It's been a whirlwind few days in New York City at this year's annual
National Stationery Show. There were so many talented designers and companies, and great products, it's hard to know where to start to tell all about it! I'll try to give a quick summary of the trends and great products that stood out!
Trends
I must admit that many of the design trends that were being talked about weren't surprising, or anything too "out there," but there were a few divergents the past that are great to bring up including:
Honeysuckle
Yes, we've heard about
Pantone's Color of the Year... it seems that everyone has heard about it, because it is very popular right now. It's hard not to find something using this lovely shade of pink. Of course, even I have some honeysuckle inspired cards!
Bold on Bold
Many designers when creating a new card or invitation will choose a bold color (or 2) and pair it with a subtle neutral color... well, not this year. Folks are taking inspiration from fashion with the Bold on Bold approach. So, think bright turquoise and cherry red or how about magenta and bright orange... or great for summer is a regatta blue and sunny yellow... no need to hide anything these days!
Charcoal is the New Chocolate
Yes, you heard correctly, yummy chocolate is being replaced by charcoal grey. I must admit I'm sad to see chocolate heading out-- although there still is a great place for it in the woodsy and faux bois world... but grey is the newest neutral to have it's day in the sun! So, bright yellow and charcoal, honeysuckle and charcoal... you get the picture.
Stripes
We've been seeing
stripes explode in fashion, and now it's on to stationery. I think the key to this is to come up with a new twist to stripes. Definitely a design challenge, but hey, I'm up for it! I love this example above from
fashionising.com where the stripes have been paired with a floral... if you look closely she even has striped bracelets. Subtle, yet definitely stripes!
Great Stuff
Of course many of the prominent stationery and product companies I love were there, showing their latest items. Although some of these companies are "the big league", they still do always have great products with whimsy. Some included:
Meri Meri,
eeBoo,
Chronicle Books,
Cavallini Papers and Company,
Dauphine Press,
Egg Press,
Hammerpress,
Hello!Lucky, and
Mara Mi.
I loved seeing the many small unique designers showcasing their work as well folks I had not known before. A few stood out for me including:
Figs and Ginger,
L2 Design Collective,
Smitten Kitten,
Mr. Boddington's Studio,
Oblation Papers and Press.
I know I'm forgetting so many more amazing designers that I saw.
Oh So Beautiful Paper has a wonderful write up for the last several blog posts of great products to check out. Be sure to check it out:
Oh So Beautiful Paper - National Stationery Show 2011 Part 6
