Smartpress customers create brilliant print every single day. Here you’ll find a curated collection of their work, showcasing the very best designs and online printing projects at Smartpress.
The articles feature detailed photography and comments from our clients about getting creative with print, how to customize print to meet marketing goals and why print is a strategic staple in our digital world.
When it comes to marketing, how do you control the narrative for your brand and stand out from your competition at the same time? With effective print marketing materials. It’s a strategy that works every time.
How do you appeal to both your target audience and potential customers? That’s the fundamental question when it comes to marketing. For a brand like HOCKEYAK, specializing in hockey apparel and bags for teams and recreational players, marketing is all about realistic, inviting imagery blended with a brand voice that’s specific and informative. And it’s all delivered with a wink (‘cause when a yak is your mascot, it’s hard not to sound cheeky).
To stand out on a crowded convention floor, your exhibition booth design has to be a lot of things: compelling, inviting, persuasive, memorable - the list goes on. Luckily, with help from a premium printer like Smartpress, your booth can be all those things and more. With personalized products, custom options and print nerds here to help, we’ve got the goods to ensure your booth.
A business prospectus that presents your brand with a blend of professional and personal is crucial for investors to stay, well, invested. For David Yardley, MoonGoat Coffee’s president of operations, that meant “communicating our vision, growth and strategic direction [with] sophistication and approachability.” See how perfect bound booklets ensured the brand’s message went down smooth.
For School Yard Rap’s Brandon “Griot B” Brown, educational booklets are both essential teaching resources and eye-openers to broader cultural narratives. Creating custom coloring books and study guides for learners of all ages, Brown’s goal is “to merge the music with the message, the education with the entertainment.” See how he leveraged booklet printing to do that and more.
What makes an effective lookbook design? While the elements may be simple, it’s anything but simple to pull it off. Memorable and metric-boosting lookbooks should represent your brand well with seriously high-quality photography and just enough specs to make the sale. See how fragrance brand Michael Malul’s more-show, less-tell strategy created a scent of success (and then some).
Where you work has a big effect on how you work. To create a modern workplace design, we went beyond office art with stock photos to a totally custom timeline wall. The goal was to tell the Smartpress story, show off our premium print capabilities to clients and visitors and instill an even bigger sense of pride in each other and what we work for each day. Here’s how we did it with our various signage products (and how you can do the same).
Developing a product catalog strategy can be a messy business. But find the right one, and it’s lather, rinse, repeat. With an of-the-moment mission and seriously satisfying imagery, Pacha Soap Co. washes away the competition. See how they pair print catalogs with other print assets to create a marketing clean sweep.
The American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) and event printing? They go together like a backhand grip and a good pull. “Signage and environmental graphics are the driving force,” explained Daniel Cohen, AUDL’s director of marketing. “They’re the first impression fans get and set the tone for the experience.” See how Cohen played on with an entire suite of innovative print marketing materials.
When you think of wall calendars, images of floral landscapes or coastal lighthouses immediately come to mind. But chickens? Posing with their owners dressed to match? See how photographer Danielle Brock thinks outside the coop and honors these duos with humor on every page of her Chicken Daddies Saddle Stitch Calendars. (Oh, and cat lovers? She’s got one for you, too!)
These days, amidst a constant barrage of noise and chaos, how do you reconnect with yourself and the natural world around you? For the creators of Keap, the answer was simple: candles. But not just any candles - premium candles that are better for the environment. See how they light a fire under their sales with Saddle Stitch Booklets and pour sustainability into each jar.
It’s nearly Spring Break, and if you're anything like us, you’re in a vacation state of mind. Which is exactly how vacation rental company Frontdesk wants you to feel - along with stress-free and at-home in their short-term rental suites across the U.S. See how they’re packing print into hospitality marketing and how their brand strategy can translate to your business (flip flops not required).
