As you may have noticed, our presence on the web just got a little “prettier”. I say that because we overhauled our website this past week and just uploaded the last bit a few minutes ago. We did this for two reasons: 1) We needed to get more information in front of our clients and 2) the old site was just too darn heavy to add things into. You’ll notice that the new website is LOADED with content in the form of information and images. We did that so people can see sample of our work in the three areas we specialize in (Wedding Invites, Graphic Design, 3d Visualization). We also hope the simple slider interface is “cool”, but also functional. The only difference you’ll notice is that we no longer send out our own invoices from our website, but rather use Harvest.App, an extremely easy web app that is functional, clean, and simple to use (try them out free for 30 days and you’ll love them too). So, have a look, you’ll see a lot of new work that you probably haven’t seen from us. If you have any questions, or feedback, please contact us.

This is an update to the post from a few months ago.  I wanted to share how the pub was coming along and show a few of the goodies we have created along the way.  We presented the concept to UCCS and they loved it.  We have been working with them to finalize the design of Clydes and as of now, qualified general contractors are now bidding the drawings.  We should hopefully start construction the beginning of May and finish the middle of September.  We wanted to convey to both UCCS and the desigm team, just how cool this pub will be.  So, I sat down and modeled the interior in Revit 2009.  For those who don’t know what Revit it, google it, but simply put, its a powerful 3d modeling program that allows Architects and Engineers the ability to communicate and coordinate their designs.  This is a render file, meaning that it is not an actual construction document model.  This model gives an idea of lighting, materials, finishes, color and spatial experience.  Each rendering was done in Revit with a little post processing in Photoshop CS4 (the lamp shades, menus, artwork, etc.).

We have all been affected one way or another by the Earthquake. Our hearts are broken for the people of Haiti, we have personal connections with a friend who was down there during the quake. He is now safe back in the US (no doubt wishing he could return to help). The struggle we face is “What can we do?”. At finishedWORK, we are going to help by giving 100% of our profits over the next week to a local (Colorado Springs) non profit that runs an orphanage in Haiti. While they were not directly affected (meaning their building didn’t fall down), they are in the thick of the crisis, attending to people fleeing the city, looking for food:water:shelter:gas. The organization is called God’s Littlest Angels, simply an amazing mission to save impoverished children from the grasp of death. 1 in 8 children in Haiti will NOT see their 5th birthday.

We are also working on an advocacy T-Shirt designed specifically for GLA. 100% of the profits made on the sale of T-Shirts will go directly to GLAs disaster relief fund. Please, do your part in helping the kids, the staff, and the village by purchasing a T-Shirt. They are available at Cafe Press. Here is the link to our storefront on CafePress.com.

My full time job is an architectural intern at HB&A, a local architecture and planning firm in the Pikes Peak Region.  I like my job.  There are things I like and things I don’t.  Every once and a while, I am able to bring my day job and night job together.  And when I do, I get really excited. We are working (at HB&A) on a job that is for a local client.  I can’t divulge too much info, because it hasn’t hit the streets yet, but its a really cool pub serving a very specific clientele.   The pub is organic, warm, cozy, and inviting; the kind of place you would WANT to hang out.  Its a far departure of the current adult beverage establishments in Colorado Springs.  Its not a LOUD piano bar at the Broadmoor, or a creepy downtown bar.  It’s personal, (not necessarily for me, I can’t tell you the last time I was in a Pub), it means something really special to its constituents. Back to the story…  we present our work in the world of architecture either on foam core boards or on projection screens.  There has been a lot of talk about branding the Pub.  So without further delay, here is what we will be showing them on Friday…

The idea behind this logo was to create something that fit the pubs personality.  Since it is local (not a chain), and it was for a very specific clientele, I decided to go with a handwritten script font.  There are many cool fonts written by people with really cool handwriting out there.  This happens to be “Luna Bar”, found on www.dafont.com.  The tag line is simple, Pubs have great beer and mediocre to good food (at best).  Why should this pub be any different.  Sure they serve food, but they also serve PINTS!  Then we started to look at how we might display their newly found identity…  here are a few.

Feedback is more than welcomed.  I will certainly update this post after our Friday meeting.  Should be interesting…

Are you planning a wedding for the spring?  2010 is a different year, a whole new ball game.  What is in?  What is OUT?  What is and isn’t acceptable?  Here is our top 10…

10.  Vivid Colors

This may seem like a no brainier, but for some reason, we keep running into wedding invitations with NO color?  Huh?  What are they thinking (besides trying to save money)?  Each season contains its own palette of VIVID colors.  Try pairing a muted pastel color with a vivid bright and bold color.  Its a good way to set the tone of your wedding invitations and your event.

