Mod Holiday Tablescape

When Jesi Haack suggested we do a holiday photo shoot together with “crazy menus,” I was all in. I started scheming and was so excited to use the cubed beads I found for this table with holiday sparkle. While black might not be a traditional choice for holiday decor, it set the edgy tone and was a fabulous backdrop for all the shimmery touches. I created these chunky dimensional menus with pavéd beads and fun vertical place cards.

Designing this stationery made me hungry for a delicious holiday meal. The tablescape made me want to celebrate. What do you think of our dramatic and fun festive setting?

Photos taken by the wonderful Sarah Frenzel • Chairs, china, and linen from Signature Party Rentals

Story-telling with Stationery

My initial consultations with wedding coordinators and clients often include a conversation about my love of story-telling. I usually share about how I like to get to know my clients, understand their stories, and help them express them. I love subtle details and wacky romances. I want to hear about the proposal, how my couples met, and what they are most excited about for their marriage. Some might think I’m sappy but I find connecting with people to be the most meaningful part of my work. Expressing these personal details in bold and understated ways is why I do what I do.

When I met with Gloria McCune of Grand Engagements about our upcoming photo shoot, I was delighted to get to know her story a little better. As we talked about her inspiration for the stylized tablescape and decor, I began to connect the dots. She described an urban vibe with an eye for fashion and something a little unexpected. Her vision included a striking palate of black and silver with accents of purple. It wasn’t just an arbitrary concept however. Gloria wanted to infuse part of herself in this shoot.

When I discovered that she is Hungarian, grew up in Germany and the US, speaks multiple languages, and has a rich Eastern European heritage, I knew we were getting somewhere. The crown in her logo isn’t there just so she can connect with brides who want to feel like a princess; she has a very regal sensibility about her. As she shared about her childhood and the aesthetic & cultural influences that have made her who she is today, I knew we needed to tell this part of her story.

Gloria’s love of chess, languages, romance, and fashion came together at this fabulous photo shoot at The London West Hollywood.

To top it all off, the fabulous girls over at The Wedding Chicks featured the photos on their blog.

The incredible professionals involved in this shoot included:
Event Design: Gloria McCune - Grand Engagements
Venue: The London Hotel West Hollywood
Photography: Jasmine Star
Floral Design: Carissa Jones - JL Designs
Cakes: Melody Brandon - Sweet and Saucy Shop
Chairs + Settings: Classic Party Rentals
Hair + Makeup: Janelle Contreras for Nirvana Salon
Bridal Veil: Linda Ly - Whimsical Designs
Linen: Wildflower Linen
Stationery: Allison Howell - The Innovation Companies

Truly Inspired Inspiration Boards

One of my clients once sent me a picture of a dish towel, a cartoon, a chair, some fabric she found at her favorite store, and a ring she liked from Etsy. While these things may seem disconnected, she wanted to communicate her visual inspiration as I sat down to create a logo for her photography business. We had already talked about her values. We hashed out how she wanted to be perceived in her industry. She had shared her vision and growth plan. All of that helped me create a logo that was the perfect fit for her brand and her company.

I often tell my clients that I want them to send me points of inspiration. My brides send me pictures of lighting, receptions, swatches of bridesmaid dress fabric and linens. They tell me about their favorite pair of shoes and about how they met their fiance. Each of these bits of their story help inspire me when I’m designing stationery for their celebration.

Similarly, clients developing logos send me images that represent the values and personality of their brand. I get everything from cereal advertisements, pieces of clothing, and furniture, to drawings and landscape photographs. Each of these elements helps me to understand what images mean to them and how they want to express themselves and their brand.

In the world of wedding blogs, inspiration boards are all the rage. Bloggers choose a number of images that fit into a theme and present them together to inspire their readers. Some of my favorite inspiration boards include those from Green Wedding Shoes, Gloria McCune, and Inspired by This.

Here is a pink board from Green Wedding Shoes.

photo credits: top row - martha stewart, Chris Nicholls. next row: j crew dress, martha stewart, invitation by oh my deer via once wed. bottom row: duston todd, flickr, darling dexter, gourmet

Whether you are planning a wedding, starting a new business, or recreating yourself, an inspiration board can be a great place to begin. Gather images, textures, and ideas from lots of industries and mediums. While I love it when a bride comes with any visual stimuli, I think it is important to keep things personal. The more intentional you can be about your choices, the better end product will be. A pretty pink palette is wonderful but if it also tells part of your story and connects to who you are, it will be even more meaningful.

Don’t feel like you have to interpret the inspiration board. When you hire professionals, they should be able to pick out themes and patterns. Hopefully the inspiration board will be a jumping off point for your uniquely designed masterpieces.

