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Santa’s Naughty or Nice List – Download

Posted on December 2, 2015

HARRY CANARY santa report card_no yearPrint and leave under the tree on Christmas Eve for Santa to fill out… complete with ‘indecent report’ for any mishaps that might have almost tipped them over the edge, and just to prove that Santa is always watching.

Download the PDF here — HARRY CANARY santa report card_no year

Categories: Christmas

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Lucy Jane: Letterpress Birth Announcement

Posted on May 14, 2015

Lucy was born February 8, 2015.

Lucy's Letterpress Birth Announcement
What better way to announce to the world that she was here, and cute as a button, than with an old time favourite, paper dolls.

Lucy's Letterpress Birth Announcement

Lucy's Letterpress Birth Announcement - Heather Cranston | harry canary
No one really wants to work days after they’ve had a baby. But designing your daughters birth announcement, is a special circumstance. This little girl and all of her favourite outfits were loving printed by Everlovin’ Press.

Lucy's Letterpress Birth Announcement Lucy's Letterpress Birth Announcement
Categories: Uncategorized

Tagged: Birth Announcment, Letterpress, Lucy

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Naughty or Nice Report Card

Posted on December 5, 2014

Naughty or Nice Report card | Harry Canary co - From the North Pole, Santa  Free download

Naughty or Nice Report card | Harry Canary co
- From the North Pole

It’s back for 2014! Print and leave under the tree on Christmas Eve for Santa to fill out… complete with ‘indecent report’ for any mishaps that might have almost tipped them over the edge, and just to prove that Santa is always watching.

Download the PDF here — santa report card_2014

 

Categories: Uncategorized

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Backyard Wedding

Posted on June 13, 2014

When you have a graphic designer/artist best friend, wedding planning just goes differently. Everything seems like an option.

Heather Cranston | Letterpress Wedding invitation - HC

From the brides perspective – You want that custom lettered 8 foot chalk sign. Coming up. Hand painted window panes resting in all the trees, no problem. Custom head-table backdrop fit for an anthropologie store window. Sure, add it to the list. For a bride with a ‘the sky’s the limit’ attitude, this is a fantastic spot to be in. For the graphic designer friend, the challenge became how to reign my friend in and find the focus without stepping on her wedding planning dreams, all while maintaining her benchmark of ‘must fit into Martha Stewart Weddings’.

Heather Cranston | Letterpress Wedding invitation - HC

As Lindsey, the bride, would frantically shuffle through magazines and blogs… an enormous list of  ’ideas to do’ grew. Father of the Bride (in her mind) or Nancy Meyers (in mine) quickly became the epitome of what perfection was in regards to her wedding. With an arsenal of suppliers and industry insight in my back pocket, we created her and her lawyer husband’s ideal invitation.

Heather Cranston | Letterpress Wedding invitation - HC

Texture was the name of the game. It, and a colour palette, would make sense of the growing task list cohesive.

Heather Cranston | Letterpress Wedding invitation - HC
Letterpress, custom printed fabric, watercolour and a mix of paper, set the tone for the light and airy, casual and elegant wedding that Lindsey was after.
Heather Cranston | Letterpress Wedding invitation - HC
As an accountant, she is a champion list maker and strict task master. Which perfectly complimented my ‘creative tendencies’. She made the schedules, I did the work. Her husband waiting, but not too eagerly, for his ‘jobs’. We now know, he WILL punch confetti, but draws the line at going to the craft store alone.
Heather Cranston | Letterpress Wedding invitation - HC
The ‘Unlimited Graphic Design + Creative (within reason)’ gift certificate I gave her as an engagement gift might have got the ball rolling, but it was Lindsey’s drive for a Martha-worthy wedding that got us to the end.
Heather Cranston | Letterpress Wedding invitation - HC Heather Cranston | Letterpress Wedding invitation - HC
Wedding Video shot and edited by Scott MacKay: http://vimeo.com/55613182
 Venue: Bride’s parents home
Invitations: Designed by Heather Cranston/Bridesmaid, printed by Jason Wedekind/Genghis Kern  genghiskern.com
Lindsey & Derek Fabric (used on pillow and invitation): Spoonflower   spoonflower.com
Graphic Design and Signage: Heather Cranston/Bridesmaid
Categories: Uncategorized

Tagged: design, invitation, Letterpress, paper, wedding, wedding invitation

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HOW Design Awards

Posted on May 15, 2014

So this just happened.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Pirate Wedding, a project developed by Heather Cranston, was chosen as a Merit winner in the most recent HOW Promotion Design Awards. This highly selective and well-regarded competition sponsored by HOW magazine recognizes outstanding creative work produced by individuals and creative agencies from around the world.

HOW’s editorial and design team evaluated 1,000 entries and selected winning projects that demonstrated an ideal mix of concept, strategy and execution. Entries were judged by type of work (i.e., Designer Promotions, Client Promotions, Personal Promotions) and also by how effectively the design achieved the stated business goals.  – HOW

HOW 2014 Promotion and Marketing Design Awards - Heather Cranston

Categories: Uncategorized

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When the bride wants skulls

Posted on April 22, 2014

Every once in a while I take a wedding invitation. I used to take a lot, but there is a story there. Now the invitations I take on are generally reserved for friends getting married or people who I know that together we can make something really cool, or in this case, both. ‘Special’ projects… for very special people only.

