CSW Magazine "Designer's Challenge": Behind The Scenes

Thank goodness for Fridays, and it's a beautiful day to be out! Normally on Friday, I share my topic for bridging the design gap between business, events + interiors, but today I am going to show you a behind the scenes look into the Chicago Style Wedding Magazine "Designer's Challenge" photo shoot that happened back in March of this year. I had to keep all the images + videos hush hush until CSW Magazine launched and published it, and that's what happened this past Wednesday.

Technically, you could say this post covers business, events + interiors, because aspects of my logo + branding background was integrated into the thought process of the invitation and the matching event collateral pieces. As you can see, the iconic monogram was splashed all over the "Art Deco Meets Old Hollywood" themed wedding event that was concepted by the fabulous Master Bridal Consultant, Frank Andonoplas of Frank Event Design that I had a pleasure to work with on this "Designer's Challenge". And we can't forget that the tablescape and all it's surrounding elements are harmonious with the interior environment creating a mood that is captivating, rich, warm, and definitely a dinner reception that any guest would be delighted to attend.

First, I want to highlight the creative process that went into developing the invitation set + event collateral for the "Art Deco Meets Old Hollywood" theme. Before the design came into fruition, I had several conversations with Frank, the planner/stylist, for the look of the invitation. Key words thrown out were Art Deco, Hollywood Glam, Architectural, Black, White + Gold, and of course, it had to be bold, graphic and make a visual statement like the genre that we were going after.

I began with developing an iconic, logo-like monogram that I knew I could repeat graphically + brand across all the extension wedding pieces (menu, place cards, drink coaster, cake). For the invite, I placed the monogram at the top so it would be the visual focal point, and then everything else around it would branch out and balance the visual playing field. I used 2 different fonts, but similar in character so they didn't clash. With the linear lines, I wanted to create structure, shape + movement so it forced your eye to move around the space, similar to what architecture does. In addition, I hand cut the corners to match the movement of the lines and added some glitz with hand applied black crystals.

[Invitation/Event Collateral ©2011 Design With Chon, LLC]

This is definitely not the cookie-cutter layout. Each printed piece was custom designed and tailored to have it's own feel, but still visually cohesive. Click here to see the full collection of images for the "Art Deco Meets Old Hollywood" invitation set.

Now it's time to see the actual photo shoot that the whole invite set was designed for, and here's the whole team that made it happen! Visionary credit for the whole thing of course goes out to Frank Andonoplas, Master Bridal Consultant, who is well known in the Chicago area and recognized for his social planning expertise in the world of wedding + events. Please excuse the photo quality; they were taken with my iPhone, and they don't do the end product justice in terms of color + richness.

THE TEAM
Planner/Stylist: Frank J. Andonoplas, MBC | FrankEventDesign.com
Floral: Anna Held Flower Shop | annaheldflorist.com
Cake: Bittersweet | bittersweetpastry.com
Monogram, Invitations + Event Collateral: Design With Chon | designwithchon.com
Linens: BB&J Linen | bbjlinen.com
Rentals: Tablescapes | Tablescapes.com
Lighting: Yanni Design Studio | yannidesignstudio.com
Chairs: Classic Party Rentals | ClassicPartyRentals.com

I must say, Frank did a superb execution embracing the whole Art Deco meeting the Old Hollywood Glam. You totally feel it when you see and step into the environmental space with all its details. I love the eclectic look and how he carefully mixed metal tones (silver, gold + black) and glassware (clear, black + white) together to create a totally original design. Just in my few hours with Frank on set, I learned a few things about event design, and I hope to learn many more from him in the future. Great job everyone + I hope to cross paths with all these great vendors again!

Click here to see more behind the scenes images to the CSW Magazine photo shoot.