CulinART 2011 Gala

Every year the Austin Chapter of the International Special Events Society hosts a spectacular gala, raising money for The Wright House Wellness Center. I am happy to be donating my time, for the fifth year, to such a wonderful cause.

The name of the event, “CulinART”, draws from the amazing gourmet culinary fare served and the art for which helps raise money for the nonprofit. This year’s theme, “A Gala of Surreal Fantasy” is inspired by the surrealist artists of the 20th century who depict the worlds of dream and fantasy. With artists, such as René Magritte (who is well-known for his witty and thought-provoking images like The Son of Man, depicting an apple in front of a man’s face), I had a lot of inspiration to draw from.

To brand the event, I created the CulinART logo with images that illustrate the culinary fare as well as the surreal portion of the event. The save the date plays off of Magritte’s The Son of Man. The ad, which will run in the Austin Chronicle’s February 3rd issue, uses the same illustration.

The invitation set includes a transparent vellum overlay with the words, “Ceci n’est pas une fête”. Magritte’s Treachery of Images states in French ”This is not a pipe” over an image of a pipe. And it isn’t: it’s just a picture of a pipe. And so the vellum overlaying the invitation states, “This is not a party”. And it isn’t the actual party…a definite play on words.

The envelope was printed with the CulinART logo and clouds image. The invitation appears to be a simple 5” x 7” invitation with rounded corners. However, not everything is as it appears. If you look at the invitation in the right angle or light, you’ll notice a varnish overlay of cloud images all over the text. Ginny’s Printing did a fabulous job with the clear varnish and aqueous ink printing to create the effect.

I’m continuing to design stationery for the event (program is next!) so check back soon. I’ve had so much fun designing, but most importantly, I’m extremely excited to be a part of such a wonderful cause. What’s better than to support a local nonprofit while enjoying cocktails, hors d’oeuvres & a gourmet plated dinner?!

If you’d like more information on CulinART: A Gala of Surreal Fantasy or you’d like to buy tickets, please visit www.isesaustin.com/culinart.


 

Labels: ad, advertisement, Austin, Austin Chapter, branding, Culinart, custom invitations, envelope addressing, International Special Events Society, ISES, logo, poster, Texas, the inviting pear, varnish

Posted by invitingpear at 4:28 PM