accordion-fold brochure

One of my clients recently asked me to design a leave-behind brochure to showcase some of their products. They specifically requested an accordion fold, which is in essence a long zig-zag fold – the perfect fold for this particular project.

I worked with Brown Printing to determine the overall size and number of panels. We wanted to show as many different office chairs as possible without going too small, so we settled on a 16-panel brochure that folded up to a little 3.5" square.

Each panel showed a single chair, along with the product name and specific item number, which referenced a short price list on the back panel.

This tiny brochure has made a huge impact – the client has already had to order a reprint twice! Their sales reps simply love having a small leave-behind that gives a quick overview of what the company is all about: office chairs.

wine tasting invitation

I love designing event invitations – it gives me a nice little break from the more corporate projects I usually am working on.

Often the event itself will help dictate the design direction, as was the case with the winery tour and wine tasting event that the University of Oregon recently organized for some of its donors.

I started by sketching out some design directions and presenting those to the client. Then I developed their chosen design on the computer and applied a couple rounds of revisions before sending files to the printer.

I used elegant typography, a two-color palette and a pinstripe pattern to set the tone for this somewhat upscale social event.

 

Electronic or phone RSVPs meant that no reply card was needed, which kept things simple in terms of design and printing costs.

The cursive font is one of my current favorites and was a perfect fit for this project, since the ligatures and embellishments nicely mimicked grape vine tendrils.

 

So the next time you're in need of a special event invitation, consider using a custom design for a little extra pizzazz – you know where to find me!

online printing – business cards

These days there are lots of options when it comes to printing. My favorite source remains using a reputable local print shop (nothing beats being able to walk in to view proofs, attend press checks or simply talk through your project with the folks who'll be running the presses).

But sometimes the best solution may be to use an online resource. I've discovered that the old adage "you get what you pay for" holds true here as much as anywhere. I won't call out the companies that I would strongly advise against (email me if you really must know) but I have no qualms about singing the praises of one particular shop: Moo.

Just take a look at these delicious cards I recently designed:

The colors printed exactly as desired, the paper is thick with a nice mat finish, and the overall quality reinforces the professional image my client wanted to capture.

They even offer tiny mini cards (which make great little product tags) and often have a discount code for free shipping or even free cards (the current code is "MINI20" for 20% off your order of minis).


PS: The size of Moo's business cards is slightly different from the standard size so make sure you use their downloadable templates or online design program. Or call me!

fiery campaign collateral

A week from today is the start of this year's Oregon Bach Festival!

Preparations are in high gear and I'm busily designing ads, banners, t-shirts and the like while all the main print collateral was completed earlier this year.

We started working on the theme graphics and image search way back in January. The flame image was a perfect fit: the flame itself representing both power and passion, reinforced by the blue and orange (opposites on the color wheel!) and the stark contrast between the intense vibrancy of the colors and rich black background.

The first item I designed was the season poster that's displayed all around town. Then came the brochure, for which I created a clean and simple grid to make the huge amount of information easier to find and digest.

The look and feel was subsequently applied to smaller posters as well as postcards, rack cards, banners, invitations, email headers, social media, and so forth.

It's always exciting to see all the season materials come together as one unified look – plus after months of anticipation, the fabulous concerts and events are just around the corner!

The festival has really expanded its physical reach so whether you're on the coast, in the valley or even the mountains, there's bound to be a venue near you where you can enjoy some of this year's amazing musical talents! Click here for a complete schedule.

welcome, OHSU

I have some exciting news to share: after going through a lengthy RFP and vetting process, Defteling Design is now an official approved vendor for Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)!

Throughout the last few years, I had already done some pro-bono design work for Todd's department (the OHSU Library) and by coincidence, the Library turned out to be my first official OHSU client, too!

One of Todd's co-workers was in charge of an on-campus conference and needed help with the program book, which was used to provide information on 175+ poster presentations, 140 oral presentations and three keynote speakers.

She had already designed the square Research Week logo, a play on the periodic table. I simply expanded on that.

 

For the cover, I created  an abstracted "empty" periodic table that I overlaid as a subtle pattern over a Kraft paper texture. I also introduced a thick black bar with a pointed right edge and used that throughout the program to highlight important content.

Because of the relatively small quantity, this program would be printed digitally, which meant I could use that same Kraft paper texture as a design element on all the interior pages. I proposed the wire-o binding to give the piece a bit of a note book feel (we even added a dozen or so empty pages for notes).

 

To give this book a bit more physical heft, I wanted a really thick paper for the covers. Because a digital press has fairly limited choices when it comes to cover weight stock, I opted for a French fold: printing each cover and inside cover as one wide sheet, then folding them in half. Voilà: extra-thick covers!

I'm very excited to see what my next OHSU project will be!

letters of appeal – part 2

As promised in my last post, today I'm sharing another letter of appeal for the University of Oregon's Annual Giving Program.

