Party Favors with a Literate Twist

Some of my favorite design assignments are custom party souvenirs for clients, especially when they call for using a one-page booklet. This deceptively simple form never fails to wow the guests and make the occasion special.

Meg Through the Ages

When a prolific personality from the alt.everything culture of the nineties moved, I was hired to design a paper souvenir with a timeline. Fast and cheap, the client said. No problem. By the following Saturday, guests were treated to a palm-sized booklet featuring 22 quotations supplied by the guest of honor's friends. The back of the piece left space to track her wit and wisdom in the future.

Ink-jet printed in an edition of 50. The 3 x 4-inch booklet was hand-assembled. A paper loop holds a small pencil. The final piece was packaged in a clear bag right on time for the picnic.

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Mme. Barr’s Style Guide

What to design as a 60th birthday party favor for a poet/printer with a love of bon mots? The client and I settled on a style guide with ten entries. Would I mind also writing the copy? Of course, not. A few phone calls to the guest list gave me everything I needed. I added a short introduction and closing note to ten polished tips, dug up an early glamour shot of the honoree, and laid out the book.

This one-page inkjet wonder was written and hand-assembled in four days. A satin ribbon was included to hold the book closed and function as a bookmark. Each guest received a copy with their slice of cake.

Click to enlarge.