Brown Paper...

I was sent this card by a friend, and noticed how similar it was to the types of materials that I have been working with. The brown paper background is a printed image, rather than actual paper. The letters are printed in matt and metallic and some are cut out. If my designs were going to be produced for commercial purposes, it is likely that the background would be changed for a digital image, which then had to colour printed onto it.
- M&S

Bags...

I have had a look online for different types of gift bags. I am planning on designing bags made of paper, but there are other options, so I've had a look:



Clockwise from left:
1. These white bags are made from paper, but have low shine vertical silver stripes running across them. The handles are made from stiff twisted paper, which means they stand up. The silver tissue sets off the shine in the paper. Overall the design is very low key but it isn't specific to any one occasion, which makes it versatile and very commercially viable. For those who appreciate the elegant and stylish, and anyone who wants to give a gift wrap suitable for any gender.

2. These are quite interesting christmas bags. The design is not conventional but it works because of the colour combination and the aesthetics of the bag. The tissues uses the same colours as the design, which helps to give it a more christmassy feel. The illustration is a little limiting, it would mainly appeal to women, and probably those over 30. Overall the design is a bit tacky, but it will appeal to someone!

3. These purple paper bags are clearly designed for no specific occasion. The design is simple and very graphic, devoid of any type! The important thing about this design is that uses colour, and lots of it. The colour palette is quite unusual but it creates a very bold design, which makes the present look exciting.

4. This is a very thick paper bag, made with cord handles. The bag is totally plain, the colour appears to be some kind of pale gold (possibly not metallic). I realise that this design isn't exciting or special, but it is always important to have bags that are just plain so that they can be used for any occasion, and suit anybody.

5. This bag is made from thin frosted plastic. The handles are made from a double layer of the same plastic. The pattern on the bag is simple, but pretty, not really suitable for a male audience. The fact that the bag is see through means that it will require tissue paper inside to conceal the gift, this means buying an extra piece of packaging, and therefore might not appeal to the customer.

6. This think paper bag has twisted paper handles like the first set of bags. The colour is bright and bold, making it eye-catching even though there is no pattern or design. A bag like this can be reused - unlike wrapping paper which is ruined after one use. Gift bags are usually quite expensive, a bag like this wont cost as much as one with a printed design, or one that uses foiling or coatings.

Decorative Type...

The basis for this design (poster) is quite different to what I am producing, but the use of multiple type faces is similar to the style I have been working in. The use of craft paper as the background is complimentary to the type; it doesn't draw attention away from the design, it also enables it to have more of a texture and natural look, and obviously it is quite appropriate for the vintage rough and mis matched feel the whole piece has.

I have been considering using craft papers in my paper product design work, and I think that this shows how effective it can be.

Boutique Ranges...

Paperchase are brilliant when it comes to creating ranges of products that use a continual design. A range usually consists of one of every wrapping product in the same design, and possibly some in different, simpler designs that use the colours from the main boutique range. The range below is christmas 2009, and they have done a great job of creating a range that is suitable for a range of products, and showcases the design to its best.



I am intending on creating a range similar to this, but probably containing a wider range of products and using one main design, and a lower key pattern design. Boutique ranges are quite popular, and the products usually sell quite well, and they area bought as a complimentary set. I do feel that my designs may work quite well as stand alone products, but a boutique range will strengthen the overall design, and make it more commercially viable.

Paperchase Grunge Star Christmas range:

Christmas Colour...

I have been asked to consider the colour combinations that I could use for the christmas wrap, card, bag and accessory designs. I have been looking at some christmas websites to find some less traditional colour combinations, but that still have a richness and festive feel.

Silver and Purple


Orange and Warm Brown


Frost: Blue, Silver, White, Grey


Cinnamon and Aqua


Berry: Plum, Purple, Red, Maroon

Woodblock...

I have been experimenting with woodblock type, and using mismatching letterforms. I have found a few examples that have helped to inform my design work, as well as provide a but of inspiration. I also feel a little spurred on by these designs, as they are so simple but beautiful, and I know that something really great could come out of this experimentation.

