I’ve been a huge fan of Molly Jacques for years – including all of her gorgeous fonts! – and it’s always a pleasure when I get to feature some of Molly’s beautiful illustrations or calligraphy (or both!) here on OSBP. I was absolutely thrilled when Molly sent over the brush lettered baby shower invitations that she designed for her very own shower! Inspired by traditional sign painting techniques, Molly incorporated her own signature brush lettering into the invitation design, along with a whole lot of color. The result is so fresh and vibrant!

From Molly: I’ve been creating custom calligraphy and lettering for others for years, so when I found out that I was pregnant with our first baby, I was so excited to be able to design my very own baby shower invitations!

Between my own work schedule and getting ready for baby, I knew I wanted to create an invitation that wouldn’t create too much fuss around my schedule yet remain FUN and eye-catching. I wanted a design that that I could put together on my own time, in-between client projects, and print right at home on my own printer.

For the invitation, I knew I wanted to somehow incorporate a little bit of traditional sign painting technique mixed with modern brush style lettering. I was greatly inspired by the use of fun, bright colors to reflect the joyous occasion – an aspect I also have been interjecting into baby’s nursery design. Likewise, I wanted to use texture and value as a major design element to contribute to the over-all playfulness of the invitation, you can see this technique showcased with white calligraphy on a mid-toned envelope as well as the dot gradient used on the actual invitation to indicate a middle tone value. Moreover, I also decided to add on a little bit of washi tape to the outer envelopes to add some additional texture.

Lastly, I thought long and hard on what lettering style I wanted and how it would effect the feel of the invitation. I wanted each recipient to feel excited and playful when they received their invitations, which brought me to the style mentioned before: a combination of traditional sign painting and modern, energetic brush lettering. I wanted to steer clear of tradition heavy calligraphy or lettering for this particular project.

Thanks Molly!

Design & Lettering: Molly Jacques for Juni

Printing: Printed from home on white 5×7 card stock

Envelopes: Paper Source in Pool