I’ve had the honor of covering the stationery market since the late 1990s — which means I’ve been around long enough to be able to differentiate the trajectory of an enduring designer or company — as well as those who tend to burn out and move on after a while. Quite often, triumphing in our tricky environment is simply a matter of adjusting your attitude and approach, so I’ve outlined four quick ways you can start writing your success story today.

Nice Guys Finish First

It’s well known that ours is an industry distinguished by its warmth and supportive nature — so those who don’t share those traits quickly differentiate themselves, but not in a very positive way. As kind and open as our peeps tend to be, word does get around about those who don’t share those qualities. In my experience, they don’t tend to stick around very long.

Promote What You Preach

All of us sit at the same table and want the same thing — for the art of letter-writing, invitation-using and card-sending to endure. So the next time someone does something kind for you, step away from your email and mail an actual note. If we can’t continue this practice, how can we legitimately hope consumers will?

Keep Your Eye on the (Design) Prize.

What every designer has to offer the world is completely unique to them: their own personal vision. While macro design trends tend to be simultaneously reflected in the work of many lines, the most lasting perspectives make sure their output doesn’t look like that of anything else — and even better, can be instantly recognized as completely their own.

Take Your Time

Once you have experienced the sweet taste of success, it’s tempting to expand into more gifty product categories, e.g., mugs and T-shirts. While this may be lucrative in the short term, extending into several categories quickly can undercut the value of your brand and the quality of your product. You’ve had your whole life up until now to envision that greeting card or invitation line  — make sure your next release is equally well thought out.

People like us have a deep need to create. But it’s not always easy to be brilliant on demand. Some days I feel pretty unoriginal so I have to shake things up. A great playlist might do the trick and a change of scenery almost always works. I was invited to attend a 3 day workshop in Palm Desert with some seriously creative peeps last week. My first instinct was to turn it down because I have too much to do and because there are no TVs at Miracle Manor (seriously, that’s where we stayed) and the World Series was gonna be playing. But then I decided this was probably the kick in the pants I needed so I went for it.

We spent 3 days problem solving around professional challenges while we colored with crayons. I have always found a lot of value in having a creative community with whom to bounce ideas around. And I always liked crayons so that’s  a win-win for me. I came back refreshed and ready to inspire and be inspired. I know we can’t always take off to faraway places but I bet taking an hour away from your computer to go for a walk or to a local musuem would be time well spent.

 

We LOVE the double thick paper trend (hey, Paper Homies). Assuming that you love it too, there are a few things to know about getting the most bang for your buck. Double thick printing requires a little more finesse than our standard printing process. Printing on double thick involves multiple steps including perforating, folding, gluing, and cutting which means that errors are more common.

A 1 to 1.5 millimeter shift in front to back is very common. Your design should never include typography or borders that are close to the edge, that’s just asking for alignment issues. And by “close” I’d say give yourself a 1/4 inch between things that matter and the cutting edge.

We have also discovered that Savoy Cotton doesn’t love the automated gluing process so these will be hand glued in the future. We are happy to provide hand gluing for those who have a love affair with Savoy but it will cost a bit more than our other stocks.

Other than that, go double nuts on double thick, your clients will love it.

With Holidays coming quickly I thought now would be a good time to let you know about some of the key factors that will ensure your projects print beautifully. You probably know most of this already, but just in case…

1. Thin borders will rarely come out even. We batch and print large volumes so we can offer the best prices, this requires automated processes. If you can’t live without a border, make sure that it’s a minimum of 1/4″ (not including bleed).

2. Teensy weensy type in anything but black will be hard to read cuz it’s made up of cmyk dots. I’m not saying you shouldn’t use colored type, just be prepared if you do a 6pt serif in a pale aloe. (yes, as a matter of fact, I have tried that– how do you think I know about these pitfalls???)

