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 0 comments

Golf Tourney in Memory of Coach Willie Zapalac

I'm excited that Championship Hearts Foundation chose me as the graphic designer for the Willie Zapalac Golf Tournament. Willie Frank Zapalac (December 11, 1920 – May 18, 2010) touched the lives of countless young athletes through his multiple years of coaching collegiate football for Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and the University of Texas.

Coach Zapalac selected Championship Hearts Foundation as recipient of contributions in his memory. Proceeds from the golf tournament will support the programs of the Foundation including free young athlete heart screenings.

Based on Coach Zapalac coaching UT and Texas A&M, I used burnt orange and maroon as the colors for the invitation. For the logo, we felt that it needed to display a football (as that's what Zapalac was known for), and of course, golf. The client was extremely happy with the end result and invitations were mailed last week. I hope that the event is a tremendous success!

For additional information on the tournament or to donate to Championship Hearts Foundation, please visit http://www.coachzapgolf.com/.

Design by The Inviting Pear

Labels: addressing, Austin, benefit, Championship Hearts Foundation, custom designed, Golf, invitations, logo, Shannon Ferguson, Willie Zapalac

Posted by invitingpear at 12:25 PM 0 comments

Fighting Breast Cancer

Four years ago, my friend, Bill Bastas (a fabulous photographer), asked me to be a part of his The Smile Never Fades fundraising gala to fight breast cancer (he lost his wife to the disease). I am honored to be a part of it again this year, designing all of the event collateral. For additional information on The Smile Never Fades, please visit www.thesmileneverfades.com. I hope to see you at the event on September 9th!

Designs by The Inviting Pear

Labels: Bill Bastas, custom designed, design, invitations, logo, nonprofit, save the date, The Smile Never Fades

Posted by invitingpear at 1:44 PM 0 comments

AWEC Media Luncheon

For the second year, I was given the opportunity to be the graphic designer for Austin Wedding & Event Coordinators' Media Luncheon (where they invite local media to learn about wedding trends). The look of the event was inspired by fashion designer, Emilio Pucci. Using patterns that evoke his style, I designed the invitation, escort tent cards, program/menu/placecard combo and table cards. The program/menu/placecards were sewn down the side (a first for me!).

Watch the News 8 story (you’ll see a close-up of my table cards, named after fashion designers) at: http://news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=269499

Design by The Inviting Pear
Thanks to Gina (Clink) and Harper (Bella Flora Creative)

Labels: custom designed, design, escort cards, invitations, logo, modern, sewn, table cards, Texas, the inviting pear

Posted by invitingpear at 11:14 AM 0 comments

CulinART Invitations

I'm excited to announce that I'm the graphic designer for the upcoming March 11th "CulinART" event, which is produced by the Austin Chapter of the International Special Event Society to benefit The Wright House Wellness Center. This is my fourth year participating and I'll be designing everything from the invitations to the programs to the event stationery. Based on the fantasy theme of “Nature’s Labyrinth” and aspects of our planet’s four natural elements (earth, air, fire and water), I've included an image of the trifold invitation I designed. The event will feature cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, silent, live and fine art auctions, and a four course plated dinner with chef demonstrations as part of the entertainment. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.isesaustin.com/culinart. 

Design by The Inviting Pear
100% recycled paper used

Labels: addressing, Austin, benefit, Culinart, custom designed, design, eco-friendly, invitations, ISES, logo, nonprofit, the inviting pear, Wright House

Posted by invitingpear at 4:25 PM 0 comments

Melange Bridal Grand Re-Opening!

If you are looking for a wedding dress, check out Melange Bridal. They are having a grand re-opening Friday, Feb 19 & Saturday, Feb 20 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. with chocolates & champagne (new location at 2700 W Anderson Lane in Austin). A portion of the proceeds will go to the American Heart Association. I've had a partnership with Melange since I started my company and love the girls there. In fact, I designed their logo a few years ago (see final one above). For fun, I also posted the drafts that led to the final logo choice above.

Congrats to Melange Bridal on their fabulous new location!

Design by The Inviting Pear

Labels: Austin, custom designed, design, logo, Melange Bridal, Texas, the inviting pear, wedding dress

Posted by invitingpear at 5:06 PM 0 comments