Inspiration has an incredible ability to strike unexpectedly, often coming from the most overlooked or ordinary places. The inspiration for the 2023 McLoone Holiday Card is no exception, as it came from a paper coffee cup, typically destined for a trash can after serving its purpose.
The paper cups we're referring to are the ever-popular holiday coffee cups, adorned with cheerful seasonal patterns in an array of bright colors. The idea for the holiday card came about after admiring the intricate patterns and festive motifs and realizing that, while it was beautiful on a paper cup, it could turn into something more sophisticated and elegant when translated onto a metal substrate.
From the very beginning, we knew we wanted to try something we'd never done before - we wanted to use our digital press on metal and then layer that process with screen printing. In doing so, we were able to create a design with subtle elegance, depth, and movement. We played with tone-on-tone, selective gloss levels like you can see in the delicate stars and took advantage of the smooth gradients the digital press creates. The screen printing process created opaque white triangles and navy blue letters, offering a nice contrast with the monochromatic background.
Hopefully, the 2023 Holiday Card, born from the unlikeliest of inspirations, can serve as a reminder to us all that the simplest, everyday objects have the ability to spark joy and creativity. So, enjoy your 2023 Holiday and share the joy of the season with those around you.
Happy Holidays from all of us here at McLoone.
If you'd like to see the cards from previous years, here are 2018, 2019, and 2020.
