Paperie Boutique for professional photographers

Jun201029

My recent aqua / aqua photo boxes from HB Packaging have caused quite the Internet stir. The company is actually considering offering that combo as an option now. Raise your hand if you’re interested in the comments!

HB Photo Packaging would also like to know, “Is there a color or packaging item you want for your business but can’t find?” If so, please post about it here in the comments – they are listening! If your branding is centered around colors like grey or orange that are impossible to find photo boxes to match, this is your chance to speak now or forever hold your peace.

HB does offer “print your own” packaging that you can design from scratch using blank templates—but these color suggestions on Paperie Boutique would be for their Standard, and Boutique, and Prestige packaging lines.

So dream it and post it! They’re waiting to hear from you…

And now the follow-up to yesterday’s guest post / photo teaser by Photoumbra Studios. Everyone loves the packaging posts here and this one will not disappoint!

Inspired by so many posts on the Paperie blog, I set out a few months ago to give my packaging, marketing, and price menus a good dose of consistency, simplicity, and of course some pretty! I didn’t venture far from what I had already been giving my clients, but I felt like I could vamp up my look and information a little better. I didn’t change my color scheme nor my logo, which I do think is important because as we all know, it is so crucial to be consistent and it was very important to me to incorporate my website and blog branding into my print and packaging.

Besides staying true to our current branding, it was also very important to me to be able to design tools that could help my clients make smarter and hopefully larger purchases by providing them with an easy to navigate price menu, a wall display design guide, and the ability to choose a portrait collection or build their own. As with any project, there are things I would do differently next time, but also things that I learned work great and I will continue to implement.

First lets start with the packaging. I’ve been using Kraft products to package with for some time, but what was new was some new little cards that I made up that I now include in every order. The cards include a blank “Thank You” card where I can hand write a message, a “Portrait Care Tips” card that is included with any enlargements, a “Spread the Love” card that talks about our referral program, and a “Copyright Info” card.

(If you are interested in purchasing the templates or a copy of our “Portrait Design Guide”) see the bottom of this post.

Our packaging includes:
• Boxes from Rice Studio Supply
• Stickers from WHCC (but I will soon be trying out
Black River Imaging‘s die cut stickers)
• Bags, Tissue and Ribbons from Nashville Wraps
• Little stickers from MOO
• Thank You, Copyright Info, Referral Info, and Portrait
Care Tip Cards printed by Overnight Prints

Next up is our “Portrait Boutique Catalog”. The version that I give to each of my clients is 5.5×11 folded press printed card with a 5x5x8.5 insert. The Catalog outlines each of our print and product lines with brief descriptions of each and standard size pricing. The insert features our “Portrait Collection” on one side (5 to choose from) and a “Build Your Own Collection” option on the other side. The BYOC has been very popular and I have found that most of my clients are enjoying the freedom of it.

Our Catalog and insert cards were printed by Overnight Prints.

Finally, is our “Portrait Design Guide”. This guide is given to select clients who are interested in investing in wall portraits. It includes a cover, an introduction to the guide, 14 inspiring designs for wall displays, a card for them to record measurements throughout their home where they would like to create a wall display, and a card where they can jot down any notes, or draw ideas. The cards corners are rounded an they are bound by a single hinged silver ring. Also included along with the guide is a 60″ measuring tape that we had custom branded for our studio with the tag line “Design Away – Photoumbra Studios“, they also receive a pen branded with our studio name and website. Each of these items fit into a nice 5×7 box decorated with our studio logo and a ribbon.

The “Portrait Design Guide” vendors are:
• Cards printed by Overnight Prints
• Wall Display Design purchased from Gradybug Designs
but altered to reflect our studio colors and I also included
some other design elements and text into these
• Tape Measures from American Bridal
• Pens from Ink Spot

If you are interested in receiving a digital or hard copy of our “Portrait Design Guide” we are offering them for sale for Paperie Boutique readers.

** Please note that I will not include the actual wall display templates in the sale of the digital copy because I purchased those from another vendor. However, I will include the cover pages I designed myself along with a digital copy of our Thank You, Copyright Info, Referral Info, and Portrait Care Tip Cards. You can order yours HERE. If you say you are a Paperie reader you will get $20 off the digital download price ’til July 4th – making it just $29 instead of $49.**

Huge thanks to Monica Burby and Photoumbra Studios. I learned of new vendors myself with this post, and have a lot of fun ideas swirling around in my head now! Don’t forget to stop by Monica’s website and blog to say “thank you”, too.

