🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi Patty,

I'm just catching up and haven't rad all the posts, so excuse me if I'm being redundant. I applaud your efforts and this seems a great way to learn. There are people here with diverse talents, levels of expertise, and opinions as well. A wonderful place to grow.

Let me start with your premise. First, don't ever assume that a nonprofit has a tight budget, especially one that is having a "big bucks" fund raiser. Sometimes low-balling a quote to these will lose you the opportunity. Quote your price by the job specification. If you want to give them elbow room, mention that you have some pricing flexibility for nonprofits. If their target is high income they will want to spend the money to influence and attract that target.

Since I am a freelancer I feel it's my responsibility to make a commercial piece marketable. So before the design I need to know the audience and what I'm trying to communicate to them. Your design really starts by asking questions. Let's say the audience (those the org are inviting) are a bunch of NY suits with penthouse offices. The organization isn't going to spare expense to influence these folks, and you may be able to let you creativity run amuck with their dollars:) You could have an innovative, eye-catching die cut shape and the whole nine yards. Then, there is the organization you are representing; how do they want to be represented. And the event itself. What is the event? Is it night or day, dress or casual, is there good eating, is there entertainment, if so what kind of entertainment, an auction, etc?

That said, let's go by your notion that they are on a tight budget. They may have their printer and method of print already established, which would mean that you have to design within those specifications. If no print contract or job order has been made you may, of course, make suggestions to balance budget and quality. You may wish to quote on the printing as a broker or agent for a print company.

This is where I would have to disagree somewhat with Karen; full-color would probably be my last choice for invitations. Rather, I would be thinking along the lines of a wholesale stationery printer, 500 being a standard set quantity for this product group (generalized as Announcements). Some of these printers offer a nice range of stock from white and colored gloss enamel to traditional panel cards or foldovers in textured and colored card stocks. The printing choices for these would be spot, usually thermography or engraved (but many thermographers are now offering flat print as well), foil stamping/embossing, blind embossing; though some do offer 4-color. I'm still extremely fond of blind embossing myself and might choose a blind emboss design, and my colors would express the subject or event, which ever plays the most important role. A lot depends on the information you get from the client on consultation. Along these lines, if I were going with a local print shop, my choice would be to find an old-fashioned letterpress shop. Letterpress gives you the options of emboss, deboss, die-cut, versatility of card stocks and offers a tactile experience as well as visual.

Of your samples the most cost effective and elegant is the reverse B&W. But, what I'm not getting in a "graphical" sense... I'm not getting invited, I'm not getting party, and I'm getting a very static and lonely giraffe. You don't need a lot of "stuff;" elegance is simplicity; but you have to put the effort into communicating. That's where the art of graphic design comes in. Design is art with a planned purpose; a strategy. The strategy may not be evident to the viewer, but they are influenced by it. Words, copy writing should not have to do all the work, and you have a limited space, so everything counts. Everything has to work together, so defining the most important ideas to express in crucial.

Though we're going from you premise of the invitation, realize that you would probably be responsible for an entire graphics package and dealing with an event planner. Everything from banners, displays down to the napkins might need to be coordinated. You may have to create the event logo. Also, with the exception of very exclusive events or auctions, many won't have invitations, but rather advertising mailers and ads in related publications. They may send invites to "friends of ... organization," but usually it's a more the merrier situation. In the invitation realm though, a way to RSVP would be very important. This is usually the dinner type situation where seating and food have to have a count ahead of time.

I'm going to stop rambling on now and go fix supper, best of luck on this great adventure,
inez