9.  NON-traditional wording

Most of the clients who find us comment on our unique invitation designs.  Most that contact us like them, those that don’t contact us probably don’t.  Whatever your stance is, every invite has some sort of wording.  Our preference is to LOOSELY adhere to the conventions set forth by the wedding Gods (whoever they may be).  First and foremost, it is NEVER kosher to misspell a single word on an invitation.  Check your spelling!  We constantly get questions like “do we have to spell out every single word in the date? ” .  Our answer usually is “ITS UP TO YOU!”.  You can make an argument for either side.  Again, chances are, if you are going with us to design your invites, (notice how I don’t call them “invitations”), then your invites depart from the norm.  So, no, not necessarily.  However, if you are trying to juxtapose the formal with the informal (that’s just crazy talk now), you may want to spell out every letter or even use Roman Numerals…  Whichever you decide, the point is, the way each item is presented says SOMETHING about you and your wedding.  Think long and hard, your probably going to quietly offend someone.

8.  NO response card

Can I get an AMEN?  The response card has been made OBSOLETE with the advent of the internet (thanks Al Gore).  There are so many ways to EASILY create a website, even a customized email address (jackandjillgetmarriedonJune82009@gmail.com).  Two sentences on the back of an invite (oh yeah, we are utilizing the ENTIRE invite, not just one side), explains where to find more information.  One argument I hear often is “electronic RSVPs leave out those that can’t correspond digitally”.  This is a problem, since they are often the best gift givers (just being honest people) AND you want them to come to your wedding.  Solution?  Put a phone number along with the email and put a big “OR” between them.

7.  Coordinated Items

When you begin looking for your Save the Dates (if you go that route), look at the artists ability to produce EVERYTHING.  You’ll likely receive a discount if they do everything instead of just one piece.  And if you don’t YOU SHOULD.  Its the American WAY!  It also carves out one less person to keep in contact with.  When looking at invites, look not only at their products but their ABILITIES.  Look for eye catching graphics, continuity between the work, and UNIQUENESS of style.  Don’t expect everything to be designed at once, it is a process.  One item builds off the other, then compliments it.  A menu should relate to its event.  The event invite could relate to the menu but DOESN’T have to be an exact replica.  Think about it, red and green are complimentary colors, but does red LOOK like green.  No.  They compliment because they are opposing.  Think along these lines when designing your invites and you can’t go wrong.  People will LOVE IT, and may not even know why.  Its the ART of design…

6.  Eclecticism

To totally contradict myself in #7, if you choose to go different with the pieces, GO DIFFERENT.  I’m talking the whole shabang…  Use different fonts, colors, layout, paper, texture, accents, cuts, torn edges, EVERYTHING.  The mentality of this is that a small percentage of the population finds total eclecticism somewhat beautiful.  Why is that every town has the one house that has all of the CRAP in the front yard.  Or the guy that built his house out of everyone’s CRAP.  And why is it that everyone knows who that person is?  Is it because he makes the news at least once a year, OR is it because we all have an underlying draw to eclecticism.  Something to talk about with your Fiance…

5.  NO INNER ENVELOPE

There I said it.  No inner envelope.  I’ll say it again, NO INNER ENVELOPE.  Here is a thought,  PERSONALIZE the INVITES.  It isn’t that much more work, and can easily be done through the advent of digital printing.  If you are going with an offset print (plates, ink, a printing press, letterpress) then just ignore this one.  But if you aren’t, think about the statement that makes.  The guest opens the card and lo and behold, THEIR name is on the invite.  “They actually thought about me”, possibly enters their mind as they tear up, from seeing their name and from seeing the SWEET design provided by finishedWORK (I had to throw that in).  I recently had a friend who is European say “you Americans love to find ways to spend more money on things you DON’T need”.  Ouch.  So true.  Drop the inner envelope, you’ll be glad you did.  And if your mother wants it, put one in hers ONLY!