How do you stand out in an ever-crowded market? If you’re whiskey pioneer Oak & Eden, you build a brand blended with flavor, story and experience and top it all off with a literal twist. They honor the tradition while going their own way. Which just so happens to be their approach to print marketing, too.
That novel you’ve dreamed of publishing? Make it a reality with Smartpress! From design to layout to finished product, we put self-publishing in your hands with premium custom book printing. Sound too good to be true? Check out our tips for how to publish your own book and hear what author Jason Heaton says about choosing paper stocks, cover art and marketing your own novel.
Like so many in the music industry, singer, songwriter and guitar player Leslie Rich’s story includes a day job that supports his passion. Initially leveraging Smartpress products for his employer, Rich now composes print collateral for his passion, too.
For Jessica Walker, owner of Better + Co., cancer hit close to home and sparked a small business idea. To spread joy and inspiration with Smartpress’ Greeting Cards, Walker mastered the art of card printing, using direct, unabashed messaging and bright, bold colors that not only perk up patients, but also their families, friends and care teams.
If you’re a small business owner, you know organization, planning and creativity are key. Luckily for Emily Ley, those happen to be her areas of expertise. As an author, social media influencer and the owner of Simplified® by Emily Ley, Ley prints her custom stationery, business essentials and organizational tools to empower women from all walks of life, proving to simplify is to succeed.
For manufacturers big and small, print marketing is essential to meeting sales goals and creating brand awareness. With custom catalogs, direct mail marketing, wall art, training collateral and more, the team at Walker Manufacturing Company finds print to be a strategic seed that just keeps growing.
With the retail industry becoming ever more competitive, how do you blaze your own trail and come out on top? If you’re Nicole Chose, owner and marketing director of The Foursome and Boundary Clothing, you use print to create a new landscape. With direct mail campaigns, storefront signage and personalized engagement, Chose’s print strategy ensures her specialty outdoor activewear store stands out.
Coffee, chocolate and a side of social change? That’s what you get with Moka Origins, a bean-to-bar social enterprise with roots running from a sustainable farm in Africa to a roastery and chocolate factory in Pennsylvania. Operations manager, Mark Larson, says to “spread our mission and create awareness around who we are,” print goes hand in hand with producing superior products and making a serious impact.
Step foot in any gym and it’s obvious how serious we get about physical health. Jon Call, on the other hand, flips the script on fitness with his own brand of workout, one that’s largely done at home and with humor. Known to over a million Instagram followers as Jujimufu, Call entertains and educates with exercise programs compiled in Spiral Coil Booklets: “I essentially made a career out of something I’d do for free anyway.”
Custom lookbooks accomplish crucial goals for your business. They create a visual experience that immerses your client in your product, showcases said product in enticing, persuasive ways and then turns that persuasion into profit. For Kim Smith, Marketing Coordinator at Burton Global, there was one more goal for the Mine77 lookbook: carry on a legacy. It’s a tall order, but one Smith was able to fill with Perfect Bound Books.
Specialty. Handmade. Boutique. These are just a few words to describe the work of three creative entrepreneurs’ artisanal prints. Designed with originality and sold online, their products are flying off the proverbial shelves. Whether you’ve got your sights set on big business or starting a side hustle, their industry know-how and insider experience is an invaluable resource you can take to heart and to the bank.
Picture this: Hitting the road with nothing but passion in your heart and a camera by your side, capturing breathtaking landscapes and snapping serene vistas. Artist Joshua Rowan doesn’t have to imagine it, he lives it. Wandering the world to locations near and far, Rowan compiles his photography into Perfect Bound Booklets that blend adventure and artistry.
At its core, art should make you feel something. And for herbalist, gardener and artist Michelle Wallace, the medium that elicits the emotion is the mandala. Created with foraged flowers and leaves, Wallace’s transient nature mandalas leave a lasting impression - both spiritually for her customers and strategically for her business - with Collated Printing.
For creators and storytellers behind the uniquely stylized world of fantasy art and anime, turning a concept into a reality is no easy task. Even more challenging? Finding the right medium to present that artwork.