I found these images at welovetypography.com, wordsarepictures.com and a google search for 'woodblock type'

General typings...

These images are the remnants from my internet research which didn't fit into another category. I realise it's all a bit of a jumble, but there are things in here that are really going to help me with my design work.

1. These cards are very imposing, but the bold colours and letterforms work really well. Each card has not been overloaded with colour, and the embellishment has been kept to a minimum. There is no real message on the front of the card, this is left for the sender to write on the inside.

2. This is a slightly odd card, the monochrome is a bit disappointing, but the shape of the letters and the sort of squished composition makes up for this. The type has a more hand rendered quality that most of the other designs i have been looking at, but the quality of the letters works well.

3. These two invitations are very simple in their use of text. The placement of the letters is good, but they look a bit like they're floating randomly at the top of the page. It is however a good starting point for a design, but there are considerable improvements that could be made.

4. This is so simple, plain, pale, unembellished; but it is lovely. The subtle contrast between the paper and the type is lovely, and the shape of the letter, and the way the two words are tracked to fit perfectly is great. Simple and effective (maybe a little boring?)

5. As a card I don't like this design very much, but the way the type has been laid out is what I am interested in. The words have been set so that they sit perfectly within the square, and the mixture of colours for each letter helps to balance the hierarchy of the words.

6. Letterpress -again! I do like the quality of this design, the mix of just two colours, and the bright bold text. Very sweet, and suited to a valentines card.

7. Letterpress! Much more interesting layout and mixture of typefaces, lots of expression and good contrast between the ink colours and paper stock.

8. The mis-matched jumble of typefaces, colours and words is a bit crazy, but the overall feel and mood of the card is great. I like that a variety of serifs, sans serifs, script and outline fonts have been used, as well as flipping the words around so that the read from lots of angles.

9. This piece is good in the sense that it uses a variety of typefaces, but the type looks stretched and slightly squashed in places. Not very exciting really.

10. This hand drawn type piece is lovely, I really like the mixture of typefaces and colours and the way some of the letterforms are embellished. Overall it is a very over-the-top design, but it's pretty and the mis-matching works quite well.

11. This is my favourite piece from all of those shown. I love the simplicity of the design, the use of just one colour which is then mirrored in the envelope. The type itself is well set (sort of centred which I usually hate) and the inclusion of the small illustration is good. The texture of the design looks like an engraving, or possibly letterpress. The design is very cleanly printed and the mix of typefaces is not overly obvious, but is very effective.

Consider this a courtesy card...

Gramkin Paper Studio

I found these lovely cards on an Etsy website. I love that they're beautiful and pretty, but the phrases and slogans are so mean!
The typefaces are put together well, and provide the decoration for the card, as well as the message. I think that the overall idea is to have something beautifully crafted, but in essence it's a rejection! I think that these types of designs can help me to find fonts that work well together and create something, rather than fighting for attention.

Christmas Greetings...

1. This Noel card is very simple, but very effective and pretty. I like the way the letters overlap to create areas of brighter colour, and that the type is not overly embellished.

2. The christmas tree shaped text seems a little bit done, but I think there is something effective going on. The combinations of typefaces do not work that well together and don't create a great overall image. The message is clever but I think that the christmas tree is a bit of a weak way to communicate it.

3. I like the simplicity within the lowercase 'christmas', and that the patterns within the letterforms provide the decoration. The bow across the bottom is pretty, but maybe a bit pointless. I feel that this would appeal to a varied audience; children adults, mainly women but it is a pretty general card.

4. This letterpress style seasons greetings card is interesting, nice, brightly coloured. I think that maybe it's too done, the different sizes of type, texture of the letters, but I do like it. I think that it would appeal to those who want something a bit different for their christmas cards, but not too over the top, or ambiguous.