3. Matching colors on multiple pieces is hard to pull off on an automated job, how about complimentary colors? More on this

4. Die cuts make a cool card into an awesome card but they take a couple more days of production time so plan ahead.

5. Quality files make quality stationery, here’s a guide to ultimate file set up: Digital Print Files

6. We have a Frequently Asked Questions page on our site that might have some helpful nuggets for you: SHQ FAQ

Post kindly provided by the friendly team at La La Designs

There is nothing more exciting than receiving a wedding invitation from a family member or friend in the mail…

A wedding is a mammoth event in people’s lives and being asked to share in the big day is very touching. A wedding invitation can say much more than just the date, time and venue. It is a document that confirms the love two people share and show a glimpse into their lives.

Today we are going to look at some wedding invitation designs. They are being highlighted for their uniqueness and creativity. Many of these have been created by designers for a specific couple. The designers have taken into account the lifestyle and personality of those who are soon to be wed.

The results, as you will soon see, are quirky, endearing and humorous.

Join us in the woods

This pop up design by Charlotte Fosdike will become a valuable keepsake long after its use as a wedding invitation has passed. This was commissioned by a couple who wanted to embody who they were into the invitation. They both were adventurous, outdoor people and this really comes across with the trees standing majestically over the written content.

[Source: Charlotte Fosdike]

Chocolate box

This was designed by Bilda Grafiks for Marta and Richard’s wedding – a fact you will learn once you consume the delicious chocolate inside the invitation chocolate box.

[Source: Bildi Grafiks]

This is a novel idea and helps forge a bond with the forthcoming wedding by attaching it to something we all enjoy – chocolate.

Keep calm and marry on

Who doesn’t like a little pop culture reference? The Keep Calm and Carry On meme has exploded over the internet. Most people would be familiar with it, which is why this invite by Bruno Vergauwen would have caused a chuckle. The tea jokes, despite being rather cute, make it especially British.

[Source: Bruno Verguawen]

Interactive 8-bit wedding invitation

This would appeal to people of a certain vintage – who grew up playing 8 bit games. This is particularly charming, because it unashamedly promotes the nerdy side to this couple, which is something they obvious bond over. Extra marks for the interactive element.

[Source: Off Beat Pride]

Viewmaster

A viewmaster is a toy that allows you to look through a series of images. Many of us had them as kids. This kooky invitation design allows guests to enjoy a series of images relating to the forthcoming wedding. I think it creates a sense of play we all had as a kid and establishes that the wedding will be unconventional and fun.

[Source: Brit+Co]

Recipe Board

Who needs a paper wedding invitation? This couple gave their invites out on a small chopping board with a recipe on it. This design is a great example of lateral thinking, because not only does it inform guests about the big day, remains useful as kitchen utensil.

[Source: Joan Lim ]

Folded Map

This wedding invitation was designed for a jet-setter couple who see themselves as citizens of the world. Their love of travel (which they share together) is reflected in these fun origami maps that fold out.

[Source: Andrea Papi Studios]

EnvelopeColors.pdf

Some of you have asked for color breakdowns to match our envelopes. There will never be a perfect match for something that is already printed on a stock that we don’t print digitally, but I got as close as I could. Keep in mind that the paper you choose will have a warm tone or cool tone and that will impact the end the result. It’s also good to remember that non-designers don’t lie awake at night stressing about things like bad kerning and colors that are 1% off…

We were recently asked for a description of our papers, so if you don’t have time to wait to get a paper sample booklet from the site, here is a little info that might help you out. 

110# Uncoated: A heavy duty bright white with a very smooth finish, this guy prints beautifully and is our house stock.

19pt Savoy Cotton: This beauty is fast becoming the fav for stationery. It has a very subtle texture, enough to make it interesting but not enough to mess with print quality. The white is bright and warm, the natural is a soft ivory color.

110# Synergy Felt: The texture of this paper differentiates it from the rest. The white is bright and prints beautifully. The Ecru is warmer/bolder than Savoy Natural.

110# Ice Pearl: The Princess of all of our papers is almost ivory with a gorgeous pearlescent finish. Photos and flat colors print superbly and the colors pick up a metallic tone from the paper. I ❤ Ice Pearl for invites and holiday cards. 

130# Mohawk Options: For those of you who prefer to use recycled paper whenever possible, this one is a winner. It’s a bright white, heavy stock and prints just as well as the rest of our arsenal. 

