Monopoly-themed Wedding Invitations

Just recently, I finished these wedding invitations for a couple looking to throw a Monopoly-themed wedding.

Property cards were chosen as the concept for the invitations due to their linkage in the game to location or destination. The key to making these invites a success was to ensure that they weren't an exact replication of the Monopoly graphic style but were simply inspired by it. Black outlines, black text, one solid colour, and lots of white space were elements used to make the cards recognizable to the game while flourishes and accents were added to portray the formality and elegance the couple were looking for.

The RSVP cards reflected the Chance cards from the game to indicate an opportunity to respond.

These invites were featured on Design Edge magazine and it was definitely a proud day for the bride and groom as well as myself. With this came a little bit of drama on the comment boards but it has been exciting to see so many people conversing about them. Not to mention all the tweets, re-tweets, and Likes I received from it all.

My client are esctatic with these invites and their guests are using them as keepsakes for the occasion so in my mind, these were an official success and a job well done.

Congrats guys!

Outside of the Bubble

Since a young age, I was always snapping photos with my Polaroid. I loved to oogle over my dad's camera gear and spent most of my grade 12 year in the darkroom. Until recently, it never really dawned on me to turn this into a hobby since design had been the focus of my life for so long. Design was my inspiration. My hobby. My love. But now it's my day job so I need a new inspiration, a new hobby, a new love; Something outside of the design bubble.

While casually walking the park one afternoon, snapping some spring photos, I happened to snap a shot of this little guy and it sparked something in me. Something I hadn't felt since I first dreamed about being a designer. Pet photography. As the thought hit me, I started dreaming of a company name, marketing campaigns, print materials...without even having a client yet!

With a love for animals, the outdoors, and photography, it made sense to combine these ideas to create a hobby that was fun, rewarding, and challenging in it's own right.

Granted there are many pet photographers out there but that's not really my concern. I'm not out to compete and prove I'm the best. I'm out to have fun, to grow my skill, develop my artistic eye, and help capture fun and quirky moments of a family pet. It's a refreshing switch from always pushing the boundaries, trying to stand-out from the plethora of designers out there, begging to be 'the chosen one'. It can be quite mind-numbing so this is a perfect offset to the chaos of the design world.

I've started a blog to update visitors on the new furry friends I've been meeting and a SmugMug album to showcase the photographs.

Check them out & tell me what you think!

Speak Human : The Playboy of Business Books

Despite my cat's determined attempts to destroy my Speak Human book (& this blog post) I managed to make it to the end so naturally I like to celebrate that with a review.

With most books of this nature, I tend to expect "this is how you run a business, this is how you sell your product"...bla bla bla. You can imagine my surprise when I found out it wasn't one of those books. It's as if I picked up a magazine thinking it was all about fashion and turned out to be a Playboy; Sure it puts it all out there but it's got some great articles!

What came across as blatant, raw, or bordered on the lines of TMI (too much information), was truthful, real, relatable...even personal. It wasn't just written to stroke the authors own ego, to fill space, or to try to be something it wasn't. It got me to sit up a little straighter and get interested in what I was reading, as if I was being told to smarten up and look at the big picture. It's the direction and honesty I was looking for in a book and it was one that I truly connected with. Maybe that's because of it's honesty and personal insight. If it hadn't been for the shock-value every once and awhile, I would have glossed over some fabulous business insights, which the book is full of, and it would have ended up being just like every other "marketing book".

Taking this outside of the book - so to speak, I occasionally interact with @SpeakHuman and the author @karj on Twitter and typically, I wouldn't expect a response from a well-to-do graphic designer or firm. Especially one, that's published! Not sure what the whole mind-set is on that one but, regardless of the reason, some people who have gained such elite success tend not to interact outside of their bubble. However, these guys (& gals) don't know me from a hole in the wall but still take the time to respond to my comments or tweets. What a concept! And is exactly what the book is based on. If they can make me feel like their friend, just for a few seconds, I can only imagine how their clients feel. Now that's good business.

So for those of you who think you know everything about good business and great marketing, this book will prove that you know nothing. It is a 'no bullshit' business book that is consistent in it's message; Speak Human. And @karj definitely does just that.