The Write Direction

Whether it's writing instruments, note papers, journals, imprintables, giftwrap or home office supplies, stationery, like home decor, is a fashion-driven category, with color and design derived from fashion runways and celebrity red carpet parades. But it's also a lifestyle- and occasion-driven category influenced by the changes in how we live, work, entertain and communicate.

Although there's no crystal ball that can predict trends in stationery-related products, we can hazard some educated guesses. Based on a review of newly launched and about-to-be launched samples, as well as input from manufacturers and other industry resources, here is a sampling of stationery directions to watch for at the National Stationery Show and other upcoming markets.

Stationery aligns with the key color trends forecast for 2006, according to Jessica Page, spokesperson for Envelopments, Santa Ana, CA. “The color palette will truly be across the rainbow,” says Page. “Whether the consumer is spirited and sassy or serene and stylish, they're definitely trying to make a statement [through color]. Vivid raspberry purples will close in on the still-popular pinks, and rich chocolate brown will retain its distinction as the 'new black.' Orange will be on fire in hues ranging from butternut and apricot to blood orange-red. This year's colors will also continue to draw inspiration from nature with muted shades of turquoise and spring green.”

Stationery manufacturers use these hues, alone or in combination, to make striking designs. Particularly strong groupings include spring green and turquoise/blue with or without brown, and a variety of oranges and raspberry/pink, also with or without brown.

Black and white compositions are another key design direction, presenting simple, dramatic elegance that hearkens back to a time when an evening of cocktails and a few rubbers of bridge with neighbors were a staple of home entertaining. This is stationery that represents the classic age of black-and-white, the era of early television and film noir. Icons like Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Onassis provide the muse for companies such as Russell + Hazel and Molly West Handbound Books, which have produced fashion-forward product with an eye to classic, retro design.

Whether it's an applied finish that provides a tactile quality, or an implied finish that merely gives the appearance of relief, surface texture is another important element of stationery design. Texture adds richness and dimension to the flat plane of paper.

Updated Mod looks inspired by the paisleys and flower-power designs of the 1960s continue to be strong, though they've evolved a more contemporary look that features clean lines and simple patterns. Designer/manufacturer John Lineweaver, Atlanta, observes, “Clean and crisp seem to be the order of the day. [Designs are] more graphic, less painterly or 'crafty'.”

While dots and stripes still abound in the category, lace patterns are becoming more prominent, with open tracery patterns of delicately stylized linear florals that echo the Mod aesthetic. A resurgence of wallpaper-like designs is rooted in Victorian or vintage style. But with cleaner lines and pared-down styles, these designs are both contemporary and classic, with a modern edge that manages to preserve elegance and feminine softness.

In an era of instant messaging and other forms of computer-generated communications, a hand-written note on a beautifully hand-printed notecard is a wonderful sentiment. Letterpress-printed papers continue to dominate the market and provide a strong element of affordable luxury to notepapers and invitations. Young designers are using the timeless imagery and classic typography of this old-school process to create stationery that's both classic and contemporary.

Stationery vendors are also providing time-pressed consumers newer, quicker, and simpler means of sending old-fashioned, personalized messages to family and friends. This newer genre of notes combines simple typography with inspirational quotations or edgy, tongue-in-cheek humor. Some designs even begin a thought or sentiment and the writer completes it — making notecards as interactive as any text message! And with the stationery, there are different delivery options available. You can snail-mail it (regular notecard), post it (sticky note), tuck it into a pocket (small enclosure), or just put the writing on the wall (wall art).

Whatever the stationery trends, one thing is certain: even in this era of almost instantaneous communication, the old-fashioned, hand-written note still has an important place. Whether it's letterpressed notes, lace invitations, or a sheet of floral-patterned, stationery, paper messages remain the most intimate form of correspondence.

As Lori Robinson, manager of the National Stationery Show, points out, “When you get your mail, a personal card or letter is the first thing that you open. Why? Because it's important and makes you feel special.”