Tag Archives: erika firm

Award winning logo for Chromatic & Co.

HOW magazine Award winning logo design for Chromatic & Co. by DelphineAs any creative person can tell you, designing for yourself is the worst. The self-doubt, the procrastination … the ulcers! So it is with lots of joy (and more than a smidge of disbelief) that I report that the Chromatic & Co. brand identity that we designed won a merit award for graphic design in the 2013 HOW Promotion & Marketing Design Awards. Thanks so much to all the HOW judges!

To see a bit more of the corporate identity check out our Branded by Delphine post from a few months back.

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8th Annual Stationery Meetup featured in Stationery Trends

Delphine-NSS-Meetup-2012-Stationery-TrendsIt’s a very good snail mail day when any issue of Stationery Trends magazine lands on our desk, but it was one of the best days ever when the latest (Spring 2013 – NSS) issue arrived with a lovely story about our 8th Annual Stationery Meetup.

stationery show meetup 2012 delphine partyLast year’s meetup was covered in Stationery Trends’ inaugural “An Event To Remember” column & I just love looking at the pictures and re-living last year’s big bash, which was co-hosted by Oh So Beautiful Paper

nss 2013 stationery trends issue at delphineLets talk about the gorgeous redesign of the magazine for a moment. The Stationery Trends team handled everything in-house … and in less than six months! 

Sarah Schwartz, editor, says, “At a company retreat this past fall, the entire Stationery Trends team met for what we’ve all started calling ‘the fireside chat’ — it was at a B&B in front of a fake fireplace. During it, we reviewed several consumer books and discussed in a rather macro way what we hoped to achieve with the new look. Later, our graphic designer Laura Nagle and I would usually talk about each specific element  — logo, cover, TOC, headers, footers, departments like Fresh Picks  — and come up with three options to show the team, who would vote on them.” 

As a graphic designer, the “design by committee” approach that they used scares the pants off of me. But they pulled it off and the new Stationery Trends looks stunning. I love the clean, new look, the perfect black and white logo, and the fun mix of fonts used throughout the magazine.

After reading the issue cover — insert shout out to my girl and fellow Chromatic & Co. designer Claudia at Fig. 2 Design for landing the front cover — to cover I got super excited about heading to New York for the annual National Stationery Show in a few weeks. I can’t wait to reconnect with all the paper peeps at the J. Javits Center! 

*** PDF of The Ultimate Paper Party courtesy of Stationery Trends magazine. Thanks, ST!!! 

 

 

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Paper Camp 2012

Erika Firm president of Delphine to speak at Paper Camp in LA 2013

The schedule for the Spring 2013 season of Tradeshow Bootcamp has been released and I’m so happy to let you know that I’ll be a speaker at Paper Camp in Los Angeles, CA next month.

For all the details visit Tradeshow Bootcamp. Heads up: there is a SCHOLARSHIP UP FOR GRABS!!!

I will be discussing developing a wholesale stationery product line, developing a wholesale wedding invitation album, industry standards for pricing, terms, ordering, shipping and packaging. If you have any specific questions feel free to comment below and I’ll be sure to cover as much as possible in the workshop. Cannot wait to see everyone in Los Angeles.

 

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Fun Friday Wishes

Fun Friday Geometric Beach Shells via DelphineWishing all of you a fun Friday! I’m going to be working, working, working away all weekend to catch up on a few overdue (oops) deadlines. So please have some extra fun for me this weekend.

 

// photo: Erika Firm |  Delphine

 

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Peaceful Weekend Wishes

Johns Island South Carolina Peaceful Weekend at the Beach or Salt Marsh via DelphineIt’s starting to feel a teensy bit like Fall here in Charleston, so I’m hoping to make it out to the beach one last time before the chill settles in. Wishing all of you a peaceful weekend. Cheers!

// photo: Erika Firm |  Delphine

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Tradeshow Bootcamp Fall 2012

Fall 2012 Stationery Tradeshow Bootcamp Speaker Erika Firm of Delphine

The speaker lineup for the Fall 2012 season of Tradeshow Bootcamp has been released and I’m so happy to let you know that once again I will be speaking at the online webinar  series.

For details visit Tradeshow Bootcamp. Heads up: there are TWO SCHOLARSHIPS UP FOR GRABS!!! This is an amazing opportunity. All submissions are confidential, so don’t be shy.

