So, OK – on a scale of 1-10, what’s the worst thing that a designer can be asked to create? We’ve all been asked to ‘do me a Business Card’. Then there’s the old ‘logo for a friend’s new Delivery Business’ chestnut. Or, in at number 8 with a bullet, an advert for a small local hotel, owned by a friend of your Mum’s cousin who’d heard that you were good at drawing!
Well, and you need to trust us on this, there’s something worse, much worse, than any of those. How about Wedding Stationery for a highly valued and much loved client? Scary, eh?
The first reaction is always to try to think of an excuse – “it’s a lovely thought, but I’m just so busy and I’m worried that I won’t do the project justice!” Maybe, in such circumstances, a more honest –“you must be joking!” – response would be more useful.
Nothing like that happened, so this story is about how Idealogy turned an “Oh No!’ moment into a powerful personal branding experience for Lisa Rickhuss, Simple’s CRM Manager and her new husband Nigel Taylor, who began their own official partnership at the end of October 2010.
And what an experience! Can anything be more individual, more a statement of style and personal choice, more emotionally aligned to what is, after all, this most traditionally romantic event. And let’s not forget that the proposition was done and dusted – Lisa and Nigel were fully committed and there would be no flexibility in the deadline.
So, working with Lisa, we developed a brief of sorts (actually it was one email) and then set about doing some style research on the wedding location – The George in Rye, East Sussex. We then began to build up what was, in effect, a ‘mood board – a typographic platform, style guide and colour palette reflecting the building’s heritage, dating back to 1575, its interiors, moods, wallpapers and detailed styling. With that all in place and agreed we then, simply, applied those findings to individual invites, the Order of Service, Table Plans, Table Names, Menus and RSVPs. And central to all of the visual influence was the venue’s extraordinary and unique Georgian Ballroom.
And, as you can all see, the results were stunning. After the event, Lisa was kind enough to say, “I wanted wedding stationery that really reflected my style but that was also unique to me and fitted with the style of venue and the day. After just one email explaining what I wanted, the end result was absolutely perfect – chic and contemporary (with a vintage twist). Several guests commented that they were the best invitations they had seen – both from the elegant design and the quality. They really added to the style of the wedding and made the look and feel of the day absolutely perfect.”
So, there you have it! Ask a graphic designer to produce your Wedding Stationery and you’ll probably end up losing a friend. But ask a Brand Consultancy, who prides itself on developing unique experiences, then all the pieces fall seamlessly into place.
Job done? Not really! We’re still waiting for a piece of Wedding Cake…Clients, eh?
Posted by Shelley Crouch
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