 

This mailer uses the same tagline and color palette established in the first mailer but expands on the use of photography, showing students engaged in various activities across campus.

 

The photo shoot for these mailers is always a lot of fun and usually encompasses one or two full days of shooting. It takes a lot of organization to scout locations, create a shot list, and manage a group of a dozen or more students (our models). But all that work pays off in the end when I get the hard drive filled with exactly the shots I need to make the designs really come to life.

 

letters of appeal – part 1

As I'm getting started on designing new letters of appeal for the upcoming school year, I realize that I haven't shown any of last year's letters that I designed for the University of Oregon's Annual Giving Program, one of my long-standing clients.

Well, let me fix that right now!

Since 2003, I have helped UO Annual Giving design anywhere from one to four direct mail packages that ask a variety of targeted demographics to help support students in their academic pursuits. Usually there is one central message around which I will then design all of that year's letters so that there's a cohesive look that is reinforced with each mailing.

Last Fall, we kicked off the academic year with this:

The converted #10 envelope introduces the "Every gift. Every dream. Every year." tagline with a specific typographic treatment that was used on all subsequent mailers, too.

To brighten up the standard UO color palette of green and yellow, I chose a fresh lime green that was used to emphasize the word "every" in the background of the tagline.

I also used a yellow line that angled into and out of the letter at the top and bottom, creating a bit of a 3D effect to entice the reader to turn the page.

On the back, the tagline is front and center, sandwiched between large photos of students enjoying campus life.

Working on these letters of appeal is always a fun challenge. The core message does not change so each year I have to find new ways to communicate the same basic idea: give now to help students achieve their academic dreams.

Stay tuned for my next post, where I'll share the second mailer in this series.

more wedding style

A couple years ago, my baby sister got married and asked me to design, among other things, her invitation suite. She specifically requested a design that had been quite popular when I first debuted it as part of Cecily Ink (you can read about it here and here.)

Well, last fall it was time for another sister's wedding, and I was thrilled when she, too, asked me to design her invitation.

And yes, Marie also opted to use a best-selling Cecily Ink design. No problem, certainly made my job easier, especially given the relatively quick turn-around time.

Because both timing and budget were tight, I recommended digital printing. I chose a digital-friendly felt-finish paper so we could still get that wonderful texture. I also specified target PMS numbers so the printer could match the orange & brown colors as closely as possible.

Because the maximum sheet size for the printer's digital press is quite a bit smaller than a traditional offset press sheet, I adjusted sizes as necessary to still fit as many pieces as possible onto the sheet. This way, the bride could use her "wedding look" on things like thank-you cards, place cards and favor tags, too.

 

The invitation suite turned out beautifully and the bride was quite pleased. Thanks, Marie, for entrusting me with such an important part of your Big Day!

online printing woes – or wins!

When designing projects for my clients, I try to source a local printer for a variety of reasons, including quality control (ability to attend press checks), community (stimulating the local economy) and environment (smaller carbon footprint).

But sometimes budget constraints force me to look at using online printers, and I've often been left wanting. Lack of control, less than optimal customer service, and a tendency for billing errors have taught me to select my online printer very carefully. After many tries, I finally found one that met my high standards and I've been recommending them to my clients as the need arises.

Today, I'm happy to share that I've found another online printer who, at least on this first project, has done an excellent job in all areas. NextDayFlyers just delivered an order of 250 postcards and I'm so pleased with the results! The colors are very close to what I was expecting, the paper and coating are nice, customer service was prompt and friendly, and turn-around was astonishingly fast (ordered Tuesday, received Friday).

Full disclosure: I won this print order during a giveaway on Illustration Pages, a wonderful blog that features great artists and inspirational work. But given that this project was such a great experience (and that their prices are lower than my other go-to online printer), I definitely plan to use them again – and will pay full price :)

lovely package exchange

A few weeks ago, I vowed to truly enjoy this holiday season. In previous years, the holidays seem to pass in a blur, filled with frenzy and haste. Then comes January and I find myself wondering what happened...

Now we're well into December and things are once again whizzing past me, leaving me twirling in their wake. This morning, however, I had a chance to take a small holiday appreciation break by opening a box filled with goodies sent to me by the talented Julia da Rocha from Poz-Art.

We were swap partners in a "Lovely Package Exchange" organized by Danni over at Oh, Hello Friend and I had a blast! Going through my swap partner's info and website gave me a lots of ideas on how to package my gifts to her and based on what I saw in today's box, I think Julia took the same strategy since it was filled to the brim with lovely items that were beautifully packaged!

Not only was the packaging stunning, all of Julia's gift choices were spot on in terms of my tastes! I can't wait to frame up her original drawing as well as the b&w photos spelling out my name – genius!


This swap was a great exercise and targeted listening and attention to detail and I loved it!!! A big thanks to Julia and Danni!