I will be discussing developing a wholesale stationery product line, developing a wholesale wedding invitation album, industry standards for pricing, terms, ordering, shipping and packaging. If you have any specific questions feel free to comment below and I’ll be sure to cover as much as possible in the workshops.

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Erika Firm featured in Arts + Power issue of Riviera Magazine

Erika Firm featured in Arts + Power issue of Riviera Magazine San Diego 2011So happy to share that I was featured in San Diego Riviera‘s annual Arts + Power issue (December 2011).

The story covers inspiration (Mother Nature, Pinterest), design do’s (blues, yellows, and chevrons), next season forecast (melon/pistachio/gold palette), don’ts (neon for wedding … sorry!), and my favorite wedding details (the classics: proper menus).

Riviera Arts + Power 2011It was such a treat to be in my favorite issue of the year! Merci, Riviera.

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I Love Turquoise

I Love the Color TurquoiseI do love the color turquoise so so much. Turquoise reminds me of happy days sailing, snorkeling, and lounging about with my family.  Green is my absolute most favorite color in the world, but turquoise is a close second. It’s the color right next to green on the color wheel, so it’s no surprise that I love it so.  Looks lovely paired with gold accents, don’t you think?

Some beauties representing my fave color of the momentNo. 1 Cotton taffeta J. Crew strapless party dress in fresh emerald   No. 2 Pretty Elva Fields  ”Keeping Them Close” turquoise triple strand necklace with gold accents   No. 3  “Slapper” turquoise Butter nail polish  for my toes  No. 4  Preppy Sperry Top-Siders in pretty aqua (reminds me of my preppy middle school days)    No. 5  beautiful photo of SoCal lifeguard tower by the super talented friend Jessica Davis. 

By the way, this is an example of one of the type of posts students will be learning how to create today at Camp Delphine

 

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North County Graphic Design Meetup: Wed. Feb. 1, 2012

north county san diego graphic design meetup february 1 2012North County San Diego Designers: Please join us Wednesday, February 1, 2012 |  8 am – 9 am at E Street Café in Encinitas, California

Kick off the day on a positive note with other North County graphic designers. Feel free to bring a recent project to share.

R.s.v.p. by leaving a comment on this blog (or on the LinkedIn thread or email Kathy or I directly). To join our LinkedIn group: do a GROUPS search for “North County Graphic Designers” on LinkedIn to join (free).

Hope to see you all there. All creatives welcome. NCGD co-founded by Delphine and KMG. Logo/artwork by Kathy McGraw. This is a free event. Coffee/snacks available for purchase at the café.

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Tradeshow Bootcamp Spring 2012

Erika Firm Speaking at Tradeshow BootcampThe speaker lineup for the Spring 2012 season of Tradeshow Bootcamp has been released and I’m so happy to let you know that I will be speaking at all three events: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the online teleconference series.

For details visit Tradeshow Bootcamp. Heads up: there are THREE SCHOLARSHIPS UP FOR GRABS!!! This is an amazing opportunity. All submissions are confidential, so don’t be shy.

I will be discussing developing a wholesale stationery product line, developing a wholesale wedding invitation album, industry standards for pricing, terms, ordering, shipping and packaging. If you have any specific questions feel free to comment below and I’ll be sure to cover as much as possible in the workshops.

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Camp Delphine Workshop Registration Open

camp delphine workshop february 2 20122012 is going to be a big year for Delphine! First, we launched our shiny new website (woot!). Now, I’m announcing a new Delphine Studio workshop series! I do hope you’ll join me and the fabulously talented Jessica Davis next month for a workshop about Photoshop for blogging.

PHOTOSHOP WORKSHOP: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 10am – 2pm. Session will include a coffee break and lunch break

LOCATION: Jessica Davis Photography Studio, 124 E. Cliff Street, Solana Beach (studio is on ground floor of building)

PHOTOSHOP TOPICS WE WILL COVER include: 
+ how to crop a photo and size for web
+ how to do basic color correction
+ how to add a border to a photograph
+ how to make a collage/inspiration board
+ how to use a psd template
+ how to add type to a photograph
+ how to add texture to a photograph
+ how to save artwork for web
+ how to add a watermark to a photo
+ how to remove a background on a photo
+ how to convert a photo from color to b/w or sepia
+ how to use photoshop brushes
+ resources for freebies/downloads that you can use on your blog
+ inspiration resources/list of fave blogs
+ photoshop cheat sheet/shortcuts
+ q&a

