Anticipating Summer Vacation Via Stationery

I'll be heading out in a few days for the annual summer vacation on Cape Cod. The closer I get the greater the anticipation. Here's how I'm visualizing my week:

The Beach Read

Lots of sun

A little sailing (Hurry, they're on sale!)

Maybe a little golf

Wetting a line

Some fresh seafood

Definitely going to need these, because there will be

Christine Ferrante's Fine-Line Engraved Detail

A little while ago, I shared some tiny details in Peggy Wong's letterpress stationery for Crane's STUDIO collection. Today, we'll focus (literally) on engraving and fine-line detail as expressed in Christine Ferrante's heavyweight folded notes.

And my personal favorite:

Peggy Wong's Delightful Details

I had seen mock-ups and low-resolution images of the letterpress notes Peggy Wong was designing for Crane's STUDIO collection. But it wasn't until the National Stationery Show that I was able to fully appreciate the delightful little details that command you to touch and look closely. The photos that follow have been shot in close-up mode, so you can appreciate the details in teeny tiny type.

Crane Introduces Three STUDIO Artists

Some will recall that back in July of last year, Crane put out a call for artists for its new STUDIO Collection. The program was created to give wings to artists, illustrators and designers to create fresh and sophisticated art for Crane stationery. Submissions were accepted in a wide range of design aesthetics, and the response was phenomenal.

It's time to announce Crane's three first STUDIO designers:

Julia Farill of Atlanta
Christine Ferrante of New York
Peggy Wong of Los Angeles

“We are so pleased to have these incredibly talented designers creating stationery for Crane,” said Gayle Driggers, STUDIO manager at Crane. “We can’t wait to introduce them to our customers.”
And Gayle will be able to do so at the National Stationery Show next month.


Following are brief introductions of the artists and a first look at their creations for STUDIO.

Peggy Wong

Peggy is originally from Hong Kong. After completing her studies in graphic design at the Rochester Institute of Technology, her professional experience focused on design, branding, packaging and art direction. For three years, she served as deputy art director for Martha Stewart. In 2004 Peggy launched studio/pw, an award-winning boutique design studio. Last year she set in motion bluepoolroad, her own stationery line which she describes as a blend of clean and modern typography with classic but unexpected colorways.

For STUDIO, Peggy is creating a letterpress collection – a group of witty thank-you notes, a note set that’s perfect for that “thinking of you” moment, and a multi-color diecut coaster set.

Julia Farill

Julia studied art at the Maryland Institute College of Art and earned a degree in landscape architecture from Virginia Tech. Julia started Red Bird Ink, an art and design studio in Atlanta, after she had designed wedding invitations for friends and was asked to do more. At the studio, Julia creates original and limited-edition art using a variety of methods including painting, photography, pen and ink and printmaking. She then applies that artwork to the designs for letterpress stationery, including wedding invitations, boxed stationery sets, greetings and cards.

Julia’s STUDIO collection is modern, fun and graphic – bright red blossom notes with matching red envelopes, as well as a set of contemporary spectacle frames, foil stamped on correspondence cards and printed on sticky pads.

Christine Ferrante

Christine grew up on Long Island before moving to Manhattan. She studied graphic and packaging design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and worked for many years at a New York design studio as a full-time senior designer before she began freelancing. For the past seven years she has turned her creative focus to her own art. She describes her work as simple and intensely personal, often inspired by her travels, which she expresses through various mediums including watercolor, pencil, the computer and collage.

For STUDIO, Christine’s elegant line work is elevated in hand-engraved notes. Her watercolor washes have whimsical thermography accents that are also echoed in her Floral Pad designs.