Out on the Motu

Panama Hats

2008-10-02T11:24:00.008-10:00

Nostalgic for the golden age of travel?
Pack your bags!
This "save the date" postcard entices guests to travel abroad for a lush, tropical vacation and a vintage style wedding in a colonial town in Panama.
One of my favorites so far this year! The design has lots of vintage flair, color, and incorporates little details requested by the couple (notice the little guy peeking out...)

Sentimental Journey

2008-09-29T04:35:00.006-10:00

South Africa, Australia, Mauritius, France, the Seychelles, London... each having lived all over the world this couple wanted a wedding invitation that reflected their roots and the spirit of their destination wedding in Plettenburg Bay, South Africa.
The design is perfect as an oversized postcard that will be journeying far and wide to invite guests from the remote corners of the globe and is a wonderful way to express your spirit of adventure or cultured outlook on life!

Via Email

2008-08-18T09:02:00.007-10:00

Not every invitation will make it through the post... .. This postcard and telegram set arrived in each guests email-box inviting them to a sunset wedding on a sandy beach on the skirts of Casco Viejo, Panama.

In the style of a vintage travel poster, the postcard advertises the exotic setting of the couple's wedding, the telegram spells the details, and both the old x-marks the spot picture and luggage tags give further clues to the location of the ceremony and reception. Click on the graphic above to see more details.
If you are short on time to get those invites out or just want a trendy, modern way to invite your guests, the electronic invitation (also know as an email wedding invitation or an e-card) is the way to go.

Postcards from the Ledge

2008-08-14T05:20:00.038-10:00

This year by far the most popular idea for a wedding invitation has been the postcard. Large or small, a little bit vintage, a little bit modern, they are the perfect medium to set the tone for a destination wedding or to get out of town guests excited about your event.

It's time to to take some of our favorite postcard projects off the shelf for you to flip through here on the Motu blog.

This postcard set was designed for a bride with a novel idea: transforming photos of her wedding venues into Florida postcards from yesteryear.

The set starts out with a friendly beach message for the Save the Date card, and ends with a cheeky Thank You in the Florida sky.

Sailor's Delight

2008-06-02T14:24:00.013-10:00

Check out this little beauty that just sailed my way from England: a Cunard Line baggage tag. It's so bright and cheery and I am just waiting for a project to attach it to!
I'm thinking of an email invitation to a "Sailing Soiree" or a "Save the Date" card for a destination wedding overseas... or maybe even a grand "Bon Voyage" party for a grad... the possibilities are endless....

Pirates and Old Panama

2008-05-12T05:00:00.006-10:00

My newest vintage postcard find: a glossy linen card (1915-1930's era) of the ruins of a cathedral in Old Panama, destroyed by the Pirate Henry Morgan.

I discovered my find while researching images for a wedding invitation / save the date project - the wedding is to take place nearby in the ruins of the monastery; in the country of Panama, of course.
I love destination weddings; especially ones taking place on historical pirate burning grounds.

~ Marja

Flagler's Folly

2008-05-10T09:24:00.021-10:00

We are finally back (mentally) from our little jaunt to the Keys! It was pure Florida sunshine as we drove our Jeep top down from the edge of Miami all the way down to Key West on the Overseas Highway.

The Florida Keys are the islands that time forgot, all down the highway there are old shacks, loads of peeling paint and sea scrubbed signs. We stopped at this classic example of a forgotten building, Papa's Lounge, just as the light was beginning to wane.

At the Bahia Honda State Park we had a blast of a sunset photo shoot, (my Colcci's even got their own portrait) and learned a bit more about the tragic history of Henry Flagler's Overseas Railway; you'll see pieces of it as backdrops in the photos.

~ Marja

The Art of Vector Weaving

2008-05-10T08:51:00.001-10:00

Just finished my latest logo design- based on a Cocijo Headdress Mask carved into a Zapotec vessel from Pre-Columbian Mexico.
It was quite a challenge transforming the sketch into a vector graphic, and then into a pseudo-weaving for the website, but in the end the effect is a unique combination of the modern with the traditional, which describes the client's company perfectly.... His family and ancestors have passed down the art of Zapotec weaving which is continued today in his studio in Teotitlan Del Valle, Mexico and his studio in California. His work unites the historical and cultural art of ancient dyeing and weaving techniques with geometric designs from the Zapotec, Mayan, and Aztec archaeological ruins. Learn more on their website (also my design) at xhinnau.com .
I prefer the red lined version with the simpler text placement, the client however decided on the reverse Indigo background and the modified lettering. ~ Marja

Vintage Blog

2008-05-10T08:31:00.002-10:00

So here it is, at last, our first real post on our new Blog....
Now we can finally give our customers a better idea of how we come across the lost treasures that inspire our creations and give a glimpse of current projects in the works.
I will be posting my latest finds and sketches, along with musings from the artists and designers that we work with. Feel free to send in a comment, email us at ideas@motuartdesign.com, or just browse our website at www.motuartdesign.com

Ia Orana

2008-05-10T05:18:00.005-10:00

Arave ato'a ia'u le Motu !