Your marketing strategy says a lot about your business. For Found Rentals and their product lookbooks, their strategy very clearly inspires design dreams, compels creativity and encourages their clients to escape. The latest edition, a leisurely trek through magical Morocco, stuns with warm-hued, textured photography highlighting the power of small details. Printed on Smartpress’ Perfect Bound Booklets, these lookbooks are driving sales and creating an undeniably immersive experience.
If ever there were a time to have a night in, now would be it. But finding fun things to do in your home isn’t always easy, especially when brick-and-mortar stores have limited hours or are closed completely. Turning the at-home experience into an entertaining and educational one is what Melissa Williams, Vice President of Branding for Night In Boxes, knows very well.
Bringing the past into the present is difficult enough without trying to turn a profit at the same time. But if you’re Larry Stuart, owner, designer and illustrator of The Union Archive, it’s your patriotic duty. He’s giving American history an artistic twist, but instead of using a quill, he’s using print, and in place of parchment, a small army of Small Posters.
Realizing your full visual expression deserves a presentation worthy of the subject. Whether your photography focuses on products, places or people, a customized booklet displays all of it with a professional look and a personal feel.
A business isn’t always about selling a product and making a profit. Sometimes it’s about giving back and making a difference. For Liz Mester, Director of Communications and Engagement for Wings for Kids, it’s about equipping “at-risk kids with the skills they need to succeed in school and thrive in life.” She’s in the business of inspiring, facilitating and educating, and she’s using print to fulfill that important mission.
As the owner and designer of Crew + Co, Courtney Kassner’s inspiring and encouraging clients with faith-based cards designed in her signature blend of vibrant color and trendy calligraphy. For Kassner, Collated Printing is a business blessing.
She’s got a business she built from scratch, four daughters with her name and entrepreneurial ambition that's not slowing down any time soon. Who is she? She’s Mary Heffernan, owner and operator of Five Marys Farms, and she’s using Smartpress to get high-quality marketing into the hands of her customers (along with her high-quality meats).
Carving out your own space in the literary landscape isn’t easy. As the founder, creative director, editor and designer of the WATER Literary and Arts Magazine, Megz Tillman-Trufant aims to “provide an outlet for the voices and perspectives of black writers and creators.” And she’s got her sights set on more than just the words.
It’s 2020. He’s 30. He’s retired. (Well… if you can call running a website, writing a best-selling book, jet-setting to speaking engagements, hosting a podcast, and publishing a monthly financial magazine “retired.”)
Freelance designer Crystal Jensen on joining the team at fashion brand Evereve to implement a rebrand and communicate it across the organization. “I always tend to lean into the happier side of design.”
Utter nonsense: Illustrator and designer Nathan Yoder on creating a brand for Runcible Cider based on a children’s story and his love for hand-drawn characters and typography. “It’s nice to be able to get off the computer.”
Designer Jaime Chismar, the creator of the ubiquitous All Are Welcome Here posters, lawn signs, window clings, magnets, and more, on building a viral brand and fostering activism. “Someday the table will be big enough for everyone.”
The design duo behind Eight Hour Day on creating Club Kiddo, their own not-so-secret-society brand for kids and developing an immersive pop-up experience to launch it: “Lots of late nights.”
Fresh Air: An illustrated National Parks calendar is among the most consistent sellers for design studio Ello There.
Love Affair: Associate creative director AJ Riccio on keeping her fine art skills sharp by illustrating vignettes of the neighborhood she loves. “I want to completely disconnect and do everything by hand.”
Positively Electric: Creative director Ian Davies of Little & Co. on designing for designers, connecting strategy with design, and the Minnesota design community. “It’s still so cool to get something that’s printed and tactile.”
A visual journal hones familiar skills in layout, editorial, and illustration with new ones in business and marketing.
