A Dapper Duo

Posted by Brandi Moody on 4 May 2011 | 1 Comments

If you happen to be on the lookout for unique paper goods, then you’ll be excited to learn more about Dapper Paper. This Raleigh business creates fun and original designs ranging from wedding invitations, posters, and recipe cards perfect for Mother’s Day! I had a chance to talk with Chris  and Elizabeth Boyette, the husband and wife design team behind this lovely company, to learn more about what it takes to make a dapper design.

Please tell our readers a little about Dapper Paper and the services you offer: We are a design studio specializing in custom wedding invitations and paper goods, along with paper goods for other occasions. We also offer design services including branding, website, blog, posters, advertising, and general graphic design. We love all types of design and enjoy working on a variety of projects.

Being married and running a business together, what is the most challenging aspect of your partnership? We actually work together very well! Usually we help each other with concepts and ideas and are open to each other’s suggestions so it works out well.

What is the most challenging aspect of design? There is good design and bad design, so we can't say it's totally subjective.  But the most challenging aspect probably boils down to personal preference and whether someone appreciates the direction that you go or the style that you are trying to convey and how well you translate that to the design.

How did you get started in stationery design? After we created the invites for our own wedding! We sort of always intended to design them, but once we looked around, nothing fit the vibe and style of both our wedding and us. We wanted something original and unique and figured other people out there felt the same way, thus Dapper Paper was born.  

Did either of you go to art school or were you self-taught? Chris has a degree in graphic design and I studied English as well as interior design. So, we both have a deep love for design in all its forms.  

How did you come up with you company's name and brand? We wanted a name that was fun but also conveyed our vintage nature. So we chose "dapper" because it means smart and stylish and those are attributes we appreciate in design. Also, it's such a vintage and classy word. We are professionals and want to convey that, but we can be cheeky and fun as well.

Do you have any advice for people when it comes to selecting a printer and designer for their projects?  We actually design and print all of our pieces in house. We pride ourselves in being responsible for the design from beginning to end. That helps us ensure that we can be proud of the final outcome and know it's up to our standards. It's also a very personal process because it's our handy work from beginning to end.

Do you assist your clients in the design of their invitations or do they give you full creative freedom? Many of our clients come to us with a direction they enjoy but most times they give us freedom to be creative. We always ask questions and gather as much information as we can to figure out their style and what they will enjoy. Then we move forward with that inspiration in mind along with our design sense and ideas working alongside.

What are some of your favorites brands and why? We are constantly admiring logos and branding so it is TOO many to even keep up with. We really appreciate smart and timeless design: from restaurant branding to packaging, and so on, we see so much to admire around us.

Can you describe what your creative process is like? First, we look at our project and what direction/feel we want to convey.  Then we research inspiration and things that give us some direction and layout ideas. Then we let the design take on a life of its own and work together to get to a unique place that just feels right and has a look we appreciate. 

What inspires you? We are honestly inspired by EVERYthing. We gather inspiration from a lot of vintage pieces, packaging, ads, etc. We have a true love of posters and poster design so we are constantly looking at posters and gathering inspiration from music and bands we like.

In your opinion, what makes a successful design? I think a successful design is smart. You don't always have to break the mold with everything you do (there's a reason certain things never go out of style), but put thought into the final outcome. A successful design makes you want to look at it, look further, analyze it, and think about it while appreciating it.

If you could take a peek into any designer or artist's studio, living or deceased, who would it be and why? Well, that's nearly impossible to answer! Ha. But, someone we really admire right now is Jason Munn from The Small Stakes. We love poster design and his work is so smart and witty and we would just love to hang out with him and see his process in designing his posters.

What is your most favorite thing about stationery design?  Working with different types of people that gather inspiration from different places. It's fun to dig in and figure out what people like and a lot of our clients are creative in their wedding details so it pushes us to want to make it the most creative we can and something totally unique for them.

What has been one the hardest things you've had to create? When we were first starting out, we had to create an invitation for a client and the communication was not great. We never could figure out exactly what they liked because they wouldn't communicate with us effectively. We finished the project not being proud or liking what we had done but just trying to make them happy. Words, images and inspiration are so important because people see different things or describe things in different ways. We have learned to gather more information and really figure out what people want and expect, but also to not sacrifice our instinct.  It's a learning process and you grow as you go.

You are most proud of...how much our business has grown in the past year, but mostly thankful for it and feel very blessed.

In five years you want to…expand our business and have more room in our studio! And still love what we do! And still have time to cook dinner every night! (And there will probably be a youngin' or two running around.)

Do you have any upcoming events where people can see more of your work? We are constantly working on custom wedding invitation designs and they may end up on some wedding blogs so keep your eyes peeled! We also have a blog launching soon for a bakery owner that we are super excited about!

Do you prefer coated or uncoated paper? Uncoated.  We are generally not glossy paper fans. It has its place, but I love just uncoated subtle paper.

What is one thing you cannot go without? Food.

Do you have assistants or do you do everything yourself? We currently do everything ourselves...whew. Yes, it's a lot.

Coffee or tea? Chris: Coffee, all day if I could. Elizabeth: Coffee in the morning, tea after and sometimes more coffee.

To see more of Dapper Paper’s collection, visit their blog, Etsy shop, and Facebook page.

Brandi Moody is an artist and designer living in Raleigh. By day she’s a graphic designer and illustrator for her own design studio. Read more about her life, work and inspiration on her blog, Ever So Lovely.