Monday, February 27, 2012

The Stationery Shop

The Stationery Shop is a Zazzle shop full of designs that incorporate cheerful illustrations that often serve double-duty on both business designs and invitations. Many have a fanciful air about them, but as you'll see, they are quite versatile.


A wonderful illustration of a tree with root and hearts dominates both this business card and matching letterhead. These pieces could be used by a nonprofit community group or as a mommy card as the image conveys how love grows.
A classic leafy damask pattern forms the edge of this chic pink, black and white damask profile card and creates a lovely border, emphasizing a business name or individual. Pink and black  make a striking color palette and work together to create a versatile card that could fit many business types.
The assorted cutlery images on this Colorful Cutlery catering or chef business card is a simple, yet effective graphic for a caterer, restaurant or anyone in the food service industry. The arrangement and the bright colors of the graphics give it a modern feel.

This cheerful Beautiful sunflowers business card displays a graphic sunflower against a wood-grain textured background. This would be a perfect mommy card or business card for a retail shop specializing in gifts for the home and/or garden. It definitely has a homey feeling.

Sometimes illustrations are all that is needed to convey what a business is all about. This illustration of a serene woman with a head wrap on this Beauty salon or spa business card tells everything about a salon or spa business where pampering is the order of the day.

This business card features an adorable illustration of a friendly apple, bringing to mind the old saying "Apple for the Teacher". It fits the educational field perfectly. The typeface is appropriately playful implying that this business is child- and education-oriented.
A blue, grungy textural background dominates this modern business card, calling attention to the business name within the central panel. It's simple and versatile, with an effective corporate feel as it almost mimics a marble surface.
 A simple and direct card that makes use of a heartbeat wave. This is ideal for a cardiologist as displayed and says everything about the specialty. The typography fits nicely within the space.
A skinny business card is a wonderful alternative to the usual size business card. This dental business card adds interest with the  row of bright multicolor teeth against the rich black background. It would be ideal for a pediatric dentist or orthodontist.

Make sure to check out The Stationery Shop and its sister shops for business products and other papergoods incorporating wonderful illustrations.


Friday, February 10, 2012

The Paper Mill

After an extended break from this blog, the featured shop for this post is The Paper Mill.  Many of the business designs at The Paper Mill have a soft look and make effective use of graphic elements. Her tagline is "Stylish, Chic and Sophisticated" and that certainly is the case with her designs.
The Paper Mill is known for her damask patterns. In fact, she has an entire store, The Damask Diva, dedicated to the art of damask. In this Bakery Business Cards Aqua Damask card, the damask pattern plays off the whimsical cake. Two contrasting styles blend together, implying that this baker can create cakes from fun to refined and everything in between.
A wonderful illustration of butterflies among flowers on this Colorful Butterfly Business Card draws you into the scene. The typographic treatment balances out the card with the panel at the bottom serving to ground the image. The green tones are soothing with the butterflies popping out in burgundy and orange.
The addition of the swirls behind the cropped flower on this Floral Business Cards in Orange and Teal help to give this card depth. The type treatment is refined and balances the card in relation to the large flower.
This Modern Nature Business Card uses a wonderful image of transparent leaves to give a soft look. The leaves play off the parchment-like background well. It's a versatile card that would fit occupations from a retail shop to a marketing professional to a landscape designer.

Pink and orange is a fabulous color palette evoking a contemporary girly feel. This Modern Floral Business Card Hot Pink is totally fun and the graphic flowers give it a youthful and vibrant mood.
This is a great alternative to the usual business card with a photo as it's modern, stylish and ultimately professional. The addition of the leaves gives a feminine, polished touch and having them break out of the bottom panel is unexpected, adding a touch of playfulness.
The business card above, Stylish Navy Blue and Green Business Card, is similar to the previous photo business card in using a similar leaf treatment overlapping the adjacent panel. The sophisticated type treatment fits well within the panel below. The color palette is cool and cultivated.

Textiles come to mind on this Professional Business Card in Eggplant and Orange. The floral image is subtle and the card gives off a warm and elegant feel.
 
This business card has a wonderful, graphic air that is simple, but sophisticated. The addition of the blue panel behind the cropped tree adds an anchor to the card and having the topmost branch pointing to the business name gives the card an effective flow.
This is an elegant and versatile business card. From the sophisticated color palette to the classic serif typeface to the parchment background, this Black and Cream Business Cards with a Flourish, would fit an upscale business such as a salon, interior designer or consultant perfectly.
Big and bold is the style on this Modern Business Cards in Black White and Lime, and I love how completely different it is. This green is one of my favorite colors and its treated on this card with style and finesse. The eye-catching graphics lend themselves to businesses that stay current, if not ahead of trends such as the fashion, beauty or retail industries.
The above are only a handful of the wide range of business cards available at The Paper Mill. Expert typography and finessed graphic are dominant in all her products. A visit is in order to find unique business cards as well as a wide range of other papergoods and gifts.