New Work: A Hand Lettered Thank You

I'm very excited to share one of my latest projects with you. It's not very often that you get a project where you get to be as creative as you like, so when they come around, designers get a sort of creative "high." I was also able to use some beautiful letterpress and offset printing on this one, so the finished project was that much more special. Anywhere you can add letterpress, do it, it is totally worth it.

My clients, a newlywed couple, were in need of a very special and unique thank you to send to their wedding guests. The wedding itself was something really special, check it out here. Instead of gifts the couple asked for books from their guests, and they amassed quite an extraordinary library. The 200+ titles range from fictional novels, to travel, art, and even children's books. Visra and Chris knew they wanted aspects of their life included in the piece, a new SF city life, and their beloved dog Snoop. I got to meet Snoop, by the way, and he is a total love!

After a few brainstorming meetings we settled on using a poster format, there were a lot of books after all! I wanted this piece to be as special as possible and rather than just listing the books, I wanted the character of each book to stand out. Hand lettering seemed like an obvious choice, though I must say my hand was a little weary toward the end. But it was totally worth it.

The final piece included a poster with all the titles and an illustration of Visra, Chris, and Snoop inside a tent looking out at SF, Sutro tower behind them. Their wedding was a 3-day camp out, so the tent was a nod to the spectacular event. Oh and yes, your eyes do not deceive you, that is a llama. Also at their wedding :) I wish I had a great full size shot for you, but it is so big I will have to figure out the best way to shoot it, stay tuned.

The secondary piece to this was a letterpress enclosure for Visra and Chris to write their personal thank you as well as a detachable bookmark. I did a little doodle of a book attached to a balloon, which was also a little nod to the wedding itself. I know I am an illustrator "officially," but sometimes I still feel like a "doodler."

This was a project I feel very fortunate to have been a part of. It is so rewarding to have creative freedom and to see your finished product at the end, something I don't always get to be a part of. Visra and Chris were awesome clients to work with, too, which always makes a project worth doing. I'm off for a much needed vacation, but I will be back with a fresh perspective, and hopefully some new inspirations to share with you!

Photography by Will Reyes

Printing
Poster: Lahlouh, offset 
Enclosure: Dependable Letterpress