For many years we have collaborated with Cannelli Printing in New Haven to produce annual holiday cards. Showcasing our concepts and their technical skills, the final pieces indeed work as promotional materials for both of us. But our purpose goes much deeper than this right from the onset: our business is founded on relationships and teamwork, and while we enjoy being able to design pieces to highlight that, we are driven to do so while giving back: each year we contribute to causes in honor of our clients and send out a special message that becomes a gift unto itself.
Our cup of gratitude runneth over, and in this year’s installment we had given a set of drink recipes, each traditional in a different country — along with a native toast. A new year is full of new opportunities, new experiences, new friends; and it’s made all the sweeter with our old friends by our sides. The cards and their luxe print presentation were not only a celebration of our professional relationship, but also an accompaniment to our tradition of charitable giving — this time to Charity:Water.
“Friends, near and far, you are in our thoughts and hearts as we bid farewell to 2012 and look forward to 2013. While you choose a recipe to make for your New Year’s toast, How 2 Deisgn is making a donation in your name to Charity:Water, so people in developing countries are able to raise their glasses of clean drinking water to you.”
For this year’s piece we pushed the boundaries of what a “greeting card” can be: a mini envelope adheres to an oversized backing board, for drama of scale — featuring a glorious splash of script depicting the famous New Year lyrics “We’ll take a cup of kindness yet for Auld Lang Syne.”
To hold the fine lines of our custom-drawn compass rose motif, we choose the delicate, raised printing technique of engraving — making the envelope extra special and adding a bit of tactile elegance.
Let’s mix it up. Cheers! Prost! ¡Feliz año nuevo!
To ensure the pieces arrived as pristine as they came off the press floor, we selected a rigid mailer in down-to-earth brown kraft; and for contrast and a little wow factor we ran two passes of opaque glossy hot foil in black and white. The geometric grid pattern depicts a world map which we used to hint to our concept and to frame our tipped-in label. Whether for our clients or ourselves, a mailer or envelope must never be an afterthought, rather we see it as the place to set the tone and deliver a strong first impression. The result: “Joy to the World” even in transit!