P.S. If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain. If you are a photographer and are interested in having your packaging featured – or are a vendor and are interested in having your business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured – please contact robyn @ this domain to be added to the posting schedule.

it's more fun to share: Share this post with the world.

55 Responses to “pick a color – any color!”

1
debbie on June 29th, 2010

Beautiful packaging (as always here!).

For HB: orange and/or bright kelly/emerald green!
2
Jessica on June 29th, 2010

I second the Kelly/Emerald Green but with Black and a Fuchsia/Magenta/Bright Purple option.
3
Tina R. on June 29th, 2010

I really need yellow and grey! I have been trying to find what I need at paper-source.com by using their curry and gravel options but they only have A7 boxes in curry only and that’s it for boxes……they have envelopes galore in both colors but I need a seamless look for everything.
4
edahlgren7 on June 29th, 2010

I’d love to see a grey option. One side of my business card is grey with my logo.
5
Inspired by christy on June 29th, 2010

Hot PInk!!!!!
6
Andrea Halsey on June 29th, 2010

Aqua, Aqua please ^_^
7
Carrie Krotine on June 29th, 2010

I am dying to get HOT PINK boxes!!
8
heidi @ indy photography on June 29th, 2010

Um yes! Orange boxes please! Not that I’ll need them anytime soon as I JUST ordered a slew of white boxes to go with my mostly orange color scheme. But I would LOVE to have orange boxes!!!!!!
9
Karyn Collins on June 29th, 2010

I’m still working on my branding/colors but am leaning towards plum wine & pearl grey.

Thanks for the awesome post and generous offer Monica and Robyn!
10
michelle carrillo on June 29th, 2010

I would LOVE if they had the option to mix & match the colors for tops & bottoms. I agree… I LOVE the aqua/aqua look (as opposed to their standard aqua/brown). Because my colors are red, aqua and BLACK… I’d prefer to at the very least have the option of black bottoms instead of brown. But I actually prefer the look of the one color instead of two.
11
Christina on June 29th, 2010

Dark Teal (that matches Nashville Wraps’ teal tissue paper!)

… and maybe magenta as well!
12
Catherine Amiss on June 29th, 2010

First off, let me say that I LOVE HB’s accordian brochure with the paper samples. That and their customer service. I’m on the verge of ordering an entire set of boxes, but I’ve wanted to get samples from different places to make sure I know what I’ll be getting and I’ve been most pleased with HB.

I’d love to see aqua/aqua as well. The aqua/brown is pretty, but just too specific, branding wise.

Also, I’d LOVE a charcoal gray color. I know they have the fuzzy gray, but I’d like one in the Boutique line, with the pearl finish (like the plaitnum). It seems to me that this would be popular, because it’s a neutral color.

I’d also be interested in a basic white (but pearlized not “pebbled”, but now I’m just being greedy and the other two requests are much higher on my “want list”!

Thanks!
13
courtney jade on June 29th, 2010

CHARCOAL GREY! Robyn, you were nice enough to send me a sample of the fuzzy charcoal box, but I’m not completely sold on the texture of it I agree with Catherine, a charcoal with the pearl finish would be amazing!!

Also, a more hot-bubblegun-pink color. The pink they currently carry is a bit too red for my stuff.

HB is so fabulous for helping you our Robyn, and they are definitely on my good list for vendors now! I’m holding out for some of these new color options, and crossing my fingers they pick my colors!
14
Heather Lickliter on June 29th, 2010

We are grey (but we can use the platinum), grassy green and bright blue. Our numbers are 27a3d6 for the blue and 9bb00d for the green
15
Susan P. on June 29th, 2010

I concur with the CHARCOAL GRAY!! (boutique/pearl finish) Thanks for asking, HB!
16
Jaclyn Michele on June 29th, 2010

I would love to be able to order boxes in smaller quantities. Like many others, I am a small one-woman business and don’t really have space for hundreds of boxes. Just being able to buy 10-20 of different sizes at a time would be great.
17
shelley Nelson on June 29th, 2010

Yes, gray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
18
Dena on June 29th, 2010

HOT PINK!!!!! I’ve looked everywhere
also Hot Turquoise.
19
Snappy on June 29th, 2010

