on making friends with snail mail.

My handwriting had just been perfected when the internet hit my D.C.-area high school. It was perfectly emo -- sharp, edgy, written with a heavy hand, and my father's lower case "a". I took great pride in my handwriting, and showed it off in my lame journal entries, notes passed around class, and letters to friends.  Then, very suddenly, writing email became so much more efficient than those letters I was once so proud of.  And all these years later, as a result, my handwriting is only slightly better than a chimpanzee's. 


My generation was around when letter-writing was what you did when friends moved away, or when you had a pen pal, or when you had a crush. And we are here now, when we hear about kids texting notes to each other in class and writing emails instead of letters to faraway friends. There's just something missing. I think that it's this nostalgia that has driven so much of my generation to go back to pen and paper -- and boy, have we gone back to it. Stationery is bigger than ever, and as designers, it is thrilling.  Gone are the days of loose-leaf paper, or stodgy letterhead, or hyper-feminine, floral motifs.  Here to stay: Chevron. Ikat. Bold, punchy graphics. Hand-crafted. Clean color schemes. And of course, my personal favorite: inappropriate language and jokes.


Here are just a few of my examples of the new generation of stationery, designed by small presses or fabulous Etsy shops.


This set shows off how modern our customers really like their stuff.  They want it to be funny, they want it to be stylish, and most of all, they want it to be unique.  Trendy, sure (I can't tell you how much chevron I have done for customers in the last few months!); unique, most definitely.


Here's hoping this dedication to nostalgia sticks around for awhile!

(1) Pug Card by Rifle Paper Co.
(2) Lost Without Friend by Wiley Valentine
(3) Gold Foil Pocket Notebooks by Rifle Paper Co.
 (4) Bridal Shower Invitations by Paisley Quill