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 Stationery TrendsCaroline Kennedy, Executive Editor, Gifts & Decorative Accessories  Coming into the National Stationery Show every year, the big questions on everyone’s mind are always, “What’s new? What’s hot! What are the trends?”Nobody knows for sure, including me. We can however make educated guesses. Based on our experience, conversation with vendors, observations of what is happening in the marketplace, as well as out on the streets, and by what comes across out desks and into our inboxes on a regular basis, there are commonalities in certain design directions and threads of relationships in product trends that we note. So, what does my “non-crystal ball” show to be among the trends that we can expect to see at the upcoming National Stationery Show? |
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 Flocking or “velvet-y” textureOn everything from greeting cards to photo albums, this elegant textural effect, once associated with heavy formal wallpapers, taps into two developing trend areas: wallpaper/brocade/baroque design elements and dimensional effects created by added texture. There’s a lush and soft quality that it adds to this high fashion design. Photo: Graphique de France velvet card   Negative/positive silhouettesWhether it is a traditional silhouette or a non-representational graphic design, this carries forward last year’s love affair with black and white designs. The black-and-white combination remains the #1 design-forward pairing, but we are seeing the blue and white and red and white come to the fore as well.  Photo: Peter Pauper Press notecard |
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 Pattern-on-patternMoving two-color graphics a step forward with an over pattern in the third color or multi-colored design. This also began to emerge last year and has really come out now. It is particularly striking with florals vining over lacy Baroque designs. Home Office goes high fashion Portable file totes move office accessories into the world of fashion accessories. Files-on-the-go look as chic as the business woman who carries them. Photo: Galison File Tote  Cherry blossoms are bloomin’These flowers and other soft pink florals are sprouting all over the place, complementing the still popular chocolate brown and other natural colors. Photo:Stationery by GinaB Designs Pink in CombinationComplementary combinations of pink and chocolate brown, with coral, red, and even violet or grass green accents. These are often neutralized with tan and ecru. This combination is especially noted in new stripe patterns. Photo: Mirage Paper Products  Popping off the pagePaper engineering and dimensional elements geteven more creative. New pop-ups, spring-loaded bobble head qualities, and 3-D looks created by layering added value to cards by the fun created and smiles received. Photo: Blossoms & Bows by Notes & Queries Making gift cards more “presentable”With gift cards more popular than ever for gift-giving, greeting card and gift packaging designers present more creative ways to enhance the presentation of these little pieces of plastic. (For example: The Paper Studio greeting card shown has a cello envelope attached on the inside that the gift card slips into and is visible through the cover window.) Photo: Paper Studio Gift Card  Butterflies flutter anewCould is be because of all the cherry blossoms?!? Photo: MOMA Robert Sabuda Card Woman-to-woman BFF matures No longer is the just “wild women” and “girls night out” focused, but rather on support and friendship creating the ties that bind. But, this doesn’t mean that they still can’t have fun and call attention to it.  Eco-consciousnessOur environmental awareness is on the rise again, spurred by the reports on global warming and the Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. But this is not your ’90s boring brown eco-conscious paper. Eco-chic has style; it’s product that looks as good, as the good it does. But eco-consciousness goes further now with some companies going “green” in other ways, such as using alternative energy sources. Keep your antennae out. Photo: Shape Dove by Oots That’s all for now. See you at the National Stationery Show! |
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SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2007 
TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2007
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Walk right into the May 2007 National Stationery Show! There’s no standing in long lines or filling out registration forms…