stationery show 2008 -- BEST IN SHOW

hey there! well, here's the last part of my review. the best-in-show. i have two "winners" for this category -- one for the work itself, and one for best booth.

let me just preface this by saying that so much of the work i saw was beautiful and amazing. so i hope no one gets offended by this post... frankly, i'm jealous of all of you. i'm not yet at the point where i'm ready to release a line, so i'm in awe.

ok, now that the PSA is done... the first best-in-show "winner" goes to old school stationers. i met brian reed, the illustrator and designer behind the line, at the stationery show. my first statement was, "wow, how refreshing to see a male stationer at this event!" it seems as though everyone else had the same reaction as well. but while brian clearly adds a certain je ne sais quoi to his work, they are not overly masculine. rather, they are colorful, interesting, and sweet, without being overly flowery. forgoing the current trends, brian creates using a pencil and paper and seems to draw what interests him. i appreciate that. and, being a fan of rich colors, i am a huge fan of his palette.

so, my hat's off to you, brian. i was extremely impressed with your work, and i think you should be really proud.

the work of old school stationers stood out from the crowd with great illustrations and bold color choices.

the next best in show is for best booth. now, i can't express to you how important i think a great looking booth is. while the work may be outstanding, people may never stop to see it if your booth doesn't draw them in. and while i understand how expensive this show is for the exhibitors, i do feel as though they could get creative with their remaining funds to outfit their booth accordingly.

always aware of the value of presentation, i thought delphine press did an amazing job with their space. without the use of too much furniture to get in the way of the visitors, delphine managed to get the punch out of the space by using an eye-catching yellow-green and heavy ornate frames for their stationery pieces. there were also graphics on the walls to draw the visitor's attention to important pieces or information. i thought the hook display for the tote bags was especially lovely. not to mention that orange poppy that kept, well, popping up everywhere! i want the tote. and the print. and the notecard.

of course, it doesn't hurt that erika firm (the founder of the company) and john arquette (director of operations) were extremely affable and fun to chat with upon visiting.

congrats guys. great work.

the booth by delphine press is so gorgeous i want to live in it. with the poppy. =)