Pray, Pray and Pray Again!
Every card we design is started with a prayer. We believe our creative talents are a gift from God - we strive to honor that as we work.
What Next?
After prayer one of two things usually happen - we dig through our inspiration bin of trinkets and look for something that jumps out at us or we look through the bible for a verse that is particularly appealing.
In the first scenario there is eventually a spread of paper snippets and found objects over the floor. In these we will look for things that might have a theme of faith or made us think of Christ. The "Salvation Ship" card was designed this way. A beautiful image of a commercial fishing boat inspired the card.
If we start with a bible verse we usually begin sketching ideas directly on tracing paper, skipping the inspiration bin. After drawing for a few hours, we might take out a design book or two and look for connections and ideas there. The "Love." card was created this way. We knew we wanted to use 1Corinthians 13:13 and were looking for a twist on the traditional wedding card. Our answer came in a design annual focused on typography.
Tracing Paper, Ink and Long Naps
Once the concept is created, the layout is started on tracing paper. Each element of the design or illustration is hand drawn in ink on separate layers of trace and, as they are perfected, taped together. When the entire drawing is complete, it is scanned into the computer and digitally traced. We always have a color scheme in mind and start working with it now.
At this point, we always put the work away. Taking a break from the art allows the creative juices to really flow. Without fail, the final solution for a design comes to us after a 3 to 4 day break - often in a dream.
Once the card design is finalized, we pull out the Pantone swatch book (kinda like a paint swatch book) and envelope options. We play with a lot of variations to come up with what we feel best communicates the card's message. We strive to surprise and delight with our funky color combos!
The process is complete once we have chosen the inspirational verse for the insert. Always prayerful, we ask for guidance in the selection of that biblical verse. We hope that you are moved and encouraged by the end result!