Be it an invitation to a milestone event or a personal handwritten note, the paper you choose also sends a message.
American-based Crane has been a manufacturer of fine paper since the 1770s, and its clients include Paul Revere as he once commissioned the firm to provide material for Colonial currency, which they would continue to make in the 1800s for the US government. Crane has also provided stationery for dignitaries like First Lady Jackie Kennedy and Jimmy Fallon’s Thank You Notes segment on The Tonight Show.
Even though most of our money today lives in an electronic ether and personal notes are likely to be sent and received via a smartphone app, neither will carry the gravitas and intimacy of physical paper. Today’s digital world hasn’t supplanted physical media like paper—its elevated it.
That is part of the inspiration for Crane Paper Company’s brand refresh, a project embarked with design agency Collins. The refresh lifts Crane’s product to something used when seeking the kind of intimacy and closeness that comes from a physical message. Collins drew inspiration from the Art Nouveau movement, a style originating in the late 19th century and representative of a move towards modernity being manifested industrially. At that time, technology and craftsmanship collided to form a new take on art, fashion, and architecture.
Collins retained the Crane blue with a slight tweak to add vibrancy. The new stationary boxes showcase Collins’ engraving and technical prowess and provide a striking presence in retail shops and on desks and shelves. Crane’s custom wordmark uses WiseType Monarch as a base, typography that is versatile and on-theme. Ornate Art Nouveau-style graphics run alongside the front of the boxes, and secondary colors are warm and complimentary, lending elegance and style to the packaging.
Crane’s latest refresh emphasizes that a personal note penned on paper is warm, personal, and, of course, timeless. Thoughts put down on paper are much too precious to type out on a cold, soulless phone and send electronically, and Crane’s new visual look projects premium quality and the ideal vessel for a momentous occasion.
