Nicely Noted
Lovers of letterpress design get a stationery subscription service
Nostalgia for snail mail and an appreciation for contemporary design (and convenience) unite in Nicely Noted, a subscription service that delivers three handpicked letterpress cards each month. Founder Perry Nelson brings her eye for design to each of the selections, seeking out the best letterpress designers around for her monthly mailings. The richly textured cards are paired with colorful envelopes, and Nelson even selects a trio of stamps to go along with each mailing.
Users can either subscribe themselves or gift the service to a loved one, receiving each month a selection cards for both specific holidays and generic occasions. In terms of aesthetic and character, Nelson avoids saccharine messages in favor of pared-down graphics. “I want the cards to be something that people put in a drawer and look back on a few days or a few months later,” says Nelson. Nicely Noted greeting cards are typically blank and leave the message up to the sender while the thoughtful luxury of letterpress adds that special something.
Nelson trolls stationery stores and online shops in search of independent letterpress designers, picking her favorites to include in the Nicely Noted mailings. Beyond having greeting cards on-hand, subscribers get the benefit of discovering brilliant new designers. Each of the presses have their own look, feel and unique story. Pistachio Press, for example, takes eco-consciousness to new heights with rubber-based inks, biodegradable citrus-based solvents for cleaning the press and tree-free cotton paper. Their station wagon card in the April 2012 shipping was a discreet nod to Mother’s Day. “It’s like saying, ‘Thanks for all the carpools’,” explains Nelson.
At $18 per month (or $6 per card), the service is priced comparably to what you’d have to go to a stationery store to find. Learn more by heading over to Nicely Noted and check out the rest of the cards in our slideshow .
Images by James Thorne
