Oh So Beautiful Paper

It’s a baby-filled day on OSBP today!  But this time, it’s fun and modern birth announcements from designer Kate Holgate for her niece Elizabeth.  Kate was inspired by vintage type and story books – and I love that Kate chose a deep red as an alternative to traditional pink for a baby girl.  She even sewed fabric pockets to hold the announcement and a photo!  Just beautiful.

From Kate: I created baby announcements for my niece, who was born at the end of August in Geneva, Switzerland.  I asked my sister if I could design Elizabeth’s birth announcements as a gift to mark this joyous occasion.  The baby’s room is decorated using a Peter Rabbit theme, so I designed an announcement inspired by old story book motifs and vintage type.  I chose a deep coral color as an alternative to the traditional “pink” signifying a girl.

The design is letterpress printed on Crane Lettra 300 gsm (soft white) by Ladybug Press in Boise, Idaho.  I stitched fabric pockets to contain the announcements and Elizabeth’s photo.  I can only hope that my niece will someday feel the warmth and love expressed through these announcements.  I couldn’t be happier to welcome Elizabeth to our family!

Thanks Kate!

Design: Kate Holgate

Letterpress Printing: Ladybug Press

Photo Credits: Kate Holgate

Jackie from 42 Pressed welcomed a little bundle of joy – a daughter named Riley Magnolia – back in June, and she created these completely adorable letterpress announcements to share Riley’s arrival with friends and family.  Jackie mixed Riley’s tiny baby silhouette with playful type to create the perfect balance of whimsy and beauty in these announcements.

From Jackie: I wanted Riley’s announcement to be playful and fun, but still be really beautiful.  I have been obsessed with silhouettes lately.  I have thought that Riley has the sweetest silhouette since the moment I laid eyes on her, so I knew I wanted to do a silhouette birth announcement.  I am not a huge fan of photographs in birth announcements, so I thought I would photograph her profile and then go into illustrator and outline her silhouette in lieu of an actual photograph.

I played around with type to convey the sense of playfulness and fun that I wanted in the design.  The typeface used for Riley’s first name is playful, but I offset it with a more dignified and timeless script typeface for her middle name.  I always love to pair opposites with opposites, it’s always been a big part of my design style.

Thanks Jackie – and congratulations!

42 Pressed is a member of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of their beautiful work right here!

Photo Credits: 42 Pressed

These birth announcements from Elpitha at Print in Cursive are so clever – for a November baby, why not combine two projects and turn the announcements into a family holiday card?  New parents Chris and Amy did just that for little Mila, including a darling photo of baby Mila by Bella Baby Photography in lieu of a traditional holiday family photo.

From Elpitha: Tis’ the season for… babies!  I’m so pleased to honor another birth with these announcements for baby Mila.  Parents Chris and Amy wanted to combine their news with a little holiday cheer.

As usual, for birth announcements, I like to start with the photo and Amy knew she wanted olive green, pink, and Lily of the Valley incorporated into the design.

Thanks Elpitha!

Photo Credits: Announcement by Print in Cursive, baby photo by Bella Baby Photography

As much as I love the cuteness factor of baby announcements, I’m also drawn to announcements that eschew traditional baby graphics for something a bit different.  So I was thrilled when I laid eyes on these stunning baby announcements created by art director Mark Rawlins for the birth of his son Owen and letterpress printed by The Mandate Press.  Mark wanted to create something masculine for his little man, so he chose a black and gold color palette paired with a beautiful blind impression pattern.  So awesome.

From Mark: The biggest inspiration for this piece was Babies-R-Us.  Seriously.  While preparing for the Owen’s birth we, like just about everyone else, walked around that store filled to the brim with over produced, glossy, and often tasteless stuff.  I decided that I wanted to design a baby announcement counter to everything else in the world of babies.

In this case, I wanted the piece to be masculine, celebrating the birth of a little man.  That thought led me to use bold gold and black colors combined with the subtlety of a blind hit for the patterning, rather than the more typical childlike colors and themes.  We were so happy with how it turned out.  And, as always, the fine folks at The Mandate Press did a fantastic job. 

Thanks Mark!

Design: Mark Rawlins

Letterpress Printing: The Mandate Press

Photo Credits: 1 – 4 by Mark Rawlins, 5 by The Mandate Press