There’s something very special about having your own letterhead. It’s a way of reflecting your personality, and it can be a great way to celebrate a recent marriage and name change.

Personal stationery is great for sending thank you notes to people, whether for your wedding guests or for any occasion. It’s also perfect for sending any type of letter to friends or formal letters.

Designing personal stationery can be a way of expressing who you are as a person, too. Are you better represented by a bold, all caps font or a soft, wispy cursive? Do you prefer a classic black type, or a rich deep burgundy/

Whatever your preference, and whatever your style, having personal stationery is a special way to celebrate yourself. If you want to find out more, get in touch today!

My five year old nephew also appreciates writing letters to folks.

recall in third grade taking a workshop in my elementary school’s library about how to self-publish books through my hometown school district’s fantastically encouraging program where elderly volunteers would hand-bind books for schoolchildren to then write in and distribute.  Specifically, this program enabled me to earnestly start a series, “Dogs in Space,” where a spaceship shaped like a femur landed in the backyard of a little bespectacled boy who liked to a read a lot and who had no friends.  Obviously, my psychological projection continues to this day in my writing, only now it’s coupled with years of study of Socratic logic, Immanuel Kant, Carl Jung, and a bunch of neat words culled from vocabulary lessons in high school and writing classes in college.

I buy treasures of literature at the Philadelphia AIDS Thrift with regularity for pennies.

As a boy, I loved the feel of paper.  I loved the smell of freshly bound books, the crisp way the pages would slap together, the rugged edges of American history biographies, the visual pleasantry of luxe-creme sheets riddled with deep set fonts hammered into them.  New books purchased through the Scholastic fundraiser every year in my school district were shiny, glimmering rectangles just waiting for a little boy or girl to escape inside of them.  And, I escaped with disturbing regularity away from being made fun of, away from the fact that I had crushes on my male peers, and away from the fact that I, quite literally, had no friends as a child.  Instead, my friends existed in my imagination; I would take walks and have conversations with Badger from Kenneth Grahame’s “The Wind in the Willows,” seeking Badger’s gruff counsel as to whatever manufactured circumstance was going on in my life.  Later, I would quietly ask William Shakespeare what, exactly, he meant by the way he seemed to weave, quite deliberately, certain syllables together.  And, as an adult, I hear George Orwell constantly berating me for going on and on and on without saying a damned thing of import or substance.  These characters and writers came into my life when I most needed them, they are my most trusted counselors, and they have never failed to equip me with the escape necessary to cope with life.  More poignantly, unlike alcohol or drugs or sex or overeating, this coping mechanism strengthens my arguments, directs my thinking, and makes me a better human being without risking injury or worse.

My post-it notes have “WTF, Seriously?” on them.

In addition to books themselves, I developed an unhealthy fascination and obsession with stationery, specifically personal letterhead and Moleskine notebooks.  Even now, I carry a small Moleskine notebook in my vest pocket along with a fine tipped Pilot G2, always blue and never too fine, to write the various telephone numbers, names, websites, email addresses, story leads, and bizarre facts accumulated over the course of a standard day here in Philadelphia.  I have spent literally hours in Blick, Paper Source, the Papery of Philadelphia, and Utrecht poring over the choices before me:  do I stick with chartreuse for my personal letters?  Will people find blue paper difficult to read off of, even with a lighter colored ink?  Why do people still feel it’s okay to use glitter pens?  These questions plague me, and they’ve led to the most amusing and satisfying interactions, in a retail setting, I have ever had in my life.  Indeed, the folks at Paper Source know me by my erratic pacing back and forth amongst all the colors in their storeroom, they know how intolerable I am when it comes to picking out my personal fonts, content of letterhead, and tactile fickleness.  Specifically, I refuse to purchase anything that I deem to feel too much “like it’s from Staples.”  Is the customer always right?  Perhaps, but he’s always insufferable.

Gleefully, I’ve watched aspiring brides insist on what their wedding invitations must look like to the complete ambivalence of their groom counterparts; I’ve laughed at the divorce announcement cards; and, I’ve gone through great pains to pick out just the right card for my father’s birthday, just funny enough, not too mushy (after all, we’re men), and, always, minimalist and ironic.  Each time someone appreciates my writing by donating to this site, I ensure I locate a physical home or work address for the reader and spend time every Sunday writing personal notes, letting my mixture of cursive and block letters express my diction and emphasize words without the trite and, quite abused, “quotation marks.”  And, I always sign off with my initials or, in the case of people I know intimately and personally, “Josh,” always underlining my name in a process that I liken to colonial Americans affixing their personal stamps.  Walking down Market Street late at night or early in the morning around Third Street, I pass by Benjamin Franklin’s post office and feel the warmth of human spirit radiating from this ages old building, awesomely appreciating that the First American sat naked nearby in his front window to freely and fully absorb the morning air.

