PaperSpecs Presents: Mad Men Party Invitation Suite

Style is everything, as the groundbreaking AMC series Mad Men always reminded us.

So when it came time to celebrate that show’s finale after 7 glorious years with a suitably upscale “Black & Red Ball” in LA prior to the airing of the final episode, my good friends at print studio Highresolution produced an invitation suite that was suitably eye-catching, yet elegantly understated.

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The guest list for this black-tie celebration included a wide range of society’s movers and shakers, from lesser known executives and celebrities all the way up to then-President Barrack Obama and Oprah Winfrey.

Naturally, different amenities were offered to different types of guests, presenting Highresolution with their first big challenge – producing and sorting out 8 different varieties of invitation that touted the different treats certain guests would enjoy during this star-studded event.

Created by AMC’s in-house designers in collaboration with Highresolution, the text of these gorgeous invitations was hot foil stamped extra deep with Black and Red foil onto 220 lb. Crane’s Lettra Fluorescent White. Two Lettra sheets were then duplex laminated into one plump 440 lb. card, making for an invitation that feels like a chunky pillow.

AMC also wanted to include a special, super-rare memento with each invitation: an enchanting printed scarf for the women, a handkerchief for the men.

What Highresolution came up with is a model of style and simplicity. Made of 122 lb. Neenah Plike Red – a sheet that has a soft rose petal feel – the carrier earmarked for female recipients features the Mad Men logo in Black and White foil, as well as the highly appropriate tagline “The End of an Era,” also in White foil. Male recipients received an all-Black, distinctly smaller, version of the carrier with a Red and White foil logo.

The cover, held tightly closed by a robust magnetic closure (which delivers a satisfying “Plunk!” when shut), opens to reveal that sharp-looking invitation resting in a tight-fitting die-cut groove, set-off equally beautifully by its Red or Black surroundings. Removing the invite, you discover a scarf or handkerchief in a tissue paper wrap held closed by a tasteful sticker.

What I really appreciate about this piece is just how understated it all is. Rather than trying to overwhelm the recipient, it simply delivers the gift and information required, doing so in the most efficient way possible. At the same time, expert touches like the soft touch feel of the packaging, the super-thick invitation, tasteful use of foil, and employment of a strong magnetic closure transform the invitation-receiving experience into one as memorable as the event.