Design w/Chon: BBQ Baby Shower Invitation

I think this is going to be my only post for this week. Eeek... but it's a cute one. I am trying to finish up all my client work for this week before I go on another vacation next week to Mazatlan, Mexico!

This particular baby shower isn't your standard baby shower hoopla. The mother-to-be wanted it to be more casual, outdoors, intimate with close friends and to have a simple menu like a BBQ. After talking to the future mom and the party planning team, I knew right off the bat what I wanted to do for the baby shower invite. No formal envelope, just a straight forward postcard style invite with the pertinent info on it. Of course, there was a push of a theme, but not over the top. It's a Western-inspired BBQ baby shower. And the design of the postcard reflects that with Western style typefaces, flourishes, the bold red, natural wood grain tones and a graphic horse, but a horse rocker since it is a baby shower. ;)

{Custom Baby Invite designed by Chon}

Design w/Chon: Custom Drink Menu

This was a fun, quick project that I did for a friend. I created a "Sex and the City" inspired drink menu to be displayed at the bar for this 30th party in the city of Chicago. The design was pretty simple. I took the Chicago skyline knocked out in white, set against a black background and reversed out the type in white and hot pink so it pops off the page. I picked up sophisticated and girlie typefaces to reflect the mood and style of "Sex and the City".

I can customize all types of design for any special event. I do it all the time, and it's the little details that make all the difference. ;)

{Custom Drink Menu designed by Chon}

Design w/Chon: Self-Promotion

One of the hard things for me to do is set aside time to promote my business and that is huge since that is one key way to get new business beyond referrals. I have been trying to design a brochure that highlights all of my design assets for months now, but it has been neglected. I did accomplish designing and printing my business cards months ago, thank goodness.

Well, recently since I worked on a few projects for the launch of the Hasana representing a luxury, lifestyle brand with great accessories and handbag designs for the fun, classic and feminine girl, I had to create a quick promotional piece that was going into gift bags for customers that attended the preview party. And in this quick turnaround time, the promotional brochure that I created for their launch party might actually end up being something that I get massed produced since I got great feedback from it. One thing down and one more to go. Now, I need to tackle a revamp of my website so it's more beneficial to me and prospective clients.

For my promotional leave-behinds, I wanted it to be sleek, simple and memorable, along with communicating my range of design skills. I bought 4 x 4 x 2 black pin-striped boxes, and enclosed it with personalized gourmet, dark chocolate covered almonds dusted with cocoa powder, my tri-fold promotional brochure, and sealed with a hot, magenta ribbon and my business card. Everyone thought it was a perfect, understated, and they loved the scrumptious, edible treat. :)

If anyone out there needs help with self-promotions, or even favor ideas for special events, I can certainly help you personalize it so it will be all you.

{Business Card, Promotional Brochure & Favor Box designed by Chon}

DWC Work: Pure Dental Spa is Open!

I am slowly getting back on track still, and my posts are backed up with follow-up projects that I need to share with you all. So wedding, photography and inspirational posts are going to be on hold for a bit as I share some good stuff. This particular post is an expansion from an older post on an identity & brand system that I created for Pure Dental Spa. (To read older post, click here.) I love graphic design, but I also love decorating interiors from the finishes to the furniture to the colors on the wall, and of course, the accessories, too! I had a good time working with my client, Dr. Rajul Patel, DDS, in developing the look of her new dental office.

I tried to document the dramatic progression of her office. You can see the raw concrete stage, the framing, 1st coats of paint, and the end product totally furnished with equipment, seating, art and plants. What a project and what an accomplishment. The Pure Dental Spa office is officially open, and there are great new incentives for new clients. One in particular is a $199 Zoom teeth whitening in office (a $600 retail value), and 25% off all procedures. Remember, these are limited time offers. See contact info below if you are interested.

Map of Location

location: 108 East Lake Street, Suite 1, Bloomingdale, IL 60108

ph: 630 307 3133 | email: info@puredentalspa.com
website: www.puredentalspa.com (Under construction, but it is live.)

Design w/Chon: Hasana

Just right before I went on vacation to Aruba, my schedule was swamped with new work for a new client – The Apareció Foundation. The foundation's mission is to provide mentoring, academic support, and scholarship programs for high-potential, low-income women in Chicago Public High Schools. It's all about empowering young women of today to become leaders and impact changes in their lives and future. I think it's a great cause, and I am very honored to work on a new project that The Apareció Foundation has developed, Hasana Inc.

Hasana represents a luxury, lifestyle brand with great accessories and handbag designs for the fun, classic and feminine girl of today. The Hasana Collection has clean, happy and bright colors, inspired by the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao.

And guess what is sooo wonderful about the Hasana line?... You don't have to feel guilty about splurging on great, designer jewelry, because 100% of the proceeds of the sales from the Hasana collection directly benefits The Apareció Foundation (a nonprofit organization that raises funds towards educational grants and program for low-income, high-potential Chicago Public High School female students). Every penny. Every dollar. Benefiting education.

There were several projects that I got to oversee, design and guide the overall art direction to Hasana's marketing materials are seen below. A 16-page Look Book highlighting nine different collections of jewelry, the website which is live, but pages are still in development, three Event Posters for the launch party, and 9 different informational cards defining the inspiration and designer for each collection of Hasana. I wish I could take credit for the photography, too, but these stunning images were taken by Amaris Granado.

Look Book

So don't be shy everyone, if you love what you see in the Hasana Collection, visit HasanaCollection.com. Hasana is perfect for any occasion and can be enjoyed all season long! The website and purchasing of products is still in development, but you can contact them at inquiries@hasanacollection.com or just email me, and I can certainly get you in touch with the right people. ;)

Visit Website – HasanaCollection.com

Event Posters

Informational Cards

{Look Book, Website, Poster & Cards designed by Chon}

To learn more about the The Apareció Foundation, and how you can help, please visit www.AparecióFoundation.org

Featured Photography: Design w/Chon

I am back and trying to get back on track again to my blog feeds. It's Friday! and usually I feature a new photographer, but today I have decided to change it up and feature myself. I want to share with you all some of my latest portrait studies since I got my new camera – the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, a micro four-thirds format camera. All these portraits were shot on the 20mm f/1.7 lens (equivalent to 40mm on a 35mm film camera). I just love this lens, because it allows me to shoot stunning close-up subjects with a beautiful, soft focus background.

There is something about a child and their big, wide eyes as they look out into the vast world that make these shots memorable and so innocent. Someday, I soon hope to take this hobby into a more professional side job as part of Design with Chon. :)

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