And, I read with great confusion and disagreement the stories, seemingly put out with regularity akin to the equinox, about the death of paper, the complete irrelevance of newspapers, the destruction of the publishing industry, the fact that people think it’s okay to send e-vites instead of taking the time to write out, by hand, the addresses and names of their party guests (it’s not.)  Sadly, I hear that Barnes and Noble plans on closing stores, I read that Philadelphia is figuring out whether or not to shutter more libraries, and I receive more and more presorted standard mail rather than personally affixed first class stamped mail in my post office box everyday.  (Comcast Business Class, I hate your abuse of paper and your seeming tacky taste in regard to the quality and clumsy nature of your solicitations.)

So, against this tide of modern disrespect toward the printed and written word, I obstinately refuse to print out computerized personal letters opting, instead, to take the time out of everyday necessary to write, longhand, my correspondences.  I refuse to rely solely on email, a whimsical and thoughtless and, dangerously, too easy to send mechanism, to communicate with my friends, family, and colleagues.  Instead, I regularly purchase new envelopes, new cards, new stamps, and new pens to dispatch my opinions, my affections, and my criticisms to those who would be kind enough to read them.  And, I always take the time to think about what I am about write, permanently, onto the beautiful physical sheet before me.  Doing so enables me to touch the shoulder of George Orwell, of Henry David Thoreau, of Benjamin Franklin, of Voltaire, and of Guttenberg himself.

Besides, there is nothing more satisfying than engaging in a writer’s argument, sarcastically and figuratively beating your friend (and eager foe) with words, licking the envelope, affixing the stamp, and bounding out the door, finding the nearest mailbox, and forcing your words into the metal contraption.  That satisfying slam of the mailbox door is something that you only get when you engage in this practice, and it is something that I treasure (while simultaneously saying a Hail Mary and asking that the recipient not take my words personally but, instead, in the playful and one-ups-manship  manner they are intended.)

Words are precious things.  They are specifically chosen by any writer, whether he is professional or not, to mean a certain specific thing.  The least we can do is afford these words the respect of pretty paper, first class stamps, and physically writing them down.

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Here’s where I’m at in my senior project for the time being: I was very satisfied with the logo I presented to my professor today, until he informed me that my idea was not coming across and that serious changes were in order (remove of cloud forms, play more with the shape of a fork, try incorporating weather conditions using various patterns or shapes, make the idea completely legible, etc). So for now, the ideas below will be stored away and shown as part of my long process. 

...and then, wonderful typeface!

The plan this weekend is to include WHAT the company’s uniqueness is in the overall logo. I need to find a better way to add weather conditions and cravings for food together into one, clean, concise logo. I’d like it to be a simple form or an icon that could stand alone. For now, I’m playing with the shapes of forks to see if there’s an interesting shape I can get from these forms. An idea I’m stuck on now is trying to incorporate the different weather conditions into one logo – for example, having an interchangeable logo based on what the weather outside is. 

And now, here is a picture of me “working hard” in my studio this evening. Finally, I get some rest tonight. Back to the drawing board tomorrow evening!

Some people are planning to open a clothing store for all the people that go with moustache frenzy and it´s modern style. So they are looking for a logo to match their audience, who could quite possibly be fans of the Movember and things of that manner. They were looking for something a bit retro in a modern key, preferring colors from the grayscale but also mentioned that if the vision was a bit different, then the colors could change. Basically asked designers to suprise them. There was a great “but” though. They also asked for their soon-to-be logo to also go well for different types of businessess such as striptease clubs, coffee-shops, transport companies and so on.

Here is my idea:

I used a type-imitation of moustaches; a fat moustache }: (Wunts) for all the gentlemen and a thin one :{ (Wuntsinna) for all the ladies. It could be used on clothing labels to determine the gender of the blouse, is it meant for maes or females or on the bathroom doors etc.

My logo has two versions, a long one and a short one, depending on it´s usage. I made it in two colorschemes (just for an example), one in greyscale and the other one black and beige so the greyscale logo could be for their clothing store, a beer label or smth like that and the beige one could go very well for a coffee-shop or for a chocolate bar. It is a chameleon logo, change the color and you change it´s character. For example a magenta logo could go very well for a strip-club and a green one for lettuce farmers.

envelope design w/ pattern inside envelopeletterhead

Nerd Optics is an Optometrist’s office with a simple and clean brand. The business cards are a box that contains a square eye glasses cleaning cloth. Both the box, and the cloth have brand elements and important contact information. Also, this set of stationary contains a policy style envelope for an executive notecard. This help add differentiation within the set of stationary.

inally, I’ve designed a personal logo and design scheme that I’m happy enough to associate my professional identity with. The new color, a blue-green, will reflect my new titles, subheadings, and drop-caps on my blog as well (if you didn’t already notice from the big “F” in “Finally”).

Took me over 2 weeks (lots of typeface changing, alignment changes, design scheme changes, and even a whole logo redo) to get to this stage but I’m pleased with the result. Can’t wait to start handing out my own personally designed business cards.

