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Custom Stationery Design: Steps + Pricing

Welcome to my Custom Stationery Design Service!
I had been doing this since 2009 and have gone under a few different business names over the years. For several years, my business was purely word-of-mouth, but now I am bringing it public again!

Please read everything completely so we are on the same page on how the entire process works!

Step 1:
Congratulations on your special event!
First you should have a good idea of what you are looking for in your stationery!
If your event depends on a venue being booked, you definitely want to make sure that is set first!
Then contact me via this form!

This is really an inquiry so I can see if I have room in my schedule to work on your project (Wedding Suites take a lot longer than a simple Announcement or Thank You card) Also, it is for me to give you a ballpark quote so you have an idea of how much you need to budget for.

Step 2:
If I am indeed open for your commission, I will email you to discuss your stationery design needs. After that I will able able to send you a contract so we can get started working out ideas!

Step 3:
50% of the quoted fee is due upon signing the contract. Send in your signed contract and deposit, and then the vision starts!

Step 4:
The first phase is started: The idea thumbnails.
These are very rough sketches of design and illustration ideas. These are to get the creative juices flowing, as well for you to get an idea of what you like.
A second round of thumbnails is usually done after you provide me with feedback of which thumbnails you like. I am looking for elements you like and dislike so we can proceed in the direction you want to go!
Sometimes a 3rd round of thumbnails is required and that’s okay! We want to get this right so we won’t have to make any massive changes later down the road!

Step 5:
Next is the Color and Design comps.
The drawings and design is more refined based on the one thumbnail that you chose.
Color variations and a selection of fonts will be presented, and you can choose what direction you like.
At this point, all of the comps will have slight variations and may start to look the same. It’s a part of the process! We will keep going until you are happy with one!

Step 6:
The final version isn’t always the final final version, and will need to be perfected! But at this point, it is created exactly to the size it needs to be published. The drawings and the design will be refined.
I will allow up to 5 revisions on this final stage before I start to charge for extra hours. 5 is pretty generous!

Step 7:
Upon your approval, the finalized design is submitted to a professional printing company. Cross your fingers that they will do a good job because its out of my hands!

A few things to note:

• I am an illustrator, my degree is in Illustration and not Graphic Design.
My stationery design will focus on illustrative elements. While I have a vast collection of fonts and can download more. I do not dabble in typography, nor calligraphy (though I have tried!)

I work the fastest in vector, so expect my default style to be in vector. This way the project gets finished faster and you have your finished product sooner. If you do wanted actual hand painted elements, the hours will rack up because it indeed takes longer.

• My works hours are at night. Call it an INFJ thing, call it an artist thing. But my creativeness comes out late night and my correspondence will probably be sent then. Do not fret if you do not hear from me during the day. We have revered hours and I will reply during my business hours!

• Inspiration is great! Feel free to send me examples of other artist’s past work and please let me know what elements you like about it. I am looking to get a feel for your style and your event’ vision. However, I will not be copying their work! You hired me for my style and I will be creating your invitation design in my style!

If you have a Pinterest account, we can share a secret board and we can share inspiration that way. Please let me know if you’d like to do this during our conversations!

• Be aware of the various costs: There is the design fee, an additional cost if you require a particular font that I do not already have, cost of printing, cost of materials such as envelopes and any embellishments you wanted, the postage fee for your invitations (if you have asked me to purchase them for you) and the shipping fee for me to ship the finished assembled products to you.

• Rush jobs- I will probably decline rush jobs. Allow enough time for me to design and have the materials printed and then assembled… and then shipped!

Rates
TBD

Discounts
Yes! I will have 20% off sales from time to time! This will only be a discount on my design service.
This does not include the price of printing, materials, postage and shipping. Nor will the discount apply to penalty fees, rush fees, or whatever crazy thing you make me to where I have to charge you extra!

You can apply this discount in the Stationery Design Inquiry Worksheet, or simply during our conversation during the initial meeting when we discuss your design needs… before I send you a price estimate with the contract!

Printing and Material Costs

The price of printing is entirely determined by the printing company, and I cannot offer any discounts unless their website has a sale.
The price is determined on how many you order, the paper type, printing type, and any special embellishments such as foil or rounded corners.

Remember they need to be housed in something. A paper envelope (I love the colored ones by Paper Source!), a cardstock folio with an envelope, or even a custom-made fabric folio placed inside a box!

Any embellishments you want will also cost the amount I pay at the store. Ribbons, extra paper for belly bands, wax and wax seals, etc.

Shipping Costs

We need to be able to mail these invitations and announcements of course!
In our discussion, we will decide on what kind of postage you will want to use (If you want to go custom and have me design one on Zazzle, or if you want them to have various vintage looking postage stamps from the Post Office.)

If you do not need to have them in hand, I can assemble and mail everything on your behalf. It will save you money to have the entire box shipped.
BUT I know that you are excited to see them. The cost to ship it to you will be an additional charge, the postage is determined by the post office. We won’t know the cost until it is weighed and measured, the price also depends from my zip code to yours.