5. Similar to the previous card, the letterpress style is apparent, and the overlapping letters work well. The mix of colours and phrases is good, not too much, but interesting enough to make the design worthwhile.

6. The mix of type faces work together here, and I think that is because there is no mix of colours or textures to confuse the design or make it seem overly designed.

7. This concertina design design works really well - i love that it sort of reads in two directions, and that the colours are so un-christmassy that it feels like a proper card rather than a christmas necessity.

8. Letterpress-ish again; the mix of typefaces is good, and the pale colours make the design easy to take in. I think that it is possibly too pale, and maybe doesn't actually make a lot of impact. It could be better, but it could also be worse!

9. This last card has a more handmade feel, the contrast of type is good. I like the colours, though they are a bit 'new baby'. I think that using colours that may be a little unexpected is a good thing, but they need to be the right colours.

Birthday...

1. This card is rather expressive, and has a mixture of typefaces, colours and weights. The overall feel isn't exactly of a 'happy' birthday but more of a ransom note. I think that as a piece of design it is interesting, but not exactly greeting card material.

2. I really like the hand drawn quality of this cards. The background appears to be very simple with just two colours, but the eclectic mix of shapes and the texture they provide make it more than it could have been. The type element is very plain, the variation in size and weight works quite well, and enhances the handmade quality.

3. These bottom three cards are from Paperchase; relatively similar in their bold use of colour and text. The message is also rather simple, repeated several times, and with the mixed typeface cards, it works quite well because they're so decorative. A little over the top and bright, but as cheap cards they're pretty good!

Type Greetings...

I have started looking at existing designs for greetings cards and gift wraps that utilise type as their main component of communication. Initially I didn't think that I would find an awful lot of stuff out there, but contrary to this there is an abundance of typographic greetings available for almost every consumer.

The images shown here are from a primary research excursion, which involved stealthily taking photos of products without the people in the shop getting angry (which they didn't!). I visited Clintons, Marks and Spencer, WH Smiths and Paperchase...


WH Smith tends to cater for a range of consumers. They have products that are at the higher end of the market, and some toward the lower end. There is a definite feel to the type of cards WH Smith sells, most are not particularly exciting, and some badly designed (see 'Mary had a little lamb...' above). Those that are more exciting, and have a better level of design are usually those designed by other companies (see Scrawl montage, and the Emma Bridgewater cream and black gift wrap). Overall WH Smith seems to be following the trend rather than setting it.



Paperchase is a higher end high-street brand. Their products are known for being interesting, fashionable and having well thought out designs. Their greetings cards make up a large proportion of the products they sell which is understandable when they are eclectic and artistic. The selection of type based cards was very good, they have some designed by outside printers and some designed by their own in-house paperchase designers, which provides a good mix of lower and higher priced cards. I feel that Paperchase really sets the bar when it comes to fashionable stationary, a definite trend setter.



Marks and Spencer is an unlikely place to think about buying gift wrap and cards, unless you purchase items like food and homewares as well, rather than just clothing. M&S have been expanding their brand for some years now and incorporating cards into their range has been a good investment. Their designs sit on several levels of the price ladder, with some coming in around the £1.50 mark, whilst other more elaborate or embellished cards are around £3-4. Their designs are interesting, some similar to Paperchase, and others more suited to the older person buying for a younger audience. They have a very good range, appealing to most buyers and audiences, and with M&S you know the quality is going to be high.


Clinton Cards is one of those shop that I sort of hate, but am appreciative of. Their main selection of cards are all rather twee and sickly (with those terrible verses written inside!). The selection of type based cards was low, considering how many different cards they sell. The designs are all rather over the top, bright colours, with layouts that could be better. Their gift wrap is suitable, but not amazing, it could be so much more eye-catching and exciting. They have recently started producing a range of quite lovely, more modern and fashionable cards, but for a lower price (all around £1-2), which I think is very reasonable. For example the 'Birthday' type card with multi-coloured letters is on sale for £1.30, not expensive, and not a bad card. Overall there is room for improvement!