Twiddle & Bard
Minneapolis trio celebrate the simplicity of a handwritten note
In 2010, designer Will Coombs launched Twiddle & Bard with Robb McNeil and Nick Thompson as a response to what they felt had become a lack of proper emotion in digital communication. The Minneapolis-based stationery company has since built a solid repertoire of handcrafted, one-of-a-kind wedding suites and thank-you cards in the spirit of tradition, but with a contemporary sensibility.
Covering just about every piece of paper needed for wedding festivities, from save-the-dates and invitations to place cards, programs and thank-you stationery, Twiddle & Bard’s work reflects their meticulously thoughtful approach. Every aspect of their production is carefully considered, from picking paper weights and patterns for envelope linings and card backings to coordinating the overall color scheme with the text. Designing unique wedding stationery that reflects each client’s varying taste and style is important to these young men working in a field predominantly run by women. Coombs, McNeil and Thompson stand out within the industry with a lighthearted and pared-down male point of view.
Twiddle & Bard’s work is heavily influenced by both landscape and architecture, drawing on elements found in old Minneapolis postcards as far back as the 1900s that feature historic landmarks like the Mississippi river, the old warehouse district on Washington Avenue and the Hennepin Avenue bridge. The trio take inspiration in one’s environment both natural and man-made, translating the surrounding beauty for various destination weddings for clients like a rustic aesthetic—think hiking trails and forest streams—for a woodsy Colorado event, or an antique nautical scheme tailored to a Cape Cod wedding.
With a combined background in graphic design, typography and branding, the trio bring a multifaceted approach to Twiddle & Bard. Coombs focuses on the design and typography while McNeil illustrates and Thompson handles business and branding. For more information about Twiddle & Bard visit their site, or shop their collection via etsy.
Images Courtesy of Twiddle & Bard
