New Year, New Cards

Happy New Year everyone! I'm looking forward to 2010 and hope you are too. There's something energizing about a new year. It's like 365 days of sparkling potential stretching out ahead.

And to start the new year off right―I've printed a fresh batch of snazzy, new business cards.

So, Cheers! to the new year! Let's all enjoy it well.

My New Website

Annoucing my new and improved website...renehoover.com!

Click on by and take a look. The site shows more samples of my work and explains more about the services I offer as a graphic designer and letterpress printer.

Holiday Cards and Coasters

Whew! It's been super busy in the design studio and print shop lately, but I wanted to make a quick post to announce my new holiday cards and coasters.

These cards and coasters feature original artwork and lettering that was drawn, scanned, vectorized and then made into a photopolymer plate for the letterpress. After the tree and greeting were printed, the ornaments were hand painted to add the prefect finishing touch. Below are a couple pictures of the work in progress.

The final hand-drawn lettering was scanned and cleaned up in Photoshop.

Each letter was then redrawn as vector art.

A photopolymer plate was made from the vector files. Above is the finished plate ready to be inked and printed.

And there you have it, a peek at how my cards go from sketch to letterpress!

Part of a Vintage Breakfast

I was getting groceries the other day and noticed the fun, limited edition, vintage Raisin Bran boxes. Now mind you, it's been years since I've indulged in the crunchy flakes and two scoops of raisin goodness, but I couldn't resist buying a box. They're as tasty as I remember and I can't wait to eat my way to the "valuable savings coupon inside". (My inner design geek really hopes the coupon has a vintage look too!)

I wanted to post this for a reason. And no, it's not because I plan to make a habit of informing you of what I had for breakfast. (Although the other day I made some delicious french toast!) I decided to post this as a reminder of how powerful good graphic design can be.

One hears the terms "vintage" and "retro" a lot in the design world and honestly they can be rather ambiguous. Often times they refer to anything that imitates an older trend as opposed to the current fad. And when the current fad is vintage/retro, we see an influx of throw-back designs that don't really speak to a products brand, but simply try to fit in and look cool.

In the case of the Raisin Bran box, it looks cool, but there's more to it than that. What I really love about the box is the sense of nostalgia it invokes. Not only did the design make it stand out from the other cereal boxes, but it made me think back to when I was a kid eating Raisin Bran in my pajamas. The memories of the crunchy flakes and sweet gooey raisins made me turn around and purchase a box. It's a perfect example of effective design at work.