5 Hot Stationery Trends for 2016 by Dempsey & Carroll

Dempsey & Carroll's limited edition collaboration with F. Schumacher & Co.

1. Calling cards

Historically, these were used as visiting cards and were meant to announce the arrival of a visitor to someone's home. The cards typically just list a person's name with very little additional information. We're seeing these come back into fashion. With numerous ways to contact someone in contemporary society, these clean and simple cards are coming into use again in a variety of ways - names, social media handles, or email addresses all on their own.

2. Mixed media

The use of multiple printing techniques is something that we've been doing with many of our own products and is something many of our clients have begun to adopt as well. We're seeing many clients combine engraving and foil-stamping, or letterpress and flat-printing, to add some color and variety to their papers. Each technique has its own advantages so it's great to see the end result when they're used together.

3. Custom crests + logos

Family crests were used throughout history to denote the family’s heritage. We're seeing many people adopt this idea with a fresh twist. We've had some clients come in to meet with us who are fascinated with the idea of something unique to them or their family, but who want this to have a more modern feel. People are incorporating sports equipment like tennis racquets or skis, paws for a family pet, flags to denote a particular nationality, and a range of other symbols that reflect their unique story.

4. Custom envelope finishings

Envelope finishings are most often done with solid colors in tissue or matte paper. Many people are moving away from solid designs and are beginning to integrate patterns - either those from a designer they love, or their own created with the help of an illustrator. Custom envelope finishings are a great way to update your correspondence papers.

5. Personalized tablets

As a desk essential, more and more clients are ordering personalized tablets. Tablets are great to keep in your office to write a quick note or a to-do list and are the perfect size to scatter throughout your home. With personalized tablets in your office, kitchen, and your purse or briefcase, they'll be with you wherever you go and whenever something crosses your mind that you need to remember for later.  A personalized component like a name, monogram, or a home vignette completes the set.

Find out more: dempseyandcarroll.com