Design in August provided the logo and paper designs to coordinate with a pre-set color scheme of candy apple red, citron and charcoal gray. What began as a staged photoshoot to capture the space and vendor talent (by the keen eye of Gregory Byerline), later turned into an industry party open to 150+ guests! The flowers, the linens, the food and fun all came together beautifully.

Leap in the City program and appetizer menu.

Cocktail stir sticks added a fun pop to the apple Leap-tinis. Yum! While place cards and buffet menus dressed up the tablescapes.

And finally, here are the guilty parties, er… vendors that teamed up to make Leap in the City possible. Thanks again to Michelle and Sara for inviting Design in August to participate, and Dana Patel at Sambuca for setting the stage! Hop on over to photog Gregory Byerline’s blog for a fantastic write up featuring even more event and vendor details.

All images courtesy of Gregory Byerline. Photographer: Gregory Byerline.

Handcrafted.  Artisan.  From Napa Valley to Arlington deliciousness.  That’s Jams by Mags.  All of these jams are hand cut, small batch preserves, created with the highest quality local ingredients, made in the peak of their season.  And Mags needed a brand and package design that conveyed all of that.

Margaret began making jams in her mom’s Napa Valley kitchen.  Now she makes jams in her own kitchen in Arlington, Virginia.  (And she ships orders!  Thanks be to God!)  She came to me with initial ideas for her look – one that would fit the hand cut, homemade, original and unique flavors she fills up in her jars.  And one that wouldn’t break the bank of a young, start up company.  The creative process was great fun!  Mags and I share similar creative bents and continue to pass inspirational tips back and forth in the middle of our work weeks to this day.  How DO we get any work accomplished?!  Well, we do.

The result of our collaboration (and scrumptious product sampling) was a set of custom rubber stamps that she would use to stamp her paper goods as needed – jar labels, business cards, note cards, and shipping labels on boxes.  The stamps were not only a huge budget saver, but a perfect fit for that “handcrafted” look & feel.  And by pairing a classic serif typeface with Maggie’s own handwritten “by Mags” for the logo, the result is a unique brand mark that further conveys that hand made touch.

Note: Jams by Mags is currently stocked with wintertime marmalades and savory jellies!!
Be sure to browse (and drool) and place your orders here.

All photos courtesy of Jams by Mags.  Photographer: Kim Maxwell Vu.

As always it was a delight to work with you, gals.  And thank you for the spotlight on our Studio as well!

Logo Design + Business Card + Promotional Card

Another unique quality about Ian Riley is his commitment and care to operating a sustainable, eco-friendly photography business.  As a member of 1% For the Planet he offers clients museum quality prints on cotton rag paper, hand-bound albums, and gallery frames for enlargements using reclaimed wood, among other products.  So it follows that his commitment to sustainability would play out in the paper we used for his branding materials.  After a thorough search, I found this gorgeous, textured paper that mimics watercolor canvas and yet also met his eco-friendly standards: it’s made from 100% post-consumer waste fibers.  Win!  Win!

The result of our meeting of the minds is this lively, clean, modern and yet timeless new look.  Sarah wanted a brand image with several possible iterations – a primary logo that, when appropriate, could be separated into a simple word mark (Music City Events) or a stand-alone symbol (MCE).  If you look carefully, you will see an “MCE” in the circle.  Bright peacock compliments a warm grey to finish off this contemporary palette.  Sarah, it’s always a pleasure to team up with you!  Congrats on rolling out the new look!

And this fabulous letter opener?  A little something Mr. G and I collected while honeymooning in Spain.  Olé!

Cocktails bar sign and my cocktail stir sticks.

Stationery samples out for display.

Oh! Sneaky peek at my Larrabee Suite. Coming soon!

Isn’t the Noah Liff fabulous?!  Mr. G’s reaction: “We need to throw our
10th anniversary party there!” And 20th… and 30th…

Catering cards on the buffet table.

“Soon to be Mrs.”

His & Hers drinks.  These stir sticks were an absolute delight for party-goers (and vendors!).

Yours truly with the lovely Sarah.  Thank you again for a great evening, girl!

Like the old tradition of blessing a new sea-worthy vessel for her maiden voyage, I feel compelled to raise a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut and *smash* it against my desk as I say, “Bon Voyage!” to this inaugural blog post.  But rather than waste a perfectly lovely bottle of the French bubbly (and risk flooding my Mac), instead perhaps I’ll pour myself a flute and raise it to you, my new readers and dear friends.  Thank you for your love and support and encouragement.  I’m excited about this journey into the blogosphere, as well as sharing my most recent and precious projects with you!  A bit of brand design, a bit of stationery, a bit of inspiration, and the occasional peek into my studio.  Cheers to the future of DesignInAugust.com!