Fort Arabesque Cocktail Invitation
The Fort Arabesque Hotel in Egypt wanted to design cocktail invitations for their guests, with a blank insert that would allow them to customize the text based on the event and guest list as there would be multiple events that used the same envelope and design.
Oriental Design
To go with the theme and look of the hotel, an oriental design was first proposed to the client. The arabesque star was a recurring design in the hotel, on which the first two designs were based. For the third design, the old-style arabic doors was used as a die-cut for the slip case once again in representation of the hotel theme.
A slipcase envelope was designed to allow for durability with multiple uses. Guests could easily slide the invitation inserts in and out of the envelope without destroying the edges of the paper or slip case. The design was inspired by the Arabesque star, with die-cuts in the envelope to allow the insert to show through giving a teaser of the invite. The logo was clearly printed on the front of the invitation as well as the insert. Furthermore, the insert had the same arabesque design to keep the overall design consistent.
Following the same Arabesque design, this invitation was completely inspired by the geometric shape of the star. The envelope consists of four flaps with a die-cut slit that would allow the last flap to be held in place tightly to secure the invitation within. On the inside, a smaller arabesque design would be printed on top of the main design as a form of contrast to showcase the invitation. The blank insert would be held in place with satin ribbons on all four corners, that are secured in place on the actual envelope.
A slipcase envelope was designed to allow for durability with multiple uses. Guests could easily slide the invitation inserts in and out of the envelope without destroying the edges of the paper or slip case. The design was inspired by the old-style Arabic doors that can be found in the hotel as well as the guest room doors, with a die-cut that took the shape of entry way to allow the insert to show through giving a teaser of the invite. The logo was clearly printed on the front of the invitation as well as the insert. Furthermore, the insert had the same arabesque design to keep the overall design consistent, with the required invitation text to be printed on the back side.
Tropical Design
To go with the trending tropical/beach themes for modern cocktail invitations as per the client request, the following designs were proposed. When considering a tropical theme, big palm tree leaves are what pop into mind, this is where the inspiration for the first invite came from as it combined both elegant yet trending elements. On the contrary, the second invite represented a fun day at the beach with a playful and colourful theme that would entice any guest to attend the promoted event.
To follow the tropical theme, this green colour was chosen to represent nature and elegance without affecting the readability of the text. The envelope had tropical leaves to dominate the design and make it stand out. A slipcase design was also used to allow for durability with multiple uses. Guests could easily slide the invitation inserts in and out of the envelope without destroying the edges of the paper or slip case. The slip case had a square die-cut on the front to showcase the insert that contained the hotel and club logo. In addition, there was a small semi-circle die-cut at the back to allow guests to easily take the invite out of the envelope.
What is more appealing that having cocktails by the beach. To create a more fun and colourful theme for the invite, a beach design with seashells and a summer drink was to dominate the front of the envelope. The envelope would have four flaps, with a die-cut slit that allowed the last flap to be held in place to secure the invite within. When opened up the envelope would have four corner die-cut slits to hold the invitation insert in place, this is also where cross-overs in printing are crucial to be accurate. The hotel logo would be printed on the front of the envelope as well as the insert, while the Club logo would be printed on the back where it would still be visible. The insert would be blue to represent the blue waters while complimenting the inside of the envelope. In addition it would have a watermark of the same design used on the front of the envelope to keep it consistent.
