First, Jenni became an intern (unpaid) at Lunalux. After graduation (BA in Communication Studies, minor in Studio Art), Jenni went to work at Lunalux full-time. Then, in 2003, she leapt at the chance to buy the business.
Jenni’s composition for The Strathmore Show’s Spring 2009 call for entries is wedding invitation-esque, using the recently-redesigned Strathmore thistle “in the way that you are seeing a lot of brocade or damask patterns in stationery now.” Letterpress printing the thistle in a large pattern was a balancing act. “A graphic that combines really delicate lines with big bold areas is a challenge to work with in letterpress printing. If we were printing a graphic that was exclusively delicate lines, we would not put a lot of ink on the press, whereas if we were working on a graphic that was all bold, we would put a lot of ink. When we print a graphic that combines these elements, we don’t want the thick areas to look starved or mottled, and we don’t want the fines lines to look fat or blurry because of too much ink.” Jenni and pressman John Gurtin kept fine-tuning that balance, both during set-up and throughout the run.
By the way, Jenni is no stranger to The Strathmore Show. She’s submitted two winners in the past two years, and one of them, her identity for Post-Luxury Accessories, won the Grand Prize for 2007. What may look like classic red-and-black on your screen is in delicious fact papaya-and-darkest chocolate.
Jenni has designed a companion thank-you card for The Strathmore Show, which is on press at Lunalux as we post. It features a big, beautiful border that seems like the thistle’s stylistic soulmate. Jenni had found the border in an antique etiquette book and adapted it for Lunalux’s 2008 holiday postcard (above left). “We send out postcards every few months, with a pretty design and a quote from an author or poet. The quote on the holiday card is from Søren Kierkegaard, about adversity bringing people together. People save them — the postcards are my favorite thing that we make.”
E-nticement: Enter The Strathmore Show by the end of June and we’ll send you a packet of lunderful Lunalux thank-you cards, likewise letterpress printed in cool gray and bright aqua. Thistle make it a pleasure to express an attitude of gratitude!
Paper: Strathmore Writing, Wove, Ultimate White, 130cb (352 gsm)
Printer: Lunalux, Minneapolis, MN
Designer: Jenni Undis, Lunalux
Photography: Jenni Undis
