Mad Lonny Love.

Being that we're huge fans of Lonny mag, we were beyond thrilled to spot our arrow-comprised "Thank You" card featured in the March issue (see below)! To view the card in detail, be sure to visit the Thunderwing shop. Special thanks to Cat Dash for featuring our beloved design in her stylish wish list : )

Highlands Country Club + Tavern

In the picturesque hamlet of Garrison, New York, along the sweeping panorama of the Hudson River, lies the historic Highlands Country Club. Originally founded in 1898 as a clubhouse for local families, including those of William Osborn, Samuel Sloan, JP Morgan and Stuyvesant Fish, the HCC still thrives, especially for lovers of golf, tennis, or swimming, as well as those who visit the club's warm and inviting (and non-exclusive) TAVERN Restaurant. It is also a popular destination for weddings and society events.

As the HCC boasts quite a rich pedigree, we took a strong, but grounded and friendly approach to its re-branding. For the country club's logo (which required some updating and finessing) and for the restaurant, we developed a graphic language that would allow a distinction, but would tie them together thematically, and typographically (click images to view in detail).

For the Tavern branding, we took inspiration from the carved wooden signage of Colonial public houses. Printed items for Tavern include a business card, postcard, and menu, all letterpressed in brown ink on 100% cotton, natural white paperstock. To further aide in the nouveau-rustic look-and-feel of the branding suite, all the elements we created utilize a redrawn and revised version of Frank Atkinson's 1937 typeface, Half Classic Roman. We admired the inherent characteristics of the typeface, but made changes to the shape of some letterforms, and to the proportion and polish of the typeface in general.

Above are print advertisements we designed for Tavern, and its sister restaturant, Valley at The Garrison, which is another Hudson Valley golf club and luxury inn. These ads have been featured in culinary publications such as Edible Hudson Valley and The Valley Table.

For this project we also had the great fortune of working alongside web-gurus, Rodriguez-Valle on the development of the HCC site. We worked in tandem to unify and integrate the branding piece and the web (as can be seen in the interactive map that we illustrated). The result is distinguished, while maintaining the charm and happiness of the location.

Paper Peace

If on the hunt for happy holiday gifts, we've designed two wall hanging art pieces for our Winter collection.

The first, our hand-drawn "Radiate Good Vibes" poster, is an expansion of our most loved greeting cards, manifested in a framable art print, hot foil stamped on natural white 100% cotton paper, and printed in a signed, limited edition of 200.

It's a deeply meaningful piece for us, as it was conceptualized during Nic's recovery from a serious hand injury last year. Thankfully, he's all better now, which we believe is due in part to the positive healing power emanating from this artwork. Available in two colors; matte grey, and metallic gold, ready to reflect positive light all over your abode. —$45 Ea.

The Peaceful Wall Hanging can be used as a holiday ornament, or inspiring wall adornment year-round. Roughly 7” x 10”, and hot foil-stamped on two pieces of sturdy recycled board, then hung with paper twine handmade in Vienna, each is displayed on letterpressed backing in a clear bag, and sealed with a blank corresponding "To/From" sticker, for easy gifting. It is available in 2 Colors—white on heavy chipboard, or camel on thick white matboard. —$25 Ea.

Both the Vibes print and Peaceful wall hanging (click images for detailed view) can be purchased through Dream Collective (L.A.), or directly through us by emailing thunderwingpress@gmail.com

Photos: Thunderwing Press

Card of the Rings.

Nic focuses his heart in two directions . . . toward our Thunderwing Press endeavors, and his students at the School of Visual Arts, where he is a professor of graphic design and typography. As a gift to his Senior Portfolio class, he created hand-crafted, lettepressed keepsakes, to hopefully inspire, and show his appreciation for all the heartfelt work they create. Here is Professor Taylor's description of the gift . . .

The goal of any educator should be: To empower young people – not just to teach subjects and material – to teach ways of thinking, modes of conduct and to convey an enthusiasm for living and a high standard of aspiration.

During my own on-going education, I came across A Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi is known for many things; he was a skilled craftsman, painter and calligrapher, sculptor, writer and strategist, but he is best known as the undefeated samurai. Engaging in over 60 contests for his life, he was never once harmed. He survived 6 wars, and is famous for having defeated multiple opponents simultaneously. During his final years, at age 63, he retired to a mountain cave, where he wrote his book. He describes it as "a guide for men who want to learn strategy." 

Among the countless pieces of wisdom found in this book, I came across a list dealing with honor and conduct. The page with this list has remained dog-eared for years, and I have finally transposed the list into a gift for my students. 

