unfold uk

it's called the internet, folks.

It's not easy to find both sophisticated and modern stationery styles in the UK. Sophisticated [and stuffy], yes, but modern? Not so much - and certainly not online. There is a great correspondence tradition in Britain that I really do love, but the actual process of finding contemporary designs and buying said stationery is still very old-fashioned. You have to make an appointment at a bricks-and-mortar stationer, go through massive bound books to find an ok design, then wait a few weeks for printing, then go back to the bloody store to pick it up. Has anyone ever heard of the internet? Didn't think so.

Thank God for Jane Press, I say. Jane Press is a new online-only personalized stationery boutique that carries both traditional and contemporary designs, uses super high-quality paper and prints your order fast. Here are some of my favorites:

I really love these calling card designs, because they are different from anything I usually see.  Plain white on the back of calling cards always seems like such a waste of space, and Jane doesn't do plain white [and I hate plain greeting card backs too, but that's another post].  Well done, Jane! 

JMcD

one to watch

It's been a while since I've seen any flat-printed cards that really caught my eye.  Enter John McDonald, a graphic artist who has an interesting - and appealing - style.  His designs prove that a card doesn't have to be handmade to look unique and distinctive. 

John delivers three specific collections; the Gnome Notes [below] are my favorite.  I'm a sucker for the smaller details that make one card different from another, and John pays attention to these things:

• rounded corners
• different colored backs
• printed envelope interior

I rarely see an envelope that has a pattern printed on the inside [right], and I like being surprised.  I know these things might sound stupid - I mean, how clever is a rounded corner really? - but they work. 

 

   

 

John prints some of his cards with a spot gloss that sets off the design, and does it subtly.  They are a great example of inexpensive cards that don't look mass-produced.  Well done!

  

vicki eggs - discovery

I met Vicki Eggs at a summer fair in Cambridge.  She was selling her handmade greeting cards and ever the paperphile, I found myself ooohhing and aaahhhing in no time.  She's a clever photographer, and her designs feature shots she's taken on various jaunts overseas.  I'm particularly drawn to - no surprise - the photos she's taken in America. 

 

She uses real photo prints [no scans here, thankfully; I'm not anti-scan but real photos add more depth] and inserts them into die-cut windows that frame the shots really well. 

  

We met for coffee and had a bit of a chat [as they say on this side of the Atlantic].  She's relatively new to the business, and she's working hard to get her name out there.  And it's paid off:  she just signed a deal with a large publisher who is going to distribute these cards as well as license a range of Vicki's other designs.  I'm going to use Vicki as a case study on how an artist builds their own stationery brand, and I'll write regular posts to see how she's doing and what she's dealing with at any given time.  She's off to a strong start.

flattery will get you everywhere

The English commonly use a compliment slip as part of their stationery wardrobe.  It's a good size; about 194 mm wide x 90mm high, and usually has the phrase 'with compliments' on it.  I really like them, probably because we don't use them in the US and therefore, they're pretty novel.  

All kinds of businesses use them - here are some examples from a lawyer's office, department stores and a gift bag manufacturer:

Graphically speaking, these are pretty boring, but it's a good format with which to do something interesting.  I'll keep an eye out for more examples.  If you have any, please send them to me and I'll post them.

slide into first

Since writing a love letter to your baby is - after all - about writing a letter, you'd think there would be more of them on the market.  Maybe there are and I just don't know it, because I'm not a mother myself.  But lots of mothers I know who've seen Jennifer Parker's Baby Love Letters tell me they've never seen anything like them before.

   

Jennifer, the designer behind Canopy Cards, creates a different letterpressed card for each milestone of the baby's first year, from sleeping through the night to sitting up to walking.  There are 10 'firsts' in all.  The detail that really seals the deal, in my opinion, is the packaging. I'm a sucker for a clever, creative package, and there is a surprising lack of examples in the market.  But I digress. Jennifer presents the cards in a matchbox-style sliding drawer inside a sleeve, which doubles as easy storage until said child is old enough to read just how much his parents love him [or her - no sexism here].

I like Jennifer's style because it's simple and clean.  She letterpresses one line of colored text on an all-white card, and doesn't overdo the sticky-sweet sentimentality that a lot of baby cards ooze.  The product does take some explaining, though - is it a gift? is it stationery?  what part of the store does it go in?  Obviously, not all retailers pull the deer-in-the-headlights look, but I'd like to see some related products to sell with it, to give it some context.  Canopy has just come out with some onesies so that might be just the thing.