Designing a holiday card for a large corporate entity is a big challenge. It can be tricky striking the delicate balance between lighthearted and professional, while still adhering to the guidelines that come with being part of a large brand. In most cases the card can't use colors, imagery, or language that speaks to a particular religious holiday. It must be different and more creative than previous holiday cards. It needs to be on brand but also festive. Playing with papers and treatments is a great solution to this yearly design dilemma. Because holiday card design season is right around the corner, I've pulled together a collection of corporate cards that navigated through the design parameters and turned out beautifully!
Edge Painting | DIY, Budget and Custom Jobs
I absolutely love edge painting, which is the process of painting the edge of a print piece. It adds such a lovely pop of color and personality. Below are three ways to do it, one for every budget:
DIY Edge Painting
There is a great tutorial on Oh Happy Day on how to do this yourself. Jordan painted stripes, which I think is amazing and incredibly ambitious, the final product is just beautiful.
Aileen of At Home in Love had amazing results with a less technical approach.
Edge Painting on a Budget
If you're on a budget and not interested in the DIY method, printing through JakPrints is a great option. They offer a variety of colors, including metallic gold and silver. By offering limited color and paper options, they are able to print like jobs together, thus cutting down costs.
Custom Jobs
If you want complete freedom over your color and paper choices, a custom job is your answer. Letterpress shops always offer this, but if you're doing a traditional print job, it's best to find a finishing specialist who does both printing and edge painting in-house. By providing both processes in-house, the cost will be much less than if the printer were to outsource just the edging. Different printers have different techniques and capabilities, so talking it through is important. From gold foil edges to gradients, the results can be beautiful!
Gradient Edge Painting | IS Creative Studios in Peru
Foil Edge