I remained 85-90% faithful to the original words, but made changes, hybrids, and edits where I felt necessary. The product is a small, thick card in 100% cotton paper, painted with a jet black edge, then letterpressed in hand-set lead type; the old-fashioned way in 10 point Garamond. The card is angularly wrapped in hand-made Nepalese Lokta paper, and sealed with Chinese black paper twine.

Bellocq the Casbah.

We've created hand-letterpressed gift cards for one of our most aesthetically admired clients,  Bellocq Tea Atelier, using only the most luxurious of papiers, to accompany their exquisite pure leaf teas.

Each card was letterpressed on richly textured, recycled Reich Odeon paper in classic white. Where most papers are made to look handmade, this stock is actually created using old world papermaking techniques, giving it a historic-feeling felt finish.

 We recently visited Bellocq at their dreamy sipping salon in Brooklyn's Greenpoint, which is a must experience for any lover of special tea blends, and a decadently bohemian atmosphere. Entering the atelier is a truly special happening, where you feel as if you've discovered a French-Créole opium den, circa 1890.

Inside their romantically plum-plastered walls are antique wood curio cabinetry and velvety blush banquettes, where the phrase high tea has never felt so perfect. Their blends, with seductive names like The White Wolf, Gypsy Caravan and Hindu Holiday, are liable to change your life (we're serious!) . . . or at least make your day feel a little more exotic.

Bellocq sometimes hosts mad tea salons with inspiring guests, such as an artisan chocolatier, accordionist, or an antique tin type photographer. Be sure to tell them Thunderwing sent you. 

To view the letterpressed business cards we also created for them, click here.

Cards, ahoy!

Based in New York's historic Hudson Valley, Urban Boatworks are wood artisans, having a vast combined knowledge of applications and techniques that span refinishing and restoring historic homes and crafting custom cabinetry, to building sailboats from scratch. They are believers in function first, and that true aesthetic beauty stems from intelligent engineering and high-quality construction. Everything from Dana & Julien's workshop is done with the utmost commitment and love.

 In developing their brand look-and-feel, we took inspiration from the Shaker movement, channeling classic simplicity, and heartfelt hand-craftsmanship. With guidance from Dana & Julien, we then articulated UB's mission statement, as well as the tag-line "Woodworking for Home and Sea". Because of the strong sense of tactility in what they do, we wanted them to have truly unique cards. They are twice as large as average business cards when unfolded from their envelope vessels. These envelopes can also be used to enclose color and material samples for their clients. Each piece was hand-letterpressed in a deep marine blue, with a typographic selection that is decidedly modern in arrangement but with a classical bent. The prevalence of the anchor is at once a symbol of sea-faring travel, as well as home and stability.

We are currently designing graphics for their company car, a sea-foam green Cooper mini that will soon be seen zipping up and down along the Hudson : )

Pyramid Scheme.

Being that we are longtime lovers of stained glass, we were beyond stoked when L.A. glass artisan David Scheid contacted us to create custom cards that represented his cosmic one-of-a-kind pieces.

Using Sol Hess's typeface SanSerif (based on the 1927 typeface Kabel by Rudolf Koch) and a vintage sunburst illustration, each card was hand-letterpressed with custom-mixed turquoise ink on recycled chipboard, then cut into a pyramid shape.

You can view David's work in all its technicolor glory at his girlfriend Kathryn Bentley's gorgeous Dream Collective boutique in Silver Lake, CA (as pictured below), and at Beautiful Dreamers in Brooklyn, NY.

Faithfully.

Our retailer, Old Faithful, was lovingly profiled on Hypebeast Spaces today, and we were happy to spot our letterpressed Thank You and Sending Good Vibes cards featured in the story. When in Vancouver, be sure to stop by their stunning shop (see below), and say Thunderwing sent you!

Colby + Anna.

We're elated to see that Martha Stewart Weddings has lovingly featured the Santa Monica, California nuptials of our clients and friends, Anna + Colby (view the entire gorgeous gallery here). We had an especially inspired time designing the couple’s elaborate invitation suite, as well as the custom typography, as their desired look was dear to our hearts . . . a boho-mid-century mix of Native American symbology, early-California craft, indigo textiles, Scandinavian design and vintage Ralph Lauren vibes. Another aesthetic muse for the project was Anna’s parents’ historically-preserved Craftsman home, where the reception took place. 

