Yesterday I showed off some of the samples I've created that use two colors within the same pattern. Today, I'd like to exhibit some of my stationery examples that use gradients and fading to blend the pattern into the background of the design.
In the piece below, I used two colors in a gradient before finally fading the pattern to the same white as the background color. The far edge of the pattern stands out more, since it's darker, and relates to the color used for the envelope and font, but the closer your eye gets to the center of the design, the less attention the pattern calls for, until it has just become part of the background.
Or, why stop at only two colors? In this invitation for a Sunday brunch, I incorporated several different colors of the sunrise, from the dark blackish-brown of the night, to a sunny orange, and finally a pale yellow to match the color of the envelope before fading into the white of the background.
You don't have to use multiple colors or have the patterns in boring vertical or horizontal stripes to achieve this effect, either. In the example below, a triangle of pattern on either side of the invitation and reply card gradually fades to white. Since the pattern is printed in the same color as the background paper layer, it nicely ties the pink border into the printed part of the stationery. The light color of the pattern never demands too much attention, but it adds a nice touch of interest to the white background to keep the invitation from seeming too plain.
Of course, you also don't have to fade the pattern to white. In the example below, the entire invitation was printed with a light beige background, so the pattern fades to that color instead, once again achieving the effect of fading into and becoming part of the background.
Finally, you don't have to fade into the background in only one spot, or in any sort of linear fashion. In the example below, I placed a pattern in the background of this save-the-date, and then faded it in to and out of the white background in certain spots to give it a kind of shimmering effect. I also made sure to fade it enough into the background where the text was printing, so that it wouldn't prevent the text from being easy to read.
If you're concerned with an awesome pattern taking too much emphasis away from other elements on your stationery design - the text, a really interesting font, or pictures and other illustrations - fading a pattern into the background is a great way to instantly make the pattern more subtle but still an integral part of the stationery design. It spices up an otherwise boring and plain invitation into something more unique, without going overboard, and it adds another layer of depth and implied texture to an invitation with other things going on. It's a win-win! :)
Shameless plug time: Love my patterns? Love these designs? I incorporate them into a lot of the artwork I create, from stationery for Invites by Andrea to the watercolors I paint. Check out Invites by Andrea's website to see examples of these patterns or download a catalogue pdf (coming soon!). Or drop me a line at andrea@invitesbyandrea.com to let me know what you think!
In the piece below, I used two colors in a gradient before finally fading the pattern to the same white as the background color. The far edge of the pattern stands out more, since it's darker, and relates to the color used for the envelope and font, but the closer your eye gets to the center of the design, the less attention the pattern calls for, until it has just become part of the background.
Or, why stop at only two colors? In this invitation for a Sunday brunch, I incorporated several different colors of the sunrise, from the dark blackish-brown of the night, to a sunny orange, and finally a pale yellow to match the color of the envelope before fading into the white of the background.
You don't have to use multiple colors or have the patterns in boring vertical or horizontal stripes to achieve this effect, either. In the example below, a triangle of pattern on either side of the invitation and reply card gradually fades to white. Since the pattern is printed in the same color as the background paper layer, it nicely ties the pink border into the printed part of the stationery. The light color of the pattern never demands too much attention, but it adds a nice touch of interest to the white background to keep the invitation from seeming too plain.
Of course, you also don't have to fade the pattern to white. In the example below, the entire invitation was printed with a light beige background, so the pattern fades to that color instead, once again achieving the effect of fading into and becoming part of the background.
Finally, you don't have to fade into the background in only one spot, or in any sort of linear fashion. In the example below, I placed a pattern in the background of this save-the-date, and then faded it in to and out of the white background in certain spots to give it a kind of shimmering effect. I also made sure to fade it enough into the background where the text was printing, so that it wouldn't prevent the text from being easy to read.
If you're concerned with an awesome pattern taking too much emphasis away from other elements on your stationery design - the text, a really interesting font, or pictures and other illustrations - fading a pattern into the background is a great way to instantly make the pattern more subtle but still an integral part of the stationery design. It spices up an otherwise boring and plain invitation into something more unique, without going overboard, and it adds another layer of depth and implied texture to an invitation with other things going on. It's a win-win! :)
Shameless plug time: Love my patterns? Love these designs? I incorporate them into a lot of the artwork I create, from stationery for Invites by Andrea to the watercolors I paint. Check out Invites by Andrea's website to see examples of these patterns or download a catalogue pdf (coming soon!). Or drop me a line at andrea@invitesbyandrea.com to let me know what you think!
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