Thursday, May 20, 2010

stationery show part one: yummy illustration!

i was at the stationery show monday and tuesday this year, walking it with my buddy rajshel of stationery hustle. we came across so many great small companies -- some which we knew, some that were new to us. all that wowed us in some way.

amongst the many trends this year, one of the best (for me, at least) was the amount of self-illustrated pieces. how refreshing! as a designer, i appreciate the need for stock art and have used it often. but as an illustrator, my heart sings when i see original artwork on paper products, the art that was made by the designer.

first up, benjamin paul letterpress. out of seattle, this studio creates everything in house, from the imagery to the actual printing. the cards were colorful and sweet, with just a bit of nostalgia thrown in.


next up is the new collection by izak zenou for byrd and bleecker. izak's illustrations are famous in the fashion world, and are synonymous with henri bendel and laura mercier, to name a few. now his fabulous fashion illustrations are on letterpress cards from byrd and bleecker!


dandy lion press was part of the ladies of letterpress booth. maia surprised me by telling me that none of the very intricate illustrations used on her paper products were stock. all were hand drawn by maia herself! i loved it. i for one draw a lot, but nothing that i do is that detailed. i leave that up to botanical artists. apparently though, maia tackles that all on her own. even the back of her cards has a little emblem that means "no clip art here". awesome.

a favorite of mine since their debut 3 years ago, old school stationers goes about things the old school way. they use pencil and paper to come up with their lovely imagery. i also love the idea of a print to go with a card -- something i have also done. it adds something personal to your purchase.


finally, i had to visit the booth of our friends sara and rob of paper loop cards. sara told me on monday that while so many stationers start out from illustration and move to graphic design, she went in the opposite direction -- design to illustration! clearly this art was existing in her the whole time. paper loop cards were so much fun to see in person. they have a great energy to them, and so much color.

more stationery show posts to come! this was just the first. stay tuned!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

paper loop cards

hey all! 

to kick off the icff/stationery show festivities here on the nicblog, i wanted to start off with paper loop cards. 


sarah and rob are the masterminds behind paper loop cards. sarah is the creative force, who draws their characters, and rob is the business force who helps those characters find a voice. and what a perfect combination this is! being an obvious fan of illustrated works, paper loop cards has some amazingly fun products that make me smile.


according to the two: "Among the 31 new styles debuting at the Stationery Show are ten holiday cards featuring lovable animals: a tuxedo clad octopus; campfire critters, a snail in a scarf, a ski jumping penguin, and three santa owls."


i'll be stopping by their booth at NSS (1747), and so should you if you're at the show! i will get you guys some pics of their booth in action.


thanks to sarah and rob for their time and information. sorry for the belated post! my world has been crazier than expected. =)

Thursday, May 13, 2010

new site, new line... NEW NIC!

well, it's finally here. i've been working for the last 6 months on my first ready-to-order wedding line. and though it's not for sale *just* yet (you'll have to wait until june for that), you can get a look at what i've been doing!


the line features five wedding suites. two are inspired by my love for brooklyn, and the other three came from art, fabrics, nature, and interior design. each set has five available pieces -- invitation, rsvp card, reception card, thank you notes, and exterior and response envelopes -- and all will be available for order in either offset or letterpress.


the line will be available on my website as well as in lion in the sun in park slope, bk.

you can see the sneak peek on my nic•events site as well as on my newly-launched site for the nic studio.


which brings me to my other piece of news! now you can find my custom stationery, ready-to-order stationery, and illustration work all under the same header. i love being able to show people what i can do and how each discipline influences the other.


let me know what you think of all the new developments!

have a great day everyone. =)

Saturday, May 1, 2010

national stationery show is coming up!!

i'm so excited... the national stationery show is coming up! i'm getting ready to check things out and meet the designers.

as usual, i will cover the event, pick my best in show, and do my best to bring you all the newest and most innovative in stationery design. i can't wait to see some of my old favorites and hang out with some fabulous creatives.

and maybe, just maybe, i'll get to bring little miss anna jae with me (at least on one of the show days).

to check out my coverage of the past years' shows, read my 2009 NSS coverage and my 2008 coverage.