A golden Emmy commands the conference room of the Ceci New York studio, arms outstretched.
Says New York City’s premier invitation designer Ceci Johnson: “I like to joke that it’s an award for best graphic design.”
Ceciand her design team surrounded by accolades
It’s not far off; the awards show is a client. Flanked by work – hand painted florals that Ceci has become known for, a miniature cabaret stage for a worldly 1-year-old’s birthday, laser-cut butterflies on a boxed invitation — are some actual awards: the ModernBride “Trendsetter”, The Knot Best of Weddings (won so frequently that she was inducted into the The Knot’s Hall of Fame) and BizBash’s Best Print Invitation Design among them, recognition of the creative trailblazer who grew a custom invitation niche into a sought-after lifestyle juggernaut, hailed in media like Us
and New York
magazines and movies like Bride Wars. Ceci’s fashion-forward style and sophisticated aesthetic have led her to be named by fashion mogul Tory Burch as a “Woman to Watch” and referred to as a favorite designer by Vogue’s Anna Wintour.
An industry gap sparked the genesis of the couture invitation.
In the early 2000s Ceci was designing in the corporate world when a colleague enlisted her talents for wedding invitations. She enjoyed telling their story through papers and prints, but noticed limitations in the invitation industry. “Nobody was offering this level of couture design. You flipped through a book, and even though you had a plethora of options, it was limited to a specific, pre-designed template. Custom to me is my imagination. The sky’s the limit.” So she coined a new term, “couture invitations” and launched Ceci New York
.
The perspective was clear.
A couture dance floor
An invitation goes beyond information. It’s a symbol of the event, the first impression for guests setting the tone of what’s to come.
“Think of it as a movie trailer,” says Ceci. “You get the invitation in the mail. Does it catch your eye? Does it give you the desire to go see it?” It’s the same way the trailer is connected to the movie.”
Connected here means both corporate and private events are fortified with branded messaging. “A lot of our private social clients love to have some kind of logo created for them,” says Ceci. “You’ll find it on the dance floor, in the fabrics, linens, pillows, anything that helps support the vibe of parties.”
An invitation that truly reflects your brand: the Ceci New York experience.
Now an authority inspiring with speaking engagements, her Ceci Style blog
, and @cecinewyork and @cecijohnson Instagram accounts, Ceci’s team includes multiple designers and project managers, who work collaboratively with clients.
Ceci likens the initial client meeting to a first date. “All you have to do is share with us your thoughts.” Minding client budgets, the design team brainstorms ideas and sketches concepts, assembling moodboards and color palates with messaging in mind.
For example, a nonprofit’s invitation would be more subdued than a wedding’s. “We don’t want to come across too ostentatious, like they spent all their money on invitations. In these cases, we’ll spec more cost-effective papers, usually a bit thinner, but still nice.” The heavy lifting is in the design.
Ceci’s invitation designs redefine the word “creativity”.
Take the Boys and Girls Club Great Futures Gala invitation, graphics weaving the story of the non-profit, animations following a child as they discover the club, learn and have fun, and leave for college. “It was a fresh artistic take on the organization’s mission,” says Ceci, serving the perpetual goal of exciting donors to support an important cause. “The invitation is printed on more modest stock and printed in the brand’s own corporate blue color. [For a non-profit] It’s just being mindful of their mission and pushing the design as far as we can to make an impact.”
Basketballs have been branded for bat mitzvahs, invitations have featured interactive “puzzle piece” construction, a couple with nuptials in Napa designed airplane ticket invites, sent in a box filled with custom wine corks. Nothing is out of reach.
Ceci New York prides itself on constant innovation.
With Ceci New York’s robust spirit of innovation, Ceci envisions more experimentation in 2020, whether it’s exploring designs with new materials like lucite, or the company keeping atop cutting-edge design features or the launch of a “ready to order” collection of invitation suites available online. It’s also about advancing the “norm,” like with their popular line of notebooks and last year’s launch of botanical- inspired fine linens and accessories with Nuage Designs
.
After all, when you’re regarded by so many in the industry as the founder of and the foremost expert on couture invitation design, why settle for the status quo?