I’d love to see Aqua/Aqua as well.
20
Lacey on June 29th, 2010

aqua/aqua!!!
21
lisedmarquez on June 29th, 2010

I would love magenta boxes even do the pinks are close. and deeper boxes (1″ deep) for 100 prints or so. I found some in DNL but never the same color! It would be a big help if it could be able to find boxes from the same color, different deeps.
22
Katie Reed on June 29th, 2010

definitely a light yellow!
23
Marina on June 29th, 2010

Soft Blue or a Deep Cream color would be nice.
24
Christine on June 29th, 2010

For HB: Lake blue – it isn’t so aqua, but more of a peacock blue color. (“Lake Blue” is the Paper Source name.) A nice charcoal gray would also be nice. My colors have shifted to lake blue, light yellow, and Kraft paper, with gray accents.
25
bluebombphotography on June 30th, 2010

My branding is a bright blue, so I would love to see that, of course! I think I’m destined to end up with black boxes and just try to find the perfect blue ribbon/accents.
26
Heather Lickliter on June 30th, 2010

Oh, smaller quantities would be good for me too. We have a studio space, but I don’t want to have tons of them sitting around.
27
olivias mum on June 30th, 2010

I need yellowy/gold and gray as well. I am also using Paper Source’s “curry” and “gravel” for what I can, but I would love an 8×10 gray box.
28
susan on June 30th, 2010

Aqua Aqua!!
29
karenleslie on June 30th, 2010

Raising my hand for the yellow/grey option as well. Not a sunshine yellow, but more like the Curry that PaperSource offers.
30
christa on June 30th, 2010

Fuchsia! (Like the fuchsia offered on Paper Source)
31
Leigh Ann on June 30th, 2010

orange.
gray.

and most of all, matching tops and bottoms. That brown bottom is a deal breaker. It’s much to specific to a certain branding.
32
Elizabeth Fernandez Cadabal on June 30th, 2010

I would love to see:
Aqua/Aqua,
Hot Hot pink (the ones they have now have a little too much red pigment for me, but they are still reaaaaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyy nice!).
Oh and a light pink with white polka dots, would add to my style of branding!!!! Being able to mix and match colors would be AMAZING!

*And being able to order in smaller quantities, my business is growing, but I don’t have the extra room for hundreds of boxes.

HB you are great! To think of it’s customers like they did, really speaks about how wonderful they are, and on how they care about them in more ways than just business!
33
Chelsea on June 30th, 2010

My branding is Grey and Hot Pink, Both would be great!
34
Fizzah on June 30th, 2010

Teal (not turquoise), deep purple like an eggplant, and definitely the emerald green as mentioned earlier.
35
Sindy on June 30th, 2010

Cream! I’d love to have this color for my packaging, but it’s hard to find.
36
Catherinevc on June 30th, 2010

hot pink with a pearlized finish
37
Amanda on June 30th, 2010

I would love to see a charcoal gray option as well!
38
Dana F on June 30th, 2010

I would also love to see a charcoal grey option!
39
Jennifer S. on June 30th, 2010

-Light orange (like a mango color–right now I’m using Poppy from Paper Source)
-Pure plain white without any pebbling, stripes, or ribbing.

Also, adding some more sizes for album boxes would be wonderful. I’d love to see an 8×8 and 10×10!
And I agree with requests for the option to order less. I don’t have the space to store them all!

Thanks!!!
40
Amber on June 30th, 2010

Orange!!

Grey would be great too.
41
Karen L on June 30th, 2010

I would love magenta and orange to match my logo!
42
Marla on June 30th, 2010

I am all for the charcoal grey, matte or pearlized, I’d be happy to see either.

A teal/peacock type color would be fantastic also!
43
Kathi on July 1st, 2010

Would also love to see a graphite/charcoal grey option…have been looking for this color box for years! I also like the “punch” color from Paper Presentation.
44
Ellen on July 1st, 2010

Grey please. But not charcoal… a lighter grey. And cream.

Thank you!!!
45
Dania on July 1st, 2010

I second both the orange and the fuschsia!!

Love this site. So glad to have found it!
46
Erin on July 1st, 2010

I want a pure glossy or semi-gloss white.
47
bluesugar on July 2nd, 2010

Definitely orange – I use Poppy from paper-source but I’ve been dying for the same shade in larger boxes. I’d love for them to offer it in same shade top/bottoms!

I’m also a fan of a charcoal gray option.
48
Darla on July 2nd, 2010

greens, pinks (not hot pink, but a darker pink), yellowish orange, aqua, and smokey grey.
49
julie c butler on July 2nd, 2010

Quick question .. THIS LOOKS GREAT BTW!!!!
did you add your own sticker on the measuring tape?
did you remove the one that was on it?
thanks for the inspiration!!!
xo
50
Jen Marriner on July 4th, 2010

ORANGE!!! (Pretty please??)