110# Gloss: Super smooth, bright white and if you like shiny stuff, you’ll like this paper 🙂

Many of our papers are available in double thick too, go to http://www.stationeryhq.com/a7-double-thick-card and see the drop down on the right side of the page to see which stocks you can double up for a completely awesome card. 

 

Hi Guys, Mark Sarpa here – CEO of SHQ.com.  I have bad news and good news about pricing. We need to raise our prices on our quantities under 75. UNLESS…..you can help us grow. Don’t worry for now. We are going to hold our current pricing until year end and if we can grow significantly we can hold them into 2015.

Now for the good news, today we are actually reducing pricing significantly and adding higher volume options. By 10:00 am PST today all flat and folded cards will have quantities enabled from 500 to 2,500 in increments of 250. Also you will find the pricing on the top quantities almost 40% less than we previously had posted.

So about the bad news….we need your help… we serve designers and we need more of you. You can help us by sharing on social media or writing a blog article for us. That will help us hold our prices in 2015 on the lower quantities.

We also cleaned up our quantities based on what people actually order to make is simpler.

The new drop down allows in increments of 5 from 10 to 100, in increments of 10 from 100 – 200, in increments of 25 from 200 – 300, increments of 50 from 300 – 500 and increments of 250 from 500 – 2,500.

Rest assured that the adjustments actually mean you pay way less for 750 than you would have for 625 in the past.

Thanks for listening and for being such an awesome group to work for.

Mark

My career in design has had some pretty cool twists and turns, from building a successful agency in Silicon Valley to outselling Martha Stewart in online custom stationery. The common factor throughout these 20+ years is that managing the business side of things is absolutely crucial to success. Yep, it doesn’t matter how much of a creative genius you are if you don’t take care of the money, the relationships and the long term strategy.

Many years ago I attended an excellent conference called Mind Your Own Business. The keynote speaker was David Baker, a creative business guru. He is an understated guy but his message was anything but… so my partner and I hired him to do a business review for us that permanently changed the way we ran the shop. We captured an additional $150,000 in revenue that year without working any harder.

So I thought you guys might find some of David’s insights helpful on your path to crazy awesome success… here’s what he had to say:

SHQ: What is the biggest mistake small design firms or freelancers make in business?

DB: 1. Thinking “If I build it, they will come.”

2. Poor Positioning. By positioning yourself as a designer who can do everything in order to be relevant to everyone, instead you become irrelevant. Know you’re specialty and sell it.

SHQ: What are the most important factors for success in a small business?

DB: I tested 14,000+ business owners to find out whether there were common traits amongst those who were very successful. 1,340 of those tested were considered successful and almost every single one was a risk taker.

Along with a willingness to make bold decisions, successful business owners have money smarts. Does a designer go out of business because they are not talented? Almost never. It’s because they don’t have money smarts. DO NOT incur debt at risk of the future of your business. If you need to spend to grow, save it up and be comfortable with the possibility of losing it.

SHQ: What’s a Gorilla client and why are they dangerous?

DB: If you add up your revenue and count how many active clients or partners you have, each one should be between 5% – 25% of that business. 8 to 15 clients is a good number for success. If a client is more than 25% of your business you are approaching the danger zone. If they are over 35% of your business you have both feet in it.

Erin: I have had the Gorilla Client experience twice in my career. Both times we made a lot of money. I mean a LOT of money. The second time the GC was KodakGallery.com, you’ve heard of them right? They filed bankruptcy a few years ago owing us about $100,000 in card royalties. At the time they were about 50% of our revenue. We are still recovering and making damn sure that none of our partners are ever that much of our business again.

Here’s a more in-depth explanation from David about the subject: Gorilla Clients

SHQ: When you do business reviews of creative firms, do you find a common problem that we all seem to have?

DB: It’s common that business owners try to be and do all things. In order for a business to grow, it’s leader needs to focus on strong positioning, getting new business and running the business from a financial perspective.

Erin: If you only read one of David’s articles (and I suggest you spend significant time on his site, he’s got a whole buttload of crucial information for you) read this one: Why Your Firm Might Fail and How to Prevent It