Designing for the Holidays doesn't need to equal Red and Green!
Thanksgiving = fall leaves, gourds, pumpkin pie and turkey, turkey, turkey
Christmas = Red velvet, blinking lights, tinsel, blow up Santas and gingerbread men
Not in my mind's eye! While tradition has it's place, and rightly so, finding a new way to illustrate traditional American holidays can be a challenge. It may often be difficult to get a client to think beyond the stereotypical holiday images, colors and shapes. But, give it a try and I guarantee the results will allow your client to stand out in the crowd.
In this example, a Holiday Menu Planning and Gift Guide for Eddie's of Roland Park (gourmet grocer), the client needed to address Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas and New Year's in one piece. The challenge was how to include all the holidays without eluding to any specific religion, tradition or predictable meal. The key is to think elegant meal - a delicious feast for any special occasion. I was inspired by a Colin Cowie-esque Holiday Tablescaple. Think: Nana's tablecloth adorned with fresh flowers and sprigs of sage aside aged candelabras and slightly tarnished silver trays lined with all kinds of mouth-watering, sugar-coated confections. Instead of brown and orange or red and green, visualize cream colored lace, mixed with mint and sage… and just a hint of cranberry to elude to the holiday tradition.
Another challenge was to steer clear of tacky "holiday" fonts and predictable images. So, I selected a clean font (Frutiger) with an accent for the headings only. Holly was replaced with sage. Turkey replaced by Cornish Hens. With a little creativity and clean organization, this Holiday Menu (accordian folded) is not boring,
typical or gaudy - but elegant and sophisticated - and easy to read. It accurately represents the essence of the Holidays, as well as the quality of the food and ease of use of Eddie's services. It visually prepares the customer for the overall Eddie's Gourmet experience.