4.  Mixed Fonts

Its a graphic trick to emphasize different bits of text, and it WORKS.  The trick is not to use fonts that are too closely related, otherwise it looks like a mistake.  Use fonts that are opposing (i.e script fonts and Serif Fonts, Serif Fonts and Handwritten Fonts).  One of our personal favorites right now is to have a more formal look with  the names written in a handwritten font.  If you have decent handwriting, try to create your own font and use YOUR handwriting.  Another deviation away from the flock (I know) but it makes a clear statement: “My Wedding is DIFFERENT!”.  Let your font do the talking…

3.  Textured Paper

Try simply changing the paper type from a smooth white paper to a recycled paper.  Recycled paper isn’t any cheaper, but it does have a lot more character than a standard piece of card stock.  You can get a variety of colors with recycled paper also.  Also, check out some other textured papers, including handmade papers.  While you won’t be able to run these through a normal desktop printer, and your local print shop will look at you like a deer in headlights, you’ll have to go another route.  Many paper stores are now supplying hand-mades, so the price has come down considerably.  And if you are adventurous, Google “how to make your own paper” and you’ll find many tutorials that show you exactly how to take your office scrap paper and turn it into a unique masterful work of art (or somewhere close to it).  Linen textured paper should be reserved for resumes and other business type pieces, keep them out of your invites.  They don’t hold large swaths of ink well, so forget printing a cool graphic on them.  Whichever way you decide, think about texture, color, texture and the environment.

2.  Keep it  S I M P L E

Given all of what has been said above, use these principles (the ones listed above) as a way to begin thinking differently about the art and design of your wedding invites.  Simple is a delicate balance between the necessary and the artful.  What IS necessary, the who-what-where-when-and maybe the why.  What is not necessary: a plethora of information about registry’s, honeymoon location, etc.  Point people to a website to pick up this kind of information.  A simple “please view our website www.mybeautifulweddingsitewithalltheinformationyouwouldeverwanttoknowaboutusandourwedding.com for more detailed information” is sufficient, although the length of the sample website link poses a serious design problem.  Simple can be a hard measure to quantify, the trick is communicating the essentials and moving extraneous information to the side.  The term “simple” can also be applied to other areas of the invite.  Take for instance the wording: can be complex, common place, or simple.  Find wording that speaks about YOU, as if you are saying it.  Going this direction creates another personal connection, the guest might have an inner voice that says “I can picture them addressing me like this”.  Don’t take this to its logical end if you have a potty mouth, offenses are no way to receive wedding gifts.  And one additional thought on this: Simple does NOT mean cheaper.  It can mean that you don’t spend as much, but this isn’t a rule of thumb.  Keep this in mind when looking for different ways to creatively ask people to attend your wedding.

1.  GO HANDMADE!

I say this for a number of reasons (one of which because my “kind” benefits from this), and it is THE key ingredient for creating invitations that are uniquely yours.  9 out of 10 handmade invitations are in the business because they have a PASSION for what they do, not to make oodles and oodles of money.  You want a sincere passion from the one that designs your invites.  You will NOT receive passion from a stationary company that produces millions and millions of invitations (just like yours).  You may save $50 in the process, but you will not gain the experience of interacting with a designer to create the perfect wedding invite that is UNIQUELY YOURS.  Etsy.com is a great place to start for finding handmade wedding invitations/invites and all things wedding.  An even better place to start might be our Etsy site (www.finishedWORK.etsy.com) where you will find numerous creative ideas on how to “THINK DIFFERENTLY” about your wedding invites.

So, by now you can see a different look to finishedWORK. We launched our new website earlier this week, hoping to better capture the essence of our digital existence. We have shifted our content into Wordpress format, as this seems to be an extremely flexible way for us to communicate who we are, what we do, and how we do it. We will continually be updating the website, the blog and our products as we add new products, display more examples and adding other fun ideas and information about our work. Check back often to see these new and exciting changes. And as always use our contact page to ask us any questions you may have. Thanks!

We have all heard the term “going green” or “the green revolution”, indicating the shift in culture away from a wasteful, pollutant society, to one that honors the resources we have been given responsibility over.  This has us thinking, how green is our design and production process?  More importantly, how sustainable is it?  Sustainability goes beyond the percentage of “post consumer waste” in our products, although that is important. Our newest line of ECO-INVITES features 100% recycled paper from FSC certified paper providers. The envelopes are made from the same recycled paper. We encourage our clients to consider digital RSVPs instead of the traditional RSVP/Envelope combination, this will cut down on printed items (and it decreases your costs a bit). For printing, we use a LOCAL printer, family owned and operated for the last 30 years (Centennial Reprographics) located in downtown Colorado Springs. We believe that all of this adds up to a “greener” invite, so you can rest assured that your invites are sensitive to the environment and LOOK GREAT. The ECO-INVITE products will have their own identity and style, including font, layout and graphics. Look for these new products this January!