***Pay no mind to the fake numbers and addresses. They are merely placeholders for future use. ***

Branding and identity set your company apart from the masses. Something as simple as a logo and type treatment can give a lasting impression of the personality your business presents. I spend time getting to know each individual client before ever starting on a logo design. In this meet and greet session I assess the desired goals, budgets, and image of the brand. By learning more about you and your company, I am able to create work that goes beyond simple identity and brings a unique image to the market.

Please click on each image to see them in their full detail.

First, the letterhead:

The website that H&M had built around the same time as I was finishing their logo had this really great dark wood grain as a background, so I incorporated that with the green gradient we were already using in the logo. I also gave them the stripe theme to convey their forward momentum as the company evolves and grows, but also as they help their clients move forward on selling and buying properties. Above you see the front on the left, and the back on the right.

Secondly, the envelope:

At the top is the envelope unfolded so you can see how the stripes fold all the way around, and the bottom is just the front of the envelope. Each piece has the opportunity to bear one of the three logos. This one will first be printed with the commercial real estate logo that you see on the letterhead above.

Next we have the presentation folder:

Again, going with the wood grain background and stripes. This one will be printed with the construction services logo first. Here it’s all unfolded, so the front is on the right, the back is on the left, and the inside pockets with the logo and contact info are at the bottom and upside down.

Lastly, we have the business card:

This one will actually be a hard plastic card, rather than the traditional cardstock, and will have either raised plastic, or spot UV  over the logo to make it stand out more against the wood grain background. I think this will especially memorable as it’ll have a totally different tactile experience from your typical business card.

So that’s H&M’s new identity system. What do you think? Leave your comments below!

Until Next Time,

-RachelAnn

This is an identity created by me for Irene Lucas Consultancy. This company was set up to advise areas of government both local and national.

This is an identity created by me for a local retailer specialising in tiles and doors. I created a new brand, full stationery pack, shop signage, website and press ads featuring the owner and his grandchildren.

This is an identity created by me for a training consultancy that was set up to help companies train their staff using NVQ standards. There was a full stationery pack plus folders and training documentation.

The leading opponent of same-sex marriage tells Adam May he’s suspicious.

Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo is one of the most vocal supporters of marriage equality in professional sports.

“I support marriage for gay and lesbian couples,” Ayanbadejo said.

During last year’s campaign, state Delegate Emmett Burns wrote a letter to the Ravens, urging them to silence the linebacker.

[worldnow id=8332576 width=385 height=288 type=video]

Now an ethics committee has reprimanded the Baltimore County Democrat for writing the letter on official stationery.

“I don’t want to want to make the ethics committee mad at me,” Burns said.

But Delegate Burns suggests the reprimand was political.

“I’m against same-sex marriage, and there’s a person out there who didn’t like it and wrote the committee,” Burns said.

Burns would not name names.

Meanwhile, it’s Ayanbadejo’s turn to write a letter.

He’s urging gay and lesbian athletes to come out of the closet in Tuesday’s USA Today.

“The young guys in the NFL are more open, a lot more progressive and have a better idea of where we’re going as a nation,” Ayanbadejo said.

Burns says he’ll continue opposing gay rights, but he’ll be more careful about how.

“It’s a gray area because I represented my constituents. Next time I’ll write it on tissue,” Burns said.

Even though Burns would not show us a copy of the reprimand, we have been told he will not face any punishment.

A Minnesota Viking made national headlines when he attacked the Burns letter, using profanity and sexual innuendo.

More logo and identity examples here.

(8 reams) daripada Sagawise Resources telah siap di pek untuk dihantar.

Untuk makluman, MFK menggunakan beberapa jenis kertas untuk produk ini iaitu :-

1. Simili 70gsm

2. Simili 80gsm

3. Simili 100gsm

4. Conqueror 100gsm Brilliant White Laid

5. Conqueror 100gsm Diamond White Laid

6. Conqueror 100gsm White Wove

7. Conqueror 100gsm Cream Laid

8. Conqueror 100gsm Vellum laid.

Proses cetakan mengambil masa 4-5 hari bekerja.

Some are dry, business-style designs.

Others can be show-stoppers.

(“Deutscher Gedenktag” means German Memorial Day–perhaps this elaborate letterhead has to do with an organization or event through the German Concordia Lodge of Cleveland?)

Apparently, before radio, TV and the Internet entered the scene, “letter paper” was a chief form of advertising, something businesses offered free to make themselves known. Over time, it seems to have grown into a cultural phenomenon, designers aiming to make as big an impact as TV advertisers on Superbowl Sunday.

I am particularly amazed by this one, from Bremen. Drawn before airplanes, the bird’s-eye view is striking.

It’s unclear what business the letter paper is supposed to be touting, but since Bremen was then a major port of departure for German emigrants, I have a hunch it was a travel agency.