James came into Lunalux as he was preparing to leave a full-time job to launch his own public relations firm. He needed business cards to help establish his new brand. We bounced around a few logo ideas, settling on a superball. Toothy 100% cotton Lettra paper would be the base, with all information set in simple Times New Roman. After considerable debate over color trends, we chose a vibrant orange for the logo. And we were off to the presses.

We finished the Engine Innovations project just in time for James’ first official event. When he picked up his cards (raves all around, natch), he paid his bill and gave me a crsip $1 bill. Just days into his new venture, he’d received his first check, and was giving 20 one-dollar bits of it to people who helped him with the launch. As tips go, this is the smallest I’ve ever received, but also the most prized. I’m saving this as a reminder that we do good work, and poeple appreciate it. On my worst days, I might feel like a glorified desktop publisher; but on my best days I am really more of a paper therapist.

Many of our clients are navigating serious transitions, such as preparing for their first baby, facing a milestone birthday or diving into a new career. Whether we’re working together on formal invitations, or simple calling cards, or a show-stopping business stationery suite, the process of deciding what goes on the paper makes people think very carefully, and in a new way, about their crossroads and how to articulate it. The subtle implications of color schemes, paper textures and punctuation elicit unexpected visceral responses. The weight of the world suddenly hangs on a hyphen – or is that an en-dash?

It’s not always that heavy, of course. Sometimes people come in, they order something pretty, we make it, they pay for it, and everyone’s happy. Ultimately that last part – everyone’s happy – is what we care about the most. But when we have the opportunity to help someone clarify their vision and move forward with confidence, there’s extra gratification in that.

Lunalux has been recognized for excellent design work in Mohawk Paper’s quarterly Strathmore Letterhead Contest. Late last year, we submitted samples of the Post- stationery suite, and we’ve been deemed the gold prize winner for the 4th quarter of 2007. And the awards keep coming! We also were awarded the year-end grand prize, which is selected from the four quarterly gold prize winners. We get a little cash, a nice commemorative plaque, and a bit of promotion on the Mohawk website. And if you find the Mohawk press release that announces our award, you can read the nice things that Mohawk’s Senior Vice President of Communications says about us, such as “This unique identity system was chosen for its rich design aesthetic and compelling use of fine letterpress printing … the result is rich, tactile and crisp.”

The Post- identity system (which I wrote about last February) was a great project to work on, and I’m incredibly pleased and proud to have our work recognized. Katie & Lois from Post- came to Lunalux when they were in the early stages of business, still working on prototypes of their tony totes for fashionable moms on the go. It was important to them to develop a stationery suite that conveyed a strong sense of style and a commitment to quality – and I do believe we delivered! They had very clear and strong opinions about what they wanted, and they pushed me to do my best work.

I never expected to win, in fact it was an honor just to be nominated! I’d like to thank The Academy, and all the people who made this possible, including my Momma and Poppa, Jesus, my go-to guy Nick, and of course my dear Mark, without whose technical and emotional support I wouldn’t be blogging today. And most of all, John for his excellence in printing. Word up!

Lunalux gets a nod in PRINT Magazine’s Regional Design Annual this year! Each year the magazine acknowledges the best in graphic design, and one of our clients submitted the letterhead and stationery we printed for him. We’ve always kept the focus on Lunalux-designed projects here on The Blog, but we figure it’s worth bragging about the certificate! Plus it IS a pretty cool design, and we’re proud that we were able to help the designer realize his creation so beautifully.
We try to steer clear of big floods of color, as we feel this effect doesn’t take advantage of letterpress printing’s coolest features (like the texture, and the old-fashioned feeling). When Andrew asked us to print business cards all-orange on the back we hesitated at first, but ultimately accepted the challenge with a “we promise to do our best, but we’re not sure how this is going to turn out” warning. We also cautioned that the exact shade of orange couldn’t be guaranteed. Andrew was quite pleased with the finished result, and we congratulate him on being chosen for inclusion in this prestigious publication!

The Lunalux studio store is featured in Minnesota Monthly‘s 2004 Best Of issue. Page 44 of the magazine’s March issue declares Lunalux to be the “Favorite Store Most People Have Never Heard Of.” High praise or a back-handed compliment? Maybe both!

At least we’re in good company. The list of favorites also includes Sister Fun, World’s Largest Ball of Twine Made by One Man, FoundMagazine.com, and Krispy Kreme.