Rock'n'Roll Pirate Wedding InviationOn to the invite – She works in fashion, he is in a band. They told me they were having a Rock’n'Roll Pirate themed wedding but didn’t know what that meant, and that they wanted skulls. So, naturally, when the bride says skulls, the bride gets skulls!Jen and Mike - Vancouver, BC

The whole thing together has an on the road, backstage pass, playbill feel. There is no blank folder here, every part has a purpose…

Jen and Mike - Vancouver, BCEach piece is like a little ephemeral token picked up along a road trip and folded into one package.Jen and Mike - Vancouver, BC

 

One of the perks of designing wedding invitations for friends is being able to say things like, let’s use any of the budget you were going to spend on design and add it to the print budget for letterpress. And they say ok, and then that’s when Everlovin’ Press comes in and we make awesome stuff like this.

cranston_granville cranston_skulls cranston_tag

These two couldn’t have been better clients. We are in the process of working up a list of the next (wedding day related) pieces to create. I’ll be sure to share when the time comes.

cranston_seal

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: Projects, Weddings

Tagged: invitation, Letterpress, wedding, wedding invitation

1 Comment

Show some love

Posted on March 27, 2014

We might be bias, but so far this little pair as got a lot of love. Here is a glimpse into how it all went down.

Harry Canary process

It is only March, but we’ve got our eyes set on May and June (and how could we not with this LONG winter). Check out out newest release.

HC cards - Mothers and Father's day

 

 

Categories: Uncategorized

Tagged: Father's Day, greeting card, Mother's day

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Bingo dabbers for all

Posted on January 30, 2014

Wanna play Superbowl Bingo?? I put this together last year and it was a hit. Who doesn’t love a bingo dabber?

Harry Canary Co. Superbowl bingo - free download

Here it is (8 different cards), updated to 2014 specs… Sorry Scarlet, you’ve been removed.

Harry Canary Co. Super Bowl Bingo Cards – Download

Categories: Uncategorized

Tagged: bingo, free download, printable, super bowl

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Harry Canary Co. + Walter Osborne

Posted on January 7, 2014

Me, elseware…
Harry Canary Co. on Walter Osborne

Thank you Katie

Categories: Uncategorized

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Canada 150

Posted on December 16, 2013

In 1966 Stuart Ash of Gottschalk + Ash designed the keen Canadian Confederation Centennial logomark, a maple leaf comprised of 11 equilateral triangles to represent the 10 Canadian provinces and the territories.

Centennial logo

It was used to celebrate Canada’s big birthday across all collateral and commemorative pieces in 1967. 1967 Canada Post Centennial | Harry Canary Co 1967 Canada Post Centennial | Harry Canary Co

With Canada’s 150′s approaching, the government, showing zero faith or appreciation for Canadian designers (or design in general for that matter), held a contest, spent $40,000 testing, and later presented the following five (completely embarrassing) logos.

1967 Canada Post Centennial | Harry Canary Co

 

Canadians, usually polite, have not been so much. Media including CBC and Huffington Post have all chimed in.  As well as design blog Brand New.

Then this happened. Halifax-born graphic designer Ibraheem Youssef saw the angry response to the proposed logos he decided he could do better. He got in touch with other designers and put together a website with an alternate slate of designs. – Huffington Post

As cries of protest and disgust started to fill the digital airwaves via Facebook and twitter, and after a discussion with my colleague Dave Watson (CD Design North America, TAXI), I decided to do something about it. I built this website and went forth and contacted a group of esteemed, professional and award winning Canadian Graphic Designers and Art Directors including Dave, who in-turn went ahead and rallied the Designers at TAXI to the cause. We then challenged them all to create something better than what is currently being circulated in the media, and the response was very positive and supportive.

After the site launched on the 10th of December, There was an impressive amount of requests from Designers, Professional and Junior from all across the country to contribute and be a part of this project. - ibraheemyoussef.com

Maybe it has something to do with the great response and coverage that the Vancouver’s Olympic branding got. Or maybe Obama’s Change – Ground breaking or not, professionals were hired, thought and effort was contributed (graphically speaking anyway).  But the 5 logos presented look more like they should be on a flyer for a Community Centre Canada Day Pie Sale, than on anything actually representing our country.

So, Canadian designer, Youssef, launched a website and gathered the support of 30+ award winning and well known designers. They are just examples and will not actually be used, but really, he and all designers that submitted just wanted to show ‘em what we’re made of, and that if it weren’t for the their flawed and lazy process, what they could have had. What these designers have produced FAR exceeds any and all of the government’s clipart and word art logos. Round of applause for them.

Canadian 150 logos

 

Categories: Uncategorized

Tagged: canada, Canadian, design, graphic design

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