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ditch the mallet

There is a wonderful story of a group of American car executives who went to Japan to see a Japanese assembly line. At the end of the line, the doors were put on the hinges, the same as in America. But something was missing. In the United States, a line worker would...

This is not what letterpress is

I received this in the mail this week. It’s from a company that does presentation materials: folders, packaging etc… I’m usually content to let other people do their thing, but I couldn’t sit by on this one. From the obnoxious marketing speak...

hand-deliver

If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you already appreciate taking the more personal route. The extra step of the handwritten versus electronic. The call versus text. The visit versus call. So why not hand-deliver? Getting mail is nice, but a visit...

i need a videographer

I had an absolute epiphany this week. An idea I think might change the industry. And I need help. I need a wedding videographer who’d be willing to work with me on a small project for a staged wedding invitation that involves video. The video itself won’t...

what makes you rise up?

My friends are often a great source of delight. Several friends have been encouraging me to read Simon Sinek’s Start With Why and, while it’s on my list, it hadn’t reached the top until yesterday. My friend Chrissanne spoke for a group of which...

a little news

Though I’m usually pretty candid here, it’s not often that I share much of my personal life. I wanted to pause for a second to share a secret I’ve been keeping for a few months. That’s our three-year-old holding up her little brother’s...

addressing envelopes

I think every invitation purchase (whether from a fine press or anyone else) should include a calligrapher; it’s the extra step that elevates an invitation above the rest of the day’s mail. The truth is,though , hiring a calligrapher isn’t always a...

correct is fine…

…but it is better to be interesting. If I show you a political tract or a blog post or a remarkable new product with text that contains a typo, what’s your first reaction? If all you can do is say, “You’re missing an r in the second...

local/global

Derek Sivers really challenged me recently with this post. As a former employee of my local chamber of commerce and a guy who just likes to be social, it’s safe to say I’ve got quite a network of friends and contacts in my great city. My friends jokingly...

stooping so low

This postcard from this morning’s Postsecret is kind of depressing. Are we dumbing things down for our audience? It’s easy to assume this secret belongs to a writer on a large team, writing for one of the larger media empires. I kind of hope it is. I doubt...

this is my resolution

As I mentioned, This was a challenging New Year. It wasn’t until the 1st that I really started to think about what I was going to change this year. I’ve attempted *-a-day challenges and resolutions in the past to no avail and I wasn’t necessarily...

The Icarus Session

I’m so grateful to be part of a great city. Last night was the first meeting of Seth Godin’s Icarus Sessions. While people were meeting across the world, twenty-five or so people met at Lake Mirror Tower to discuss their passion projects – our fears,...

No Excuses

Its amazing to me how quickly mobile publishing has gone from a novelty to de facto. A couple years ago, my (internet) friend and fellow bass player Jason Heath blogged about how he used his iPhone to publish content on his website and otherwise manage a hectic...

so this is the new year…

…and I don’t feel any different. Ben Gibbard’s words from this epic album feel rather prescient today (is that album really ten years old?). This was probably one of the least quiet, calm holiday seasons I’ve endured in a few years. So little...

luxury wedding invitations

I’ve really been struggling with the word “luxury” as it relates to stationery, weddings and my work. I was already having reservations about it when I read this post from Liene, which was incredibly clarifying for me. It is strongly connection to...

handwriting

I recently posed the question in an edition of Fly in the Ointment: How do you feel about your own handwriting? Reflections and samples welcome below.

Letterpress Grad Certificates for the Blogcademy

It’s nice to see a bit of recent work all over the internet today. The letterpress graduation certificates I printed for the Blogcademy are making cameos in all sorts of recap posts. They were designed by the inimitable Nubby Twiglet and are über cool. They were...

a letterpress print made just for me!

I make no secret of my roots. I’m a Cleveland boy (not born, but raised). I’ve lived in Central Florida for nearly 13 years now, but the embers still burn for autumn leaves and lake effect snow. It was our common roots that attracted me to my Chandler...

a friendly reminder

You’re probably already encouraging your clients to track their guestlist through some sort of spreadsheet or database. If you aren’t already doing it, make sure each guest (or guest unit – couple, family, etc) gets assigned a primary key (add a...

the gift of art | a holiday letterpress invitation

Now and again, being a musician has a pretty direct effect on my designs. This was definitely the case with this piece with this holiday party invitation for an art museum. The inspiration for the decorative figure came while I was reading an article about sound...