Creating Great Art Deco Wedding Invitations

Most of the time, when you work on a wedding, the couple in question will have a very specific idea of what they want. After all a wedding is an expensive event and people want it to be perfect. Not to mention that by the time they are ready to design and order invitations, a theme, colors, date, and location have been chosen. Just the information that's most helpful to have when designing an invitation. When your target couple tells you that they want an art deco invitation, however, these details can be less helpful. Art deco is one of the most confusing styles that you, as a desktop publisher, may have to create. Lucky for you, some help has arrived. Since you may not be an expert in all things wedding related, we are going to take a look at how you can make great art deco wedding invitations both easily and professionally.

Art Deco can be a complex concept to design a wedding invitation around. This is partly because of its strong associations with architecture, which does not always translate well to 2-D, but also because many people do not seem to know what exactly art deco means. That makes half of your battle finding out what your couple wants. The best way to do this is to ask directly, but if you get a vague reply try some of these questions:

• Are you looking for a vibrant pallet or a muted black, grey, white style? Some people say art deco when they are talking about an abstract theme. This question is a good jumping off point for figuring out what art they thinking of when they say art deco.

• What elements draw you to art deco as a style? This is an open ended question that will help you to get an idea of what a couple really wants. It usually resuts in a list of things that they like. You can use these as jumping off points for more detailed discussion.

• Do you prefer a more structural feel or fluid lines and curves? Again the idea here is to create a jumping off point to get information out of the couple. People who want decorative columns or a highly structured invitation will jump on this question as a place to begin.

• Are there any specific images you have in mind for your wedding invitation? No harm in asking. Just be aware that you may find a bride or a groom with some very different ideas that you now have to reconcile.

• How do you feel about borders and white space? This is to help you with drafts. If you have a white space phobic bride, then you can avoid creating designs that rely on this negative space. Ditto on a couple that does not want things to feel claustrophobic on the page. Avoid borders for them.

Once you have started here you will have a lot better idea of what your couple actually means. Just do not be too shocked when you find a hidden modernest or even a structuralist telling you that they want art deco.

Creating an art deco design is all about communcations. Spending a little time getting to know the couple's tastes will pay off in a lot fewer drafts to get you to the approved version. And don't skimp when it comes to a printer--you will want a professional on stand by for these types of projects.