Library Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon Invitation & Program 2011

Event invitation front and back.

The 2011 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon invitation was a single two-sided 3x4 inch panel, printed 4-up on an 8.5x11 inch sheet of 110lb card stock and trimmed. It featured a public domain photo of a flame, a display font (incidentally named "Flame" as well) duplicated once in red and once in yellow to create a drop highlight, and then the essential venue information on the back side.

Clever Alert!: On the back I introduced the notion of a "heart" formed by the coming together of two lines (in an effort to visually emphasize the love felt by the library toward its volunteers). But in reality, this linear creation had a second implication that was yet to be realized until they came to the event and saw the associated program.

When attendees arrived at the venue they would be seated in front of a place setting that displayed a real, folded black apron with the tagline written on it. Standing alongside the folded apron would be an apron-shaped program that reinforced the appearance of the full-sized apron. Once the program was opened they would see the same heart-shaped symbol from the invitation, now located inside the program in such a way that it would suggest the lines were actually strings from the back of the apron that formed the heart shaped symbol.

This subtlety might be lost on some who only continued to see "heart shaped lines" while others might recognize the "apron strings" aspect right away and forget all about the heart from the earlier invitation. For the visually acute, however, I hoped they would be able to recognize both and hopefully point out the double entendre to their neighbours.


I also enjoyed having the opportunity to do a little copywriting. On the inside panel under the event title and date I crafted the statement:


"Volunteers are a vital ingredient that add
to the recipe of our Library’s success. 
Bringing a blend of talent and experience, 
volunteers make an otherwise basic 
stock into a robust, savory environment
for patrons and staff alike to enjoy."

I love it when I can work in some language that reflects the theme of the event. Others did as well; it sailed right through the client review cycle with an immediate approval.

I printed and trimmed out 360 invitations to be delivered or sent out; 200 programs were also printed and trimmed out by free-hand. It was a lot of work that took a couple of weeks just for the trimming, but I was very happy with the result and so were the many others who enjoyed the cleverness and novelty of the design.

Event programs in the shape of a miniature apron are lined up in groups of 25 after being trimmed.

The actual adult-sized apron, given to all volunteers as a gift from the library.