State of the Art is our not-so-regular series where we highlight the work of those in our industry who knock our socks off.  We are proud to be part of such a vibrant, creative industry and strive to create work as excellent as that which we highlight here.

Lately, I’ve fallen in love with the classic aesthetic of Sailor-Jerry era tattoos.  I set out on a journey to find tattoo-inspired invitations and sundry letterpress goods and, much to my chagrin, didn’t find much.  What I did find was pretty spectacular, though.

Abbey Warner of UK-based stationery studio sugalily created these stud-bound, 4-page wedding invitations complete with glitter heart!  For a full gallery, check out her facebook page.

This invitation comes from marketing/design firm MSLK (a clever conjunction of the founders’ initials).  Ellen created it for her friends, Barbara and Ed.  Check out the temporary tattoo included with the invitation!

There’s not a lot of up-to-date information on Rouxbee’s blog, but there are several great rockabilly, goth, and tattoo-inspired invitations and announcements.  Rouxbee, if you get this, please post more – it’s great!

I’m enamored with this congratulations card for new parents from Messenger Bird Press.  It’s got great styling (with flowers thrown in that make it OK for a girl, but not too girlie for a boy).

Far and away, the best tattoo-inspired invitations and announcements out there are those of Faye + Co.  Diane clearly knows tattoos and does an amazing job of integrating them into formal stationery.

Do you know of any stationery designers creating tattoo invitations and announcements?  Leave a link below; I’d love to add them!