Last November, we printed notecards and letterhead for a film production company. Writer-director Rob Perez had relocated from Hollywood to Minnesota to shoot an independent movie, and he came to Lunalux for distinctive business stationery for his project. Because a goat plays a pivotal role in the film (titled Nodoby, starring hometown talent Sam Rosen), the design featured an image of a goat.

A few weeks ago I ran into Rob next door at Nick and Eddie. Filming had just wrapped and he was headed back to L.A. for editing. With one last thank-you for a job well done, Rob gave me a keychain inspired by the goat image we’d created. This marks the first time that anything I’ve made has been translated into a 3D metal object.

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. Untimately 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.

We’ve been printing wedding invitations on Lettra, a paper created for letterpress printing, for a while now – brides love the luxurious feel of the paper, and it really shows off the tactile quality of letterpress printing. More recently, we’ve been printing business cards on this soft, 100% cotton card stock. The first card we printed on Lettra was for Suzy & Kent, who’ve been friends of the studio since we created wedding invitations for the daughter in 2002. This winter, Suzy asked us to create calling cards with their contact information in Minnesota and at their new vacation home. The cards are letterpress-printed in black and bright blue.

Most recently, we designed and letterpress-printed business cards for Nissa, a massage therapist and esthetician. Working with her existing logo, we created elegant, balanced business card in black and bright pink. Though you can’t see it in the picture at the left (do to click on that image for a larger view), there’s more information printed on the back of the card – Lettra is thick enough that a moderate impression on one side won’t result in unsightly show-through on the reverse.

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!

When Stephanie Rasley started her venture as a professional organizer, she wanted eye-catching business cards to promote her new business, Make Room. From the very start, her number-one desire was to have cards printed on colored stock, to make them stand out in the crowd. She loved the stationery we’d create for Stephanie Colgan, so we worked with geometric pattern that recalled open boxes. We letterpress-printed the graphic with transparent ink on periwinkle felt-finish cover, creating a tone-on-tone effect, and printed her vitals in rich black ink over it. We also supplied the graphic to her web developer, so her website matches the cards.