Each completely custom invitation featured: a 3-page booklet letterpressed on soft cotton paper and hand-bound with hemp twine using an old Japanese technique, a map of Santa Monica, and a laser-cut RSVP card in a floral shape featured throughout the design. Each bundle was wrapped in a metallic gold kraft paper obi and hemp jute, then sent to guests in a kraft paper envelope with a letterpressed flap and screen-printed floral pattern. The final touch was a custom-designed stamp featuring Anna + Colby's '70s surf-inspired monogram.

After their vows were exchanged overlooking the Pacific in scenic Hotchkiss Park, the wedding party paraded though the grass, singing, waving flags, blowing bubbles and shaking tambourines, on the journey to the reception banquet, where the beautiful table settings included laser-cut and letterpressed place cards. 

The event's wedding planners, Bash, Please, creatively applied the custom monogram and typography we designed . . . for banners, menus, escort cards, embroidered table numbers, and a chuppah, all of which are featured in the Weddings story. We also outfitted the duo with letterpressed “Thank You” cards that they can use forever & ever. 

Memphis Matrimony.

In 1981, designer Ettore Sottsass formed an Italian design and architecture collaborative called the Memphis Group, named in homage to the Bob Dylan song Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again, which had been playing on repeat during the group's first meeting. Memphis-Milano produced and exhibited furniture, fashion and design objects through 1988. Their influential work drew inspiration from Art Deco, Pop Art, and '50s kitsch, essentially defining the colorful and cartoonishly futuristic '80s aesthetic.
Above: Some of our major Memphis inspirations for the project (from L to R), Michele De Lucchi's Oceanic Lamp (1981), Thomas Bley's Astor lamp (1982), the Tahiti lamp by Ettore Sottsass (1981), and Sottsass's iconic Carlton room divider (1981).
Being that we're pretty much obsessed with the Memphis aesthetic, we were over the moon when asked by clients, Morgan & John, if we could rise to the challenge of designing a perfectly Memphis-style wedding suite, to which we replied "are you kidding?" We were officially in design-nerd heaven, floating on a pastel turquoise triangular cloud.Morgan wanted the invites to echo her mother's adoration of Memphis, which is displayed in the decor of her parents circa-1980s weekend home on Long Island, where the couple's nuptials would take place. We made sure that the invitation emanated the minimal-yet-meaningful simplicity that the Memphis school, as well as her parents beloved beach abode, were all about.Our construction began with neon bright white 100% cotton rag paper, which we then flood-coated with deeply saturated colors using offset lithography. Each of the pieces was then die-cut and scored to create dimension. We completed the suite with letterpressed confetti-esque patterns on several surfaces, each of which were custom designed, the exception being Sottsass' classic 1978 Bacterio pattern, which we placed as a broad panel to separate the text on the main invitation piece.
We're now certain that if Memphis-Milano were ever to re-form, there'd be two seats booked on the next Alitalia flight . . . our suitcases full of plastic tubing, pink acrylic, and black & white striped vinyl.

Truly, Madly, Truman.

We were happy to see our letterpressed Collezione Dante card featured in a recent issue of Brooklyn Magazine, in a fun editorial titled Rooms of Their Own . . . a fantasy shoot imagining the decor of Truman Capote's one-time Brooklyn Heights apartment, as well as those of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Patti Smith.

Our limited edition Collezione Dante notecards are currently available at Hickoree's Hard Goods (Williamsburg, Brooklyn), in gift packaged sets of 5.

To certify my love.

For the Los Angeles boutique, Vivier and Bentley, owned by accessory designers Kathryn Bentley and Clare Vivier, we hand-letterpressed over-sized gift certificates for the shop, featuring their signature monogram. Each certificate was printed in deep navy blue on recycled French paper, and ultimately given to the recipient in a kraft paper policy envelope, closed with a string-tie.

Vivier and Bentley also holds a sacred place in our hearts, as they carry a selection of our cards. So next time you're bopping around Silver Lake, be sure to stop in and have your eyes dazzled by all the beautiful bags, jewels, and letterpress love on display. Better yet . . . buy that foxy lady in your life one of these sweet certificates, for heartfelt accoutrement from one of the most soulfully chic boutiques in town.Some of current Thunderwing designs featured at V & B can be viewed here.

Cards on Film.

We've designed business cards for über-talented, Sydney, Australia based fashion photographer, Tim Ashton. Each card was hand-letterpressed on a heavy white cotton stock, and designed with a nod to minimal op-art and old-fashioned trade signage. We chose the blind letterpress printing method due to its accentuation of contrast and light-play . . . qualities inherent in great photography, like Tim's.
Some of Ashton's beautiful work can be seen here, And for those who haven't yet viewed the beautiful process video he filmed about our studio last year, feast your eyes . . .

All beautiful photos: Tim Ashton, naturally.