Of all the projects I’ve worked on, this might be my favorite and most personally satisfying. Earlier this month my brother and his amazing wife Lindsay got married in Detroit. They asked me to create their wedding invitations and RSVP cards.

In preparation for this project I took inspiration from the Fisher Building, an architectural gem in New Center, Detroit. Built in 1928, the Fisher Building is known for its exquisite design, ornamentation, and art deco details. The building itself is truly a work of art and touring the interior arcade was hugely influential in the design of these invitations.

Mike and Lindsay wanted a classic and elegant design that would match the formal designs of their wedding. Gold was an obvious color choice, as was the dark blue tone found in the interior of the Fisher Building.

With a style and color scheme selected, I worked on developing custom art that would carry meaning for the couple. In the planning stage I discovered that the columbine flower grows both in Michigan and Colorado, Mike and Lindsay’s home states. This gave me the idea to create glyphs for Mike and Lindsay, with the central columbine flower glyph as the element uniting the couple.

Mike’s glyph represents the iconic Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Lindsay’s glyph are select buildings from Detroit’s skyline, including the Fisher Building (far left).

Read as a triptych, the glyphs tell the story of Mike and Lindsay in a simple and elegant way. I’m extremely happy with the overall design. It’s the kind of artwork I love to develop: meaningful design that will last a lifetime.