Perfect Blend: Designer and illustrator Rob Patterson of Ratiofarm on creating an event poster with cultural connections for Intelligentsia Coffee. “I had to figure out the best way to tell the story.”
Drinking it in: Strategic designer Rob Patterson reads the tea leaves for his work with Intelligentsia Coffee’s Kilogram Tea brand. “The future of any design should begin with its past.”
Natural Beauty: Stationery designer Erin McManness finds outdoor inspiration for her Paper Raven product line and paper goods catalog. “I find higher meaning in nature.”
Business cards make a critical first impression for in-person meetings. Designing one for organic grocer, Native Sun, also needed to represent the store’s values. “The cards turned out to be as groundbreaking as our stores.”
Rare Talent: Designing restaurant menus takes specialized skill. Evolving kitchen and bar programs, physical abuse, and aesthetics are all factors that Kallsen Studio & Design navigated seamlessly for Minneapolis tavern, Red Cow. “When you do menus, you’re always weighing options.”
Photographer Matt Hawthorne's promotional mailer features images shot for Blender Bottle of athletes frozen in motion, capturing beautiful moments of physicality. "No one knows you exist unless you create promos that stop you in your tracks," he says.
Vintage vibe: Illustrator Nicholas Moegly’s perfect-bound portfolio book is as carefully crafted as the lettering, illustration, and sign painting it showcases. “I wanted everything about the piece to feel handcrafted.”
Simply brilliant: Designer Sarah Brown’s catalog for Niche lighting company brings its luxurious product photography to life on sumptuous uncoated paper. “If you have a good idea and believe in it and work hard, you can make anything happen.”
Mark Rantal, Creative Director at Colorado agency, Magneti, leverages immersive photography, energetic color palettes, and bold typography in a style guide booklet design for their client, OutThere Colorado.
When Workshop CA was ready to launch their line of cargo-bike pop-up retail carts, Art Director, Hannah Sandberg leaned on a square tri-fold as the framework for communicating the new concept in a step-by-step guide.
William Mullan, Marketing Director at craft chocolatier, Raaka, created a unique brand booklet that's included in gift boxes – allowing customers to savor the company’s rich story along with the sweets.
QUEST magazine inspires readers to travel and discover the unforgettable. Designer Amy Willis and her small team are responsible for capturing the Ker & Downey travel experience in its pages.
When designer Angela Kallsen was approached by Minneapolis restaurant Red Rabbit to create a new cocktail menu, she mixed illustration, pattern, and whimsy to serve up a book concept that people can’t wait to drink in.
Williams Whittle Creative Director, Eva Day, decided to celebrate the agency’s 50th anniversary with a colorful rebrand. The new look unfolds with a cleverly designed laser die cut brochure.
When photographer Shaun Fenn was inspired to create a classic newsprint mailer, he called on Nathan Strandberg, friend and co-owner of Minneapolis agency Eight Hour Day, to design the deceptively-simple print piece.
After an unexpected online shout-out from Design Milk, furniture builders and brothers, Dylan and Wesley Harkavy were invited to participate in Dwell Magazine’s LA design show. They sat down with designer Alex Braica to tailor a standout print piece for the event.
Cam McLeod is considered one of the country’s best adventure photographers. In his premiere newszine, The Spell of the Yukon, Cam shares a stunning visual narrative taken from a photo assignment commissioned by Columbia Sportswear documenting hikers on a trek through the rugged Yukon terrain.
Catherine Bretheim is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Hodgepodge magazine, a celebratory ode to strong women that she independently designed and curated.
Steph Calvert Art, the brainchild of illustrator Steph Calvert, is a one-woman show for all your illustration needs.
For the Love of Maps, a geography-focused art shop run by Chris and Nina Brown, focuses on map-themed, word art prints, both as individual states and America as a whole.
Mother-son duo captures the majestic beauty of the Pacific Northwest in their stunning mini-calendars.
As a designer for an award-winning luxury tour operator, Amy conceptualized and implemented an improved marketing concept for the company.