Design a Wedding Invitation Sure to Attract a Bride!

For your project, you'll be guided, one step at a time, to gather the elements and mindsets that will go into crafting your own marketable wedding invitation design. And each lesson's mini project will assist you in effortlessly and painlessly brainstorming and crafting your own sellable design.

Below are your mini-projects.

Please use the supplied worksheets (in the "Resources" area to the right) as a template for your work, and upload a screenshot of each worksheet to your project area. (Only worksheets for Lessons 1-5 are available at this moment)

Lesson One, The Mystery of the Bride

1.1. What’s Trendy?

Research market trends and identify 3 current design elements, or styles, that seem to be trending in wedding invitations.

Below are some suggested resources and websites to use when doing your research. Feel free to discover others:

Pinterest.com
Instagram
Etsy.com
Google.com
Minted.com
abfabpaper.printswell.com
abfabpaper.carlsoncraft.com

1.2. Post Your Selections!

In your project area, post 3 small images reflecting each of these trends you’ve identified (one per trend), and name, or describe, each one. You may use industry terms, or come up with your own colorful descriptions.

Lesson Two, The Mystery of Design:

2.1. It Pays to Follow the Rules!

For each of your selections in Project 1, brainstorm on how you might apply your 2 Cardinal Rules to each chosen element.

2.2 Post Your Selections!

In your project area, post 3 short descriptions (one per trend) of how you’ve think each trend might be tweaked to flow with the Rules. Feel free to write notes and/or share with your classmates about your process.

Lesson Three, The Paradox of Good Design:

3.1. Pick your Flavor!

As designers, we’re most prolific and most comfortable when designing in our own lane. And we produce our best work and are happiest creating when we’re true to our designer soul. :)

Do you know the song your designer soul sings? What’s your flavor, and what lane would you like to inhabit?

Pick one (or more, if you’re so inclined) flavors/design styles below to explore in your final design. Or feel free to add your own, and/or suggest others for students to explore.

Modern/Contemporary
Vintage
Whimsical
Classic/Traditional
Romantic
Dramatic
Boho/Bohemian
Minimalist
Lux
Avant-Garde
Rustic
Urban
Country Chic
Industrial
Shabby Chic
Baroque
Coastal
Tailored
Etc.

3.2. Note your choice(s) in your project area.

Lesson Four, The Mystery of Color:

4.1 Plant Your Flag!

In lesson 1, you identified three design elements which you saw as trending. In lesson 3, you selected a design style, or "flavor" that you might feel most comfortable designing in.

Considering this design style, select one of your three design trends. This will become the final element that you will explore in your final wedding invitation.

4.2. Post Your Selection!

In your project area, post the chosen trend you will be exploring for your final invitation design.

Lesson Five, The Mystery of Layout:

5.1. What’s Your Type?

Traditionally, wedding invitations have used only one single typestyle. Nowadays, however, it’s very common to see two, and sometimes three or more typestyles being used.

For this lesson’s project, research typestyles and choose, at most, 3 different typestyles, that you would like to explore for use on your final design. Remember to chose typestyles that work well next to each other, and marry effortlessly with your chosen style/flavor . They should also keep true to our Cardinal Rules.

Below are some suggested resources to use when doing your research. Feel free to discover and share others:

Image web-search for “Typestyles”

DaFont.com
Fontspace.com
1001ReeFonts.com
Fontsquirrel.com
MyFonts.com

5.2. Post Your Selection!

In your project area, list your chosen typestyles by posting a thumbnail screenshot of each selection, with a comment on what attracted you to your selections, as well as how you see them functioning together.

You may either share a screenshot of the name of the typestyle, or also use a phrase of your choosing, in your screenshot. Try rendering your descriptions in your chosen typestyles.

Lesson Six, The Mystery of Protocol:

6.1. Get Your Fun On!

This lesson will require the most “work,” but it’s all in the form of play! Using the invitation wording below, layout three different invitations (wording only, no design just yet) using your chosen typestyles in different ways.

Your first layout should be a practice in what is considered a traditional, or expected use of typestyle.

For your second layout, explore the use of color in your wording, and see what gets your creative juices flowing.

For your third layout, push your text even further, and explore sizes, placement, and other elements like tracking, leading, kerning, and vertical and horizontal scale.

These last two exercises are not for discovering a new way of laying out wording, but to step outside the box and have fun playing with fun and doing things you really wouldn’t give yourself permission to do for a real invitation!

Mr. and Mrs. Edmond Roger Smith
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Emilie Anne
to
James Albert Ortiz
Saturday, the twentieth of April
Two thousand twenty-four
at half after four o’clock
St. Edwards Chapel
15011 Dallas Street
Houston, Texas

You may also use the alternate wording below:

The honour of your presence
is requested at the marriage of
Emilie Anne Smith
to
James Albert Ortiz
Saturday, the twentieth of April
Two thousand twenty-four
at half after four o’clock
St. Edwards Chapel
15011 Dallas Street
Houston, Texas

Lesson Seven, The Mystery of Quality:

7.1. Houston, We Have an Invite!

Using the Cardinal Rules as a guide, render your text in your various selected typestyles, place your wording strategically, and incorporate your selected design trend. All at the same time, keeping the true to the flavor or design style you’ve chosen.

7.2. Post your design or description!

For this final project, you may either choose to share a digital rendering or photograph of your finished design, or share a verbal description of of how you have incorporated all your elements into your final invitation design.

And you’re done!

Thank you so much for taking this journey with me!

Do make sure to let me know about your successes in the marketplace! Other students are sure to be encouraged hearing about it!!

Erica Baron

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