EXAMPLES OF THE TYPES OF POSTS YOU’LL LEARN HOW TO MAKE:
http://blog.delphinepress.com/color-palette/crystallized-color-palette/
http://blog.delphinepress.com/color/bougainvillea/
http://blog.delphinepress.com/wish-list/wish-list-for-my-alter-ego/
http://blog.delphinepress.com/behind-the-scenes/my-dreamy-workspace/

YOU WILL NEED:
+ apple laptop with PHOTOSHOP installed.  You can download a free trial on the Adobe website if you don’t already have it. 
+ pen + note book
+ power cord for your computer
We will be working on an Apple laptop with Photoshop CS5

COST: $150 per person (includes lunch and drinks). Please bring cash or a check payable to Erika Firm. PayPal also accepted.

INSTRUCTORS: Erika Firm and Jessica Davis

SPECIAL REQUESTS: If there are other topics you’d like Jessica + I to go over please let us know. We’ll do our best to get to everything.

RSVP: Class size is limited to 12 students. Please reserve a seat by emailing erika [at] delphinepress [dot] com
If you have any questions and/or want to be sure the class is right for you please let me know. I’m looking forward to the class!

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Dear Delphine, How do I incorporate my fiancé’s military rank into our wedding invitation?

Dear Delphine Stationery Etiquette and Tips

Dear Delphine,
My fiancé is a Marine. How do we incorporate his rank into the invitation? Should it be abbreviated? Does it go under his name?

Thanks for your advice,
Jessica M.
Jacksonville, FL

Dear Jessica,
The traditional way to incorporate a military rank is like this:

Full Rank Full Name, Military Branch

First Lieutenant John Arquette, United States Marine Corps
or
First Lieutenant John Arquette, USMC

To save space, it is okay to abbreviate the military branch. It is also okay to split the name into two lines (Full Rank Full Name on first line — Military Branch on second line).

Rank should be spelled out in full whenever possible. This same protocol should be followed when addressing envelopes to members of the military.

I married a Marine, too! USMC weddings are fun. Tip from experience: order extra booze.

Warm regards,
Erika

 

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Dear Delphine, How do I announce my son’s engagement?

Dear Delphine Stationery Etiquette and Tips

Is it proper for the groom’s parents to announce their son’s engagement to their friends?

My husband and I have lived in several places over the years and we have friends that would like to know about our son’s engagement but won’t be invited to the wedding.  They have known him his entire life and would feel left out if we do not notify them.

I would like to include a photograph of the couple, but what would I say?  I would like to add no gifts expected.

Thanks for your input,
Mary F.
Massanutten, VA

Etiquette Tip GroomFrom time to time we get wedding etiquette questions here at the studio. Mrs. F’s question is so sweet, isn’t it? Here’s the advice we shared with her:

Dear Mrs. F.,
How delightful! The best way to share the wonderful news about your son’s engagement is with a handwritten note to your friends. Jot a quick, personal hello and tell your friends how thrilled you are. It’s perfectly acceptable to include a photograph of the couple.

It is unnecessary to write “no gifts expected” in a personal note (information about gifts is best left to shower invitations or word of mouth).

Traditionally, the “official” engagement notice is published in the bride’s local newspaper by the bride’s parents. If the bride’s family plans to do this you may include a photocopy of the notice in your note to friends

The bride’s family (or the couple) may choose to send engagement notice or a “save the date” card to guests who will be invited to the wedding.

Warm regards,
Erika

If you have any burning wedding invitation questions, shoot them our way; we’re happy to help!

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My Dreamy Workspace

ghost chair silver desk polaroidThe studio is in the midst of a big cleanup/reorganization. It’s in the “it’s going to look worse before it gets better” stage. It is so incredibly messy in there that I had to move my computer to a new workspace just to be able to think. Can you work in a messy office? I absolutely cannot do it. The “noise” of the mess makes my brain hurt … and it’s difficult to design without a functioning brain! This is my temporary workspace. I borrowed a Ghost chair from Mom. I love it except for the fact that I can’t cross my legs into my lap — Mom told me if I scratch the chair I’m toast!

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