originals :: paper art & design

Before I left on my road trip to the Great Northwest I designed new business cards. As a designer you can imagine how difficult it was designing for myself. A million ideas going through my head and having to choose one.

I decided to make a business card that’s a miniature representation of my design niche. It’s slightly shorter than a standard business card, folds in half like a greeting card and has all my info in a clean and concise layout.

It perfectly proves my ability to do all the things I market myself to do!  Now that’s a successful design solution!  Agree?

I fold the business card in half and corner round the two right corners to compliment my round swirl and font, and then slip two cards into this miniature black envelope. BC ADVICE: Always give two business cards away, one for the recipient and another for the the recipient to give away!

For fun I take my business card to another level of fabulous!  I add an eyelet to really hit home my ability to truly create an original business card.  Besides, the point these days is to stand out, right? So do it, dare to be different and be an original!

I do this bindery step by hand and it’s  well worth it in the long run! Check these out!

Then I insert a natural thin cord through the eyelet and tie a knot, and like that, you have a functional tag and business card that’s sure to be a conversation piece for weeks and months to come.

So tell me this, if you received a business card like this, would you keep it or toss it? My bet is that you’d keep it. That, to me, is why spending a little extra on your business card is very important. Cheaper isn’t always better.

Have a great day!

Are you as crazy over paper as I am? If so, get a look at these new swatch books that arrived yesterday from Envelopments! It’s like Christmas in April here at the Originals Paper Art studio. I can hardly wait to make samples with the new colors and prints.

A great new addition to their line of paper is a selection of LETTERPRESS papers. They’re beautiful, heavy weight and have fabulous texture.  If you’re in the market for custom letterpress invitations, announcements or stationery… we need to talk!

But wait, that’s not all… they added a bunch of new patterns and color combos to their already incredible paper selection.  Not only do these papers come in card stock, they have complimentary light weight papers, envelopes, envelope liners and their infamous pockets!  Be sure to visit their website to see all they have to offer.

Once you’re done surfing the net for ideas, contact me to discuss how we can make your dream stationery come to life! You’ll be happy you did.

The 2010 Northeast Missouri Bridal Expo (brought to you by Tailor-Made Events) is this Sunday, January 31st and I’m getting my booth layout figured out this week.  Here is one of my display towers.  Each will present four original invitation ensembles.

Originals Paper Art & Design invitations do not come from an overflowing catalog or electronic template, but from a creative session between the bridal couple and me!  They are truly original and designed to represent the couple and their special day.

Whether your budget is average or ample, I can design an invitation for you. I must be honest, if you have a strict budget, Originals is not your best option. A set budget is beneficial prior to the creative session… it helps us stay on track when discussion your invitation options.

I’ll have hundreds of invitation samples at the Expo for you to look at and get ideas.  Your invitation is the first thing your guests see and it indicates what they can expect the day of your wedding.  Represent yourselves well.

Originals has a rainbow of paper colors, tactile textures and fancy finishes available in hot pink, rich red or chocolate brown, you name it, we’ve got your color scheme covered!

I’m an Envelopments dealer/designer and have access to their entire line of paper, dimensional pockets and original graphics.  Check out their website and let me know if I can be of assistance with your Envelopments needs.

See you at the Bridal Expo this Sunday! Be sure to drop by my booth and register to win a variety of Originals Paper Art & Design prizes!

I received a phone call a few weeks ago from Millie at The Blue Note.  She accepted a new position as Special Events Coordinator and wanted some fun and reflective business cards.  Here are the four design concepts I sent her for review.

Here is the design of (budget) choice.  Millie REALLY wanted to go with the coaster design… but we all know that’s a spendy option.  With a line up of event bookings she hopes to order them next time!  How fun will THAT be!

Rather than having these cards die cut, Allen created a cutting jig for our large cutter.  The high tech jig is pictured below made of chipboard.  The top and left edges are perfectly square and fit into the cutter this way.  Allen places a stack of cards into the jig (as shown), places the cut out jig piece on top of the cards, clamps down the cutter to hold the cards securely in place and cuts.  Just like that we have an angled cut.  The angled cut is designed to match the slanted roof in the logo AND most importantly makes the card stand out in a pile of cards!

If you’re in the Columbia (Missouri) area and looking to book a venue this year for ANY special occasion, you should consider The Blue Note!  Call Millie for all the fabulous details… and be sure to tell her Brooke sent you!

Business Cards = the best and most inexpensive investment you can make to flood the market with your business information. I highly recommend purchasing them in bulk and giving them out in multiples! A friend once told me, “always give two cards, one for the recipient to keep, and the other for them to share!”  Now that’s advice that makes perfect sense! Word of mouth is so powerful… and an extra card for them to give away works in your favor!

I designed three business card concepts for Jackson Stables and each person chose the style of their liking.  Below is the one-sided vertical version that Andrea chose… and I love the way it turned out!  Crisp, clean and subtle lines.

And here’s the two-sided horizontal version.  Robin wanted to incorporate a picture and so I put her most important contact information on front with the photo and all other information on back.  She also wanted room to write notes on the back… so it’s set off to the right to compliment the front… AND give her room to write.  I gave her a white Gel pen to write with… it looks great, is fun and most impressionable.

I just tried their website and see that it’s not up yet, but check back often, they’re working on getting it live.  If you live, or plan to visit northeast Missouri, I know they have a Facebook page, so search for West Winery/Jackson Stables and become a fan to learn more.  It’s a beautiful space to taste (and buy) fabulous wine and visit with friends.  Cheers!

I’ve been busy finalizing a handful of design projects this past week and they’re all at the printer. Feels good to have them out of my queue! Here’s the business stationery I designed for National Women’s Athletic Association (NWAA). As you may recall… I recently designed the logo and rack card… and have a few more marketing materials in the works. It’s been fun!