Design Work Life: Cataloging Inspiration Daily

For the month of August, a series of guest posters will be fill­ing in on DWL with daily posts. Today’s posts come to you from Maddy Hague of Somewhere Splendid. For more from Maddy, be sure to check out her etsy shop and fol­low her on Twitter. Enjoy!

Hello every­one! My name is Maddy Hague, and I’m the blog­ger behind the nest­ing blog Somewhere Splendid. A graphic designer by trade, I think the paper goods of a party is just as impor­tant in set­ting the tone of the event as the décor. Today I’m excited to share with you my top three favorite trends in party invi­ta­tion design, and then later I’ll be shar­ing some of my favorite designer party details.

HANDMADE:

With the rise of artists like Dana Tanamachi and other hand let­ter­ers, I’ve noticed that the look is becom­ing really pop­u­lar. Whether it is truly hand drawn, or dig­i­tally illus­trated to have the same feel, you’ll see a lot of gor­geous design hap­pen­ing with a nod to the handcrafted.

PARTIES IN A BOX:

When your guests can’t come to you, what’s the best design solu­tion? It’s to send them a party in a box, of course! Impeccably designed paper details paired with per­fectly pack­aged con­fetti, striped straws, and other details are com­bined in a ship­pable box that will be sure to sur­prise the recipient!

GOLD FOIL:

Gold is every­where in event design these days, and invi­ta­tion design is pick­ing up the metal­lic look with gold foil that adds an ele­gant, upscale touch. Whether it’s using it for all of the copy set in stun­ning hand let­ter­ing, just as a small detail in an over­all design, or some­where in between, it’s a great way to estab­lish a fes­tive tone in advance of the event.

PHOTO CREDITS (from top to bottom):

HANDMADE
Zig & Zag
Moglea

PARTIES IN A BOX:
Pics 1 and 2: Amanda Jane Jones
Pics 3 and 4: Duet Letterpress
Pics 5 and 6:  Priscilla Gragg
Pic 7: Amanda Jane Jones

GOLD FOIL:
Pic 1: Lindsay Letters
Pics 2 and 3: Oscar&Emma
Pics 4 and 5: Kathleen Wing via Under Consideration