Thank you cards

I’m going to start this week talking about the thank you cards.

The thank you cards have only one purpose: help you to express your gratitude for someone who was present in your event or gave you a gift.

The text should emphasize your gratefulness and express how that present or act of gratitude makes you feel.

For preparing the note you should:

1. Choose an appropriate card;
2. Choose a pen with ink appropriated for the occasion;
3. Write a message expressing your gratefulness

As an example, here is some thank you cards designed for different purpose.

• Baby showers: The baby and the stork, Cute animals, Babies are from Paris

Birthday parties: Magical circus, Little princess, Seventies sweet sixteen

I hope this post can be an inspiration and stay tuned to the following ones.

Credits:

Photography by Minted

Thank you cards: Ana de Sousa for Minted

Vintage & Eroded Font

Before the weekend, here is the font that I have chosen to show you: Vintage & Eroded Font.

Projected by Aleph Corporation, this beautiful font is free for personal and commercial use and is ideal to give a special touch to invitations, signs, posters, etc.

I hope you liked it and stay tuned, because next week I will have interesting news and surprises for all who follows me through this blog.

Have a nice weekend;)

Credits:

Image: Ana de Sousa

Font: Vintage & Eroded Font.

Brayden Family

As I promised in my post Guide for wedding invitation and decoration, the font that I’ve chosen to show you this week is: Brayden Family.

Designed by Adam Fathony, the regular version of this font is free for personal and commercial use. Because of its style, it is ideal for logos, lettering, wedding invitation, posters, etc.

Have a great weekend and stay tuned to the next suggestions.

Credits:
Font: Brayden Family.

Image: Ana de Sousa

Guide for wedding invitation and decoration

After the definition of the date of your marriage, it is common that you ask  yourself the following questions: "I'm getting married! Where do I start? What should I do?"

It’s a fact that the organization of any event requires some preparation with order to ensuring a good result. And thinking on this, I’ve prepared a small 5 step guide in order to simplify the planning of the decoration and graphic part of the event ( save the date , invitations , menus, etc.).

1. Get inspired: It is not compulsory, but the easiest way to start organizing an event is choosing a theme. Once you have your theme chosen, you can start searching for images and objects. Then, you can build an image board to help you visualize and combine the ideas that you’ve found.

2. Choose a color palette: Define up to 5 colors and organize your event based on them. The image board is a precious resource that can assist you in your choose.

For example, in the following image I present the image board of an invitation that I did for a couple that is using the Rustic chic as theme . This image board consists of several images of wildflowers from which was generated one palette of colors to be used in the event and invitations.

Note: There are also tools like Adobe Kuler where you can find color palettes created by other users and can also help you to create your own palette.

3. Text and layout: In your graphic elements, go for less text and have more originality on the disposition of it. This will give a clean and modern look to your graphic elements. Remember: less is more!

4. Fonts: You can use more than one font to write the text of your graphic material. But don’t forget! Up to three different fonts.

Note: Every week I will select and publish a font, so stay tuned to my font section.

5. Be original: Add original elements such as textures, in order to give a different and special touch to both: the decoration and graphic material.

As an example, I show you the result of the invitation that I designed for the theme Rustic chic. I used the color palette from step 1 and the text was simplified to give a clean and chic aspect. And finally, it was added a texture in the flowers for a rustic feel.

* The invitation's text was modified in order to protect the original information

I hope you liked it and stay tuned for the next ideas!

Credits:
Text: Ana de Sousa

Images and Invitation: Ana de Sousa
Buy invitation: Contact anadesousa.design@gmail.com

Beautiful stationery

Despite the facilities and the increasing use of digital tools, there is nothing that can replace the "magic" of printed materials: the feel and smell of the paper, the hand written words and phrases, the calligraphy ....From a simple note to a diary!

Combined with good design, these materials are elements that can make small differences in our everyday life and can be an excellent idea for an original gift.

Thinking about it, here are some suggestions:

• At work, how about a set that combines a business card and stationery? Here is an example of a set that I design for Minted called Modern Art. In this design I tried to convey the information in a modern and different way.

Photography by Minted

Photography by Minted

• And at home, how about a notebook with photographs of our loved ones? Here is an example of a notebook that I design for Minted called Flower Girl. This almost certainly will glad your notes every day!

Image by Ana de Sousa

I hope you liked it. Have a great week and happy notes ;)

Credits:
Photography by Minted.
Business card: Ana de Sousa for Minted

Business stationery: Ana de Sousa for Minted

Lakesight

Before the weekend, I want to take the opportunity to introduce you another of my passions: fonts!

In this field, I wanted to show you a font with a personal use license that was listed last year among the top 100 free fonts by awwwards: o Lakesight.

As a hand-drawn font, the use of Lakesight is appropriated to highlight and beautify some parts of a text, title or label.

Have a nice weekend and have fun!

Credits:
Font: Lakesight.

Image: Ana de Sousa

Small details

Give a special touch to your routine through small details. What if you choose to have something different, instead of using that boring notebook/diary?

Thinking about that, here is an example of a notebook designed by me called "Explosion of color". This notebook features a modern pattern that combines fresh and interesting colors to brighten your days.

Credits:
Photography by Minted.
Notebook: Ana de Sousa for Minted

Nursery décor

There is no doubt that the birth of a baby is a unique event in the life of a family. The preparation of the room and decoration, in order to turn it into a unique, cozy and aesthetically pleasing space, can become a challenge.

So here goes my suggestion to you: add some decorative signs to your baby nursery!

These signs consists of a designed element (normally associated with the central theme of the room) combined to a manual element, giving the decoration that "special touch" and cozy feeling that you were looking for.

Here is an example of a decorative sign designed by me and inspired by the theme "Over the moon". It was added a handicraft touch by placing a ribbon, which allows the suspension of the sign on the wall:

I hope you've enjoyed it and stay tuned to the next idea!

Credits:

Photography by Minted.
Decorative sign: Ana de Sousa for Minted