Monday, June 9, 2008

Wedding Invitation

----------Final Invitation Design Posted 9/29/08----------

It has recently been brought to my attention that I never posted the final designs so here it is!


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Invitation Back



Invitation Front (Option 1)



Invitation Front (Option 2)



Invitation Front (Option 3)


The idea behind the invite was a ticket theme, an idea that Rob had, but that Sara wasn't crazy about. After we talked about an option where we could make it look less like a sports ticket and more like a broadway show or almost circus-esque ticket she thought that would be very cool and different. Her other request was to involve her dog in some way.

Also in the envelope there will be a reception card that is the same size as the invite card. It will be a similar design but will say "reception" instead of ceremony and the back side will be a map and directions. There will also be an rsvp postcard that will be themed accordingly without being too matchy matchy.

Anyway, your reactions and feedback would be GREATLY appreciated, not just to make sure that Sara and Rob's invite is the best that it can be, but also because we'll most likely use these elements in future designs.

13 comments:

Vince Gorman said...

1 and three are definitely the strongest. My first gut reaction was 3, because of the assymetry, keeping it sort of loose. But upon further inspection I don't like the way the address section meets up with the green swoops, perhaps the address could be right justified? not sure, Also, I kinda feel like the copy is falling off of the bottome right of the page. With that being said, I still like 3, but 1 may be your best choice. It definitely looks like an elegant ticket. Nice job on all of them, cool theme too.

ShellyBean said...

i like the first option because the layout of the text. i think it looks most like a ticket as well. i like the third option because i like the swirls swooping to reveal their names. 2nd option...eh. first thoughts were not that of a broadway ticket though. my first thought was a saloon theme or something like moulin rouge but once i read about the ticket idea i think the font fits perfectly! i like the incorporation of her dog as well b/c it's suttle (sp?!) and makes it look older/vintage/classic. i don't have any ideas for improvement. but that's what a non-graphic girl thinks!

ShellyBean said...

just came to me...subtle. heh sorry :)

mindy said...

Well, I had some feedback, but the boys kinda say exactly what I was going to. I'm with jarcat on Option 1 as my fave (2 is a close 2nd...no pun intended). Same with the flow from vert to horiz. 1 & 2 do better than 3. I'm also with vince on not caring for how the text alignment meshes with the green swirlies on the left-hand side.

I think the layout looks really nice, but I don't like having to turn the ticket for important info. I wonder if there's a way to keep the segmentation without having to turn the text. I think the "ceremony" header looks great being the opposite direction, but it's the smaller text that I'm not a fan of being sideways.

I really like the detail work in all the pieces though, and the very subtle incorporation of the dog.

Great work, though! I'm sure they'll love them.

blong said...

yo Amelia - I'm digging the back and option 3. Here's some suggestions, take them if you wish:

back - too much blue for that main area. may try to make some of that line work a darker green.. with just blue as an accent. leave SARA and ROB blue, but make AND green. Just seems to overpower it all. You might not want to have the frame be of the same importance as their names.

front - I really like the composition on this one. The type seems really distracting though for the main info. What if you switched the fonts? Make the names in the fancy curly font and the other information smaller and less cool. I think this might tone it down a bit. Also maybe the secondary info could be in a dark green like mentioned before. Something to just break up all the blue. Make sense?

jarcat38 said...

Great job Ames, I really like Option 3 above the rest. It's design flow depicts a grand stage curtain being swept back and the "stars" are coming forward. Option 2 really gets across the "ticket" feel but in a formal way that is fairly necessary for a wedding invite. It also manages to keep the flow from horizontal to vertical. I think that is the one thing lacking from Option 1. The Asymmetrical nature of the design makes it difficult for the viewer to adjust from Vertical to Horizontal at bottom. Just my two cents for what its worth. :)

Kindari said...

These look really nice! I had the same impression as Shelly - I thought the theme was saloon sign. The high contrast and thick letters with small details give a "wood-etched" feel to me. This is also augmented by the borders sometimes having some shadow line effects to make the whole thing feel like it's popping off the page (like the thickness of a sign carved from a plank of wood). It kind of felt like a bohemian infused old west theme to me. You might play with the thickness of some of the dark border lines to see if it makes it feel more flat. Until it was specifically stated as a ticket, the sideways text drwe my mind along the saloon / bohemian theme to think about posters for a burlesque show - theater... getting closer to tickets, but still not tickets. Also the dog icon bolsters the saloon feel with thoughts of "Old Hound Saloon" or something hehe. The same icon would not invoke that thought though if the rest of the ticket didn't do that already. How close to looking like a ticket are you going for? If you're trying to be inspired by a ticket but not meant to feel like a ticket, I think a little work to pull away from the western theme will help seat you closer to the broadway feel. However, if you want it to look really like a ticket, you might try adding some perforation markings or things like that which are typical of specifically tickets. Less serif style in the main font may help it feel more like New York. I looked up some old theatre tickets, and they do end up invoking that nostalgiac western feel. But Broadway tickets had a more refined edge on the typography. http://blog.92y.org/images/collage/SpGala06_ticket_image.gif for example. I think that while I really like the swooshes and detail in the background design, the same high detail in the foreground elements kind of cloud it for me, if the foreground elements were a little simpler, it may help it sit off the page without the need for such heavy lines, and it may also help it feel more cohesive with the swooshy background designs as a counterpoint (i think that's the right word). Overall I really like the designs, though. They're very striking and there's tons of great detail in them! The elegant script really pulls the design from feeling too much like a theatre ticket and more like a wedding invitation... or wedding ticket :). The colors are great, and well i can never say enough about your amazing work with curves. You bring so much detail there - it's just amazing stuff. I hope some of my comments / suggestions are helpful. You may have already tried those things and they don't work, but i don't know! Either way - it looks really great!

Dan from Indianapolis said...

I love the third option most. It is classical-looking, but much more contemporary than the others. Also, the absence of perfect symmetry creates a much more interesting visual landscape (finally got to use that term).

I think this is an excellent style for a wedding invitation; especially if they're rich or they plan to become rich!!!

Because it looks a like money...sorry to point out the obvious.

Maia said...

Hey, Amy! Love love love this style. Wish it had been my own wedding invitation. My feelings are pretty well summed up by jarcat, actually. So I'll leave my comment at that!

dutchcocoa said...

I am so not a blogger, so please bear with me. I would love you to design some wedding items for me. Please let me know if that is something you would consider. It is such beautiful work.

Amy Kingman said...

Dutchcocoa: Thank you for the kind comment. :) I'm not sure how to get ahold of you, but you can email me at amy.kingman.subscriptions@gmail.com and we can talk more about the wedding items you're looking for.

Anonymous said...

I love this invitation! (Option 3) Please forgive me as I just stumbled across this in doing some searching around on the internet. My fiance and I are also looking to do a ticket style for invites to our May wedding and are having a hard time finding something that looks unique and custom. If you would be at all interested in working with us, please email me at mbecker4923@hotmail.com Thank you!

Amy Kingman said...

Thank you very much. I've uploaded the final version of the design. I look forward to hearing more about your thoughts for your wedding.