If you’re having trouble, try scouring visually stimulating sites like flickr, Etsy, istockphoto, clipart.com, and Google image search. Be sure to look outside of your own industry or genre to expose yourself to a variety of ideas. Take your own pictures. Include sketches. Add images from art, fashion, interior design, and anything else that inspires you or tells part of your story.

Please keep in mind that I am not encouraging you to rip off the ideas of others. It is one thing to say that you like the imagery or emotion that a logo evokes. It is another to copy it.

What inspires your celebration or brand?

A Few Things I’ve Learned

When I started my business, I was pretty clueless. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t have capital. I just had a love for paper and a laser printer. I remember walking with one of my first clients (my next door neighbor) through an art supply store to pick out paper, envelopes, and square brads for her wedding invitations. Now over five years later, in a different business, I have a few lessons under my belt.

I’ll share some with you–not because I want to show you how much I’ve learned–because I think they are some of the things that add value to what we do here at The Innovation Companies.

1. Resources matter. I’ve come a long way since the days of art supply store tours with my clients. Constantly having new, fresh, unique materials at my finger tips makes me a more innovative designer and it saves my clients time and money.

2. Being part of a community makes us better designers. In the beginning, I never met other professionals working with my clients. I didn’t know their florist or coordinator. I just knew the client. Now, when a client comes to me, more often than not, I know her photographer, venue, and linen company well. Having connections with other professionals helps me to know the style and aesthetic of the event. My relationships with these creative professionals spur me on to create more innovative and interesting pieces for my clients.

3. “Starting” a business is easy. Lots of people start invitation and design firms every year. What makes us different is us. We’ve been through bumps and problems. We know that square envelopes need extra postage. We know that invitations should have “correct” wording unless our clients intentionally choose an alternative. We know that if you want white text on dark paper, you’ve got to use foil. You should be glad you can hire us now that I know how to make sure all of the invitations don’t fall apart in the mail (that was a bad day for me and my second bride).

4. Profit isn’t bad. I made $0 on my first project (and lost money on a few after that). That kind of margin isn’t sustainable. We base our pricing on the costs of materials, printing, and the time it takes to create a project. While some of my clients may wish that I still only broke even on each job, I wouldn’t be around today if that were the case. Don’t get me wrong. We’re not swimming in excess cash around here. A healthy business needs profitability to stay afloat for the long haul. In an industry where businesses have an average lifespan of about 3-5 years, we’re excited that next year will be our tenth.

Thanks for sticking with us and supporting us as we’ve learned these lessons. We know there are many more ahead of us.

What lessons have you learned lately? How are you better than you were five years ago?

2009 Museum Free-For-All

Thanks to Museum Marketing Roundtable and OC Fine Art Society for the heads up about these 24 So Cal museums with free admission this weekend. The fifth annual Museum Free-For-All is October 3 & 4, 2009.

Saturday, October 3rd only
• California Heritage Museum
• Japanese American National Museum
• Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial
• Santa Monica Museum of Art

Both Days
• Armory Center for the Arts
• California African American Museum
• California Science Center
• Craft and Folk Art Museum
• Fowler Museum at UCLA
• The Getty Center
• The Getty Villa
• Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA)
• Orange County Center for Contemporary Art
• Orange County Museum of Art
• The Paley Center for Media
• The Studio for Southern California History

Sunday October 4th Only
• The Autry National Center
• Bowers Museum
• The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live
• Hammer Museum at UCLA
• The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA)
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Norton Simon Museum
• Skirball Cultural Center

Remember that normal parking fees will still apply and you’ll still need timed entry tickets for the Getty Villa. Also, some of these museums could be a great venue for a wedding of your next event.

Check one out and let us know what you think!

Inspired by Color

Every project we take on has one thing in common. While we use our layout skills and sense of proportion in everything from wedding invitations to websites, there is no doubt that our best tool is color. Color can set the tone or make a good project go bad quickly. People perceive bad use of color more readily than any other design flaw.

Color is the foundation of the design process for us. Because different colors have different meanings, we don’t usually present logo designs across the rainbow to our clients. We match their brand with an appropriate color scheme. We want the chosen colors to evoke and strengthen the ideas they want to express. We also want to be thoughtful about where the logo will appear. Especially because color is perceived differently around the world, color selection must account for a company’s long-term goals as well as their current place in the market.

Because color matters, it is also a paramount concern in our invitation work as well. While our brides and event planners generally choose their color schemes before they bring us in on the project, presenting color consistently is essential for success. Guests at an event may not hold the invitation up to the napkin to make sure it is the same shade but if we can get close, why wouldn’t we?

