Five of the best Letterpress Wedding Invitations

Letterpress wedding invitations are wonderful for so many reasons. They are a full sensory experience. You pick up a silky envelope, peel it open and slide out the invitation. You feel the weight of it, smell the sweet woody smell of fresh paper and ink, and run your fingers over the indent of the lettering. You admire the rich colours and the curves and lines of the lettering.

Letterpress is a versatile art form: classic and timeless, but when used properly can also be sleek and modern. It screams luxury, and can turn your invitations into an instant piece of art, showcasing the paper and the design.

There are so many good things about letterpress that we’ve decided to give a round up of the five of the best letterpress wedding invitation designs. Each of them demonstrates a different way the medium can be used to create varied effects and to fit various styles.

1. The Giving Tree

This fairy-tale design was created by illustrator Clayton Beltran of Smudge Ink Stationery + Gifts for his sister’s wedding. The iconic book ‘The Giving Tree’, by Shel Silverstein, was Andrea’s favourite book when she was growing up, and her copy had become a prized possession. The invitations became a fun collaboration between family and friends, with other designers at Smudge helping him with the design, and letterpress printing done by his colleagues and friends, Margaret and Emily. Because of such a personal approach this invitation is something truly unique.

This design ticks all the boxes: It showcases the delicate letterpress work while also ensuring the design and illustration itself is given attention. Its nature-inspired colour palette is rustic and functional, balancing nicely to draw the eye through the information on the page. The calligraphy adds a touch of formality to the whimsical, storybook aesthetic.

There has been such a shift toward minimalism in wedding stationery that it can be difficult to remember how a ‘busy’ design with so many elements can be done well! This design is a beautiful example of how to pull it off to perfection. No space is spared on this page but it works so well, largely because of the colour breaking things up and helping to create a clear hierarchy of information.

The whole suite is cohesive and creative. It is whimsical and will no doubt bring waves of nostalgia to not only the bride, but the guests as well. A similar approach could be taken using any hobby or favourite thing, but this one works particularly well because of the theme of selfless love inherent in the book. That extra layer of meaning is the extra sweetness that makes this custom letterpress wedding invitation design one of the best of 2015.

2. Charleston

This sleek letterpress invitation is the perfect example of a quality type-based design. The combination of serif and sans serif typefaces work together smoothly, and the choice to keep the colour palette monochrome adds even more sophistication. The true beauty of this design is the way that the varied size and weight of the text works with the letterpress to showcase one another.

This invitation is a great example of the way that text alone can make a work of art if the right typeface is chosen. Since a wedding invitation is primarily for communicating information, it makes sense that there has been a trend to try to make that the focus of invitation design. Letterpress is the ideal way to add an extra touch of luxury to type-based invitations, by creating an extra dimension to the page.

Letterpress can help create a logical hierarchy of information, either by combining it with different weights of typeface (as in this example), or by only using letterpress for certain words, such as the names of the bride and groom or other key details.

This particular design is also a wonderful example of the impact an invitation can have even when colour has not been utilised. Here we see the way the paper, typeface and printing process itself has been emphasised in a way that could have been lost had multiple colours been used.

3. Mellony

This elegant letterpress wedding invitation, designed and printed by Deciduous Press, makes the beautiful illustration the focal point but without detracting from the information included. The line drawing of the poppies is the kind of art piece you might frame and display.

The colour palette chosen plays an important role in this balance between the large design and the text itself, but yellow and grey are certainly not the only colours that could have been effectively used here. A version of this design was also printed with a dusty pink design and chocolate brown lettering. The key is for the text to be dark enough to stand out against the illustration. So long as that is the case, you could match these to your wedding colours with ease. This could even be accomplished by using a blind letterpress technique for the flowers (blind letterpress is a technique in which the image is pressed into the paper but has no ink included, creating a more subtle effect). A version printed in this way and featuring deep red text has also been created by Deciduous Press.

Another key feature of this design is the typefaces chosen. The combination of script and serif fonts make the information aesthetically pleasing while still easily understood. The blank space left at the top and bottom right of the page are also crucial to the harmony of the design. Between the illustration and the text there is a lot going on these letterpress invites, but the gaps are enough to stop it being too much, giving a spacious feeling to the overall result.

This skilful balance is the reason this design makes it to our list of five of the best letterpress wedding invitations of 2015.

4. Aztec

Also created by The Distillery, the Aztec invitation suite is something completely unique and eye-catching.

Of course, the shape of this invitation is perhaps the most interesting element of this design. The choice of a circular card rather than the traditional square or rectangular one creates something special from the outset. It was inevitable that this approach would carry into other aspects of the design.

Pattern is king when it comes to this design, and when it comes to letterpresspattern isn’t just something visual. When it is physically pressed into the paper stock, a pattern becomes a tactile experience with texture your guests will be desperate to run their hands over.

The blue and silver colours of this design work together with the pattern to draw attention to the information in the centre of the card. A similar design by the same company uses gold and, yellow and salmon for a similar effect, showing the versatility of the design itself.
By keeping the other cards in the invitation package simple, attention is drawn squarely to the official invitation itself, but with the colour and typeface kept consistent between the cards the entire suite coordinates harmoniously.

5. Modern Love

‘Modern love’ is another example of the beauty of type-focused design. It made this list, however, for its wonderful use of blank space to create a sleek minimalist aesthetic. By leaving space around the type, the letterpress was framed and showcased like art.

The simplicity of this invitation makes it perfect for any wedding, whether it is a casual outdoor affair or a full white tie ball. The invitation design is glamorous but understated, and can be dressed up or down as required. Simply customise the ink colour to match your wedding colours, and this invitation would match any occasion. This versatility is the real beauty of this design. It is simple enough to please even the most particular of in-laws and fussy grooms, but still has personality.

While the simple type might look basic, it actually shines a spotlight on the beauty of the letterpress process, with the extra dimension of the impressions on the page creating a sense of luxury. Letterpress is such a beautiful style that even the most minimalist design can look this elegant.

If you weren’t already considering it, I’m sure these examples of our favourite designs for 2015 have got you thinking about making your wedding invitations letterpress.

So if you’re trying to decide on letterpress wedding invites, these examples are an excellent starting point. Consider what attracts you most. Simple type? Pattern? Illustration? Colour or monochrome?Spacious or busy? These options will all produce a very different result, but with quality letterpress you can be sure that it will be classy and beautiful whichever you choose.

 

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