct me into the direction we should go. She an her hubby are a great photography team with killer modern taste. Right now I’m working on helping them re-brand their website and blog and all I can say is AWESOME! If you need more than just business cards, please just contact me for pricing. I’m reasonable and really love helping you get the bigger picture together with all your design elements in a row.

Letterpress printed business cards, 1/1 on 110# paper. 2.5×2.5″ Square cards with 1/4″ rounded corners.

In following yesterday’s SpudNut post, I felt it suiting to show these business card design proofs that were done awhile ago for Sweetie’s Bakeshop. Delicious and delicate, these cards were really fun to design. With this specific design we needed to make sure the pool color was light enough in value so as not to pose any problems with the pink over-print. Value can sometimes be an issue in letterpress printing (and offset too) because inks are transparent by nature so there can be show-through which needs to be accounted for when presenting designs. Thankfully the client was more than flexible with the color so we could make sure there was perfection in print quality and color hue. Can’t wait to show you the finished product!

The second has potential to be done in a calligrapher’s hand as well but I’m really imagining the potential of Buttermilk by Jessica Hische with the knockout and framed impression over the couple’s names…

The last option I revisited the hand-drawn mod swirly stuff (what would you call that – flourishes) with a more minimalist typographic treatment. It’s hard not to go overboard sometimes on these designs because I have to remember that the letterpress will change the whole dimension of the piece when printed. I tend to err on the less side in the design phases. We’ll see what the bride has to say!

Here’s another from RI for Kirstin. She sent over an inspiration board indicating a lot of things she wanted to incorporate into her wedding. As you can see, lots of blues and whites.

She also had a pretty mod/organic mix going on with the great art deco illustrations and balloons/circle theme. Wanting to try out some scandinavian folk art too as it runs in her ancestry, this round focused on the scandinavian tree of life with some wispy grasses incorporated. They typongraphy reflected the art deco/art nouveau time period in trying to keep an organic look and feel.