Successful color selection and execution depends a lot on communication. While color perception might have far-reaching consistency within a culture, describing color isn’t always that easy. For this reason, we encourage our clients to adopt one of our favorite friends throughout their branding or event planning process. Pantone has universalized color. Their system of swatch books have revolutionized consistency in ink colors, fashion, and home decor.

For companies wanting color consistency across multiple formats, choose a Pantone color and stick with it. While web colors aren’t always the same as ink colors, having a Pantone color as the target will help serve as a goal. Throughout the design process, don’t be afraid to whip out one of these handy tools. While slight variation can still occur, having a benchmark will help everyone stay on the same page. If you are planning an event, check out The Dessy Group’s Pantone swatches that you can give to vendors and designers involved in your process.

For another perspecitve on successful use of color for logo design, check out Brian Hoff’s post on flexibility.

Images from Pantone and The Dessy Group

7 Questions to Answer Before Creating a New Website

Your website is a powerful tool for telling a story about your business. When clients come to us for website design or redesign, we encourage them to think about how to use this tool in the most effective way possible. Here are seven questions you should ask yourself before diving into the process.

1. Who will view your website?
New customers? Past or recurring clients? Referral sources? Investors? Knowing who will be looking you up can influence what to focus on.

2. Are you happy with your current brand and aesthetic?
Many of our clients come to us for website design but end up taking the opportunity to completely rebrand. If you aren’t happy with your current look and company personality, don’t build a website on that shaky foundation.

3. What information do your viewers need to find on your website?
Including your portfolio, contact information, philosophy, and services might be essential. Perhaps your clients want to see video interviews, a calendar of your events, a place to buy your products, and a downloadable map too. Think about the most frequent phone calls and emails you field. Can you include this information on your site at all so your clients can find it without contacting you?

4. How will people find your website?
Many of our clients are concerned with SEO but have businesses that are based on a small tightly-knit community. If your ideal clients find you on Facebook, through a friend, or directly from your business card, it may not be important for you to focus a lot on getting in Google’s good graces.

5. What do you want customers to do in response to your online presence?
How will you utilize a call to action on your site? Do you want clients to call you? Should they be able to schedule an appointment online? How will your client take the next step? Your website should clearly facilitate steps that lead to sales.

6. How often will your site change?
If you plan to update content or pictures often, consider having your website built on a platform that allows you to make the changes yourself. If you aren’t technically savvy, you’ll need to consider the cost of adding to and changing your site regularly to keep the content fresh and relevant.

7. What are your goals for the site?
Do you want increased revenue? How much? Is the purpose of the site increasing brand awareness? How will that be measured? What will a successful website do for your business? What are must-haves in order to accomplish this?

Call for Graphic Design Intern

Hear ye! Hear ye! We’re looking for a stellar Fall Graphic Design Intern.

Internship Objectives
• provide intern with exposure to the world of web design, printing, and invitation arts
• help intern understand the potential, limitations, and guidelines for creating stellar invitations and other printed pieces
• expose intern to elements of business ownership, help them determine their strengths and weaknesses
• create new unique designs for the innovation companies and our clients

Structure
• intern will work at the innovation companies for 10 hours per week for the length of their semester/quarter
• weekly meetings will be held to explain new projects, discuss completed projects, and evaluate skill set

Requirements
• must have killer design skills and a unique sense of style
• must have excellent knowledge and execution of indesign, illustrator, and photoshop for mac
• must be dependable, reliable, and on-time. late or incomplete work is unacceptable.
• graphic design and/or illustration major preferred
• illustration skills highly recommended
• experience with typography a plus
• must provide three references from employers and/or professors
• internship is unpaid

Application
Interested parties should send samples, their resume and references to jon@theinnovationcompanies.com no later than september 23, 2009

Holiday Greeting Gallery

Here are some of our favorite holiday greetings from years past. Hope they inspire you as you check your list twice.

Homespun Chic Tablescape in The Bride & Bloom Fall Issue

We’re so honored to be featured in one of our favorite publications: The Bride & Bloom. “Thrilled” is the only way to describe how we felt when the ever-fabulous Carissa of JL Designs asked us to be part of her Homespun Chic tablescape. Collaborating with wonderful professionals like Carissa, Gabriel Ryan Photography, Wildflower Linen, Classic Party Rentals and Sweet & Saucy Shop is one of the best parts of our work. Another is creating interesting pieces like these menus made from ratan.



This design was full of details. Lush white blooms, sweet crystal cups, a peony cake, and a gorgeous wooden table made for a stylish rustic look. The hemstitched napkins and the beautiful runner pulled the palette together. Carissa even used fresh mint in the arrangements that looked (and smelled) delicious. These chocolate and green touches (including custom dupioni pillows) were the perfect combination for the “grandma’s attic” homespun design.








And in case you missed it, check out our mod baroque collaboration with these same talented professionals.