Luxury weddings are big business, and subject to trends just like any other industry. The hottest wedding trends were swapped and shared in Venice, that most romantico of places, during the Engage!17 summit last October. And with the help of TPD Design House (formerly Two Paper Dolls), it was all done with style and sophistication.
Having attended my fair share of design conferences this year, I know just how challenging it can be to craft an attendee name badge that both looks good and easily communicates the relevant information to the people you meet.
Avoiding the ubiquitous “print it out/stick it in a plastic holder” model, TPD instead went in an entirely different direction.
To start with, they laser-etched the event’s logo into a 1/8-inch-thick black marble acrylic, and then filled it in with white ink. (Designed by Trisha Hay Design, the logo incorporates the “E” for “Engage,” an exclamation point, and the “ferro” part of a Venetian gondola thrown in for good measure.) The acrylic was then laser cut to achieve its distinctive rounded-corner, rectangular shape, with two additional cuts made to accommodate a simple ball-chain necklace.
TPD then digitally printed attendees’ names and other details on Mohawk Superfine Eggshell Ultra White, using them as tip-ins for the pre-made badges. The result is an admirable balance between the moody sophistication achieved by the acrylic, and the practical task of getting everybody named.
With everyone so stylishly identified, TPD turned their attention to Engage!17’s guidebook. Going with Colorplan’s Ebony Black 130 lb. Cover for the cover, they digitally printed it with a pattern that ever-so-slightly mimicked the swirls in the acrylic nametags. The event’s logo was then added in black gloss foil.
Though gorgeous in its own right, the cover exudes a quiet sophistication, which makes the effect you get upon opening the book all the more dramatic. Inside, you’re bombarded by a host of colors as vibrant as Venice itself, all rendered in digital CMYK on Mohawk Superfine Eggshell Ultra White.
These two pieces, designed as they were for the ultimate wedding business event, are not just a wonderful match between stylish sophistication and digital printing’s unique short-run abilities – they are as engaging as the romantic Venetian setting of Engage!17.
Foil has become such a powerful tool for designers today, particularly with the benefits that digital foil brings, including variable-data capabilities, as well as the ability to accommodate short print runs. Wish you knew more about digital foil, hot foil stamping, cold foil transfer and foil substrates? Then download our free Foil Cheat Sheet right now! In it you’ll find everything you need to know – from color options to pros and cons – all in one place!
Photography: Betsi Ewing Studio
