Just before the holidays, Erin got in touch about business cards for her new business. She thought hand-painted watercolor cards would add the perfect touch of creativity and I couldn’t agree more!
I love that each card is unique while referencing an abstract orange and red pattern that is part of the company’s branding. Want your own set of cards? Check out your options here.
In my opinion, there’s no greater compliment than a returning customer. Even positive feedback can be hollow, but when someone comes back for more, you know they truly love what you’ve made for them.
So when I had the opportunity to do a reprint of both Troy and Sharon’s business cards before I left for my September trip, I was really honored. You can read more about Troy’s original design here, and the story of the Franziska cards here. Want to order some custom letterpress business cards for yourself? Browse options here or get in touch!
I recently printed up another big batch of my business cards, and it occurred to me that when I rebranded last year I never shared my new cards! So, even though I’m considering another update in the next year or so (the perils of being a designer!), here’s the story of my cards!
Kraft paper was part of the identity package I put together for myself, and I love the look of white and metallic ink on kraft, so I knew I wanted to incorporate those inks in some way. After testing out a few options, I settled on white for the front of my cards as it has the most contrast with the paper, making small text easiest to read.
I also wanted to have a two-sided business card, but didn’t want them to be a difficult project to print—double-sided cards are the most difficult to get a tight registration. The solution? A free form pattern that would show parts of an oversized logo I had randomly printed on the backs of my cards. For the first few runs, I went with silver on the back, but this time I switched to gold (on a slightly lighter card stock)—it felt more festive for fall and the holidays, and more on trend! (Plus, like every other creative person right now, I’m obsessed with all things gold!)
Looking at them now, I’m falling in love with them again, so maybe I’ll hold off on that redesign…. Need some cards for you or your business? Get in touch, I’d love to work with you!
Officially, Pantone named two colors of the year for 2016: Rose Quartz and Serenity (which is a sort of pastel blue), but so far from where I stand it’s been all about lovely shades of blush pink.
First, bride-to-be Krista got in touch. I had designed and printed her save the date coasters last year and they were some of my favorites, so I was thrilled to hear from her! I’ll do a bigger reveal after their wedding day, but here’s a sneak peek of their dusty rose wrap that holds all the invitation elements together.
Another bride from last year got in touch just after Krista. The future Mrs. O’Brien went for a more formal design for her wedding stationery, which features the same pink filigree pattern, gold family crest and formal script as her save the dates. Her invitations are hot off the press (and drying all over my house) as I type, so I don’t even have a sneak peek for you yet, but stay tuned!
I’ve also been working on non-letterpress wedding invitations lately. I’ve been thinking about offering less expensive options for a while now, since not every bride can or wants to spend several hundred (or more) dollars on their invitations. And, as smaller celebrations become more popular, the price-per-invite goes up, since the initial supply costs for letterpress work are so high. Although personally I still think it’s totally worth it!
I recently connected with a photographer via The Rising Tide Society that offered to shoot some of my new invites! Nicole over at Simply Charming Pictures did a great job, I can’t wait to share the rest of her work! Watercolor invitations aren’t yet available online, but get in touch if you’re interested!
As I was finishing up those big wedding projects, a new mom got in touch via Etsy about invitations for her baby girl’s first birthday party. She loved my Watercolor Ombre Fill-in Invitations, but wondered if I could make them in pink and gold instead… to which I said of course! I knew I would love the results, so I made an extra set to list in the shop—find them here!
And finally, I’ve finally started ordering a few new printing plates for my own projects. You may have noticed I didn’t launch as many new cards last year. When I first moved, I was so excited to have so much time for letterpress work that I may have gone a little crazy and printed all the cards I’d had bouncing around my head for years but never had the time to print, and my stock got a little out of hand. Not only do I have limited space to store everything, but it’s difficult to keep track of nearly 200 different designs!
Someday when I have my own shop, I’ll be able to maintain that kind of inventory, but for the time being, I needed to pare things down. I’m finally at a place now where enough designs have sold out so I’m ready to create some new work!
Far and away my favorite of the new fonts I bought a few months back is this beautiful modern calligraphy typeface. It’s perfect for wedding season! My “Mr & Mrs” cards have always been popular, but I’ve been feeling like the design needed an upgrade, so I designed these! Pick up a set here. I also wanted to created a new design that would not only work for weddings (and not even same-sex unions at that), but any joyous occasion—birthdays, adoption, engagement, graduation… you name it, this card works. Available in blush here, but I’m thinking of printing them in lots of colors… feel free to comment with what you’d like to see next!
Each January, there seems to be a surge in new business card clients, mostly small business owners or freelancers looking to finally get some professional business cards made. It’s one of my favorite influxes—such a fun way to kick start the year—and this year did not disappoint!
I still have a few projects in the works, but I finished the first two sets last week so I thought I’d share!
Jori beat the rush by getting in touch on New Year’s Eve for her new cards. She wanted a very simple design with just the right typeface, and I loved her attention to the font we used. Most people don’t realize it, but a typeface often sets the mood for the design, so this friendly, modern, clean face works perfectly for her!
Troy got in touch a few days later after purchasing a card from one of my Wisconsin stockists over the holidays. He had done his research, checking out my work on this very website (Hi, Troy!) and knew exactly what he was looking for. The parameters he provided were really inspiring to me, and I came up with a ton of amazing design options for him. I love the one he picked (above)—they just may be my favorite business cards to date!
I also thought I’d share a few of the other initial designs I created for him. I love them so much, I’d hate to never have them see the light of day, so if you’re interested in updating one with your information, get in touch!
622 press | LETTERPRESS GOODS MADE BY HAND 