ideas

For Z100's All Access Lounge, a preshow festival for the 2011 Jingle Ball concert, presenting sponsor Coca-Cola incorporated subtle branding into the Hammerstein Ballroom's decor with a hanging installation of Coke cans.

Many designs at the National Stationery Show were printed on real wood, like the retro-patterned one from Designers' Fine Press.

Plum Blossom Press's take on the wood-printed look includes an additional tactile experience: a suede envelope liner.

A rustic invitation printed by AR-EN Party Printers has a letter-pressed wood grain pattern.

A more budget-friendly way to jump on the trend: Checkerboard's digitally printed wood grain pattern envelope liners.

Planning a country-western-themed event? Luscious Verde's poster-style invitation, framed with a faux bois border, has an appropriately rustic horseshoe motif.

The poster-style invitation suite from B.T. Elements comes with a ticket-style enclosure (pictured, top right).

Speaking of poster-style invites, larger-format poster-size invitations were also a big (no pun intended) trend. The one by Ladyfingers Letterpress has a Motown vibe.

Artsy, watercolor-painted designs, like the letter-pressed Watercolor invitation suite by Printerette Press, were popular at the show.

Blue and green brushstrokes on a flat-printed design from Tag & Company offer a summery feel.

No longer confined to squares and rectangles, invitations and envelopes featuring unique die-cut shapes—as exemplified by the invitation from Roxylou Design & Press—are on the rise.

B.T. Elements also has die-cut envelopes with patterned liners.

Basic envelopes are out, and colorful patterned envelope liners are in. At Kramer Drive's booth, a magnetized board displayed several of the company's liner options.

Ikat is the hot pattern of the moment. The Ikat invitation from Avie Designs features the textile pattern on belly bands and envelope liners.

Another hot trend was Gatsby-inspired design aesthetics, like the fan-patterned envelope liner seen in the vintage-looking suite from Checkerboard.

Eco-friendly stationery line Smock's new album includes 24 designs with offerings such as digitally printed liners with as many as four colors.

Laser cutting is a technique that involves a computer-controlled laser cutting paper into intricate patterns. The Avie Designs booth displayed several delicate laser-cut designs.

Dolce Press also offers a custom laser-cut option.

Kleinfeld Paper's preppy Palm Tree Monogram suite includes a laser-cut floral belly band.

Laser cutting can be pricey; for a less expensive option, look for digitally printed paper-cut-esque designs, like the invitations from B.T. Elements.

Ombre, a style in which colors subtly transition from one shade to another, is trending in the event design world. One of Tag & Company's invitations featured the sought-after look.

Elum's letter-pressed Tide invitation is a clean, modern take on the ombre trend.

Ladyfingers Letterpress's punny ombre greeting cards were nominated for Best New Product at the show.

Invitations with design inspired by Mexican folk art abounded, such as the suite from Minted.

A colorful letter-pressed invitation suite by Dolce Press is accented with patterns that look to be inspired by the traditional ceramic tile work found south of the border.

Combining two trends, Avie Designs' festive laser-cut invitation is modeled after the Mexican craft of papel picado (cut paper).

Kraft paper is ideal for signaling a casual, laid-back affair. The Hadley suite from Something Detailed's 2013 wedding collection employs kraft paper.

Letter-pressed dots form a swirling vine motif on the invite-holding kraft paper pouch pocket from Designers' Fine Press.

Eschewing patterns and motifs, many designs, including the custom one from Ladyfingers Letterpress, focus on a mix of hand-penned fonts for a look that feels equal parts classic and whimsical.

Paisley Tree Press's Mattituck invitation suite features hand-written calligraphy letter-pressed onto bright white paper.

Quaint, hand-painted illustrations were spotted all over the trade show floor, including at the booth for B.T. Elements' that showcased the Claire invitation suite from its Ashton Collection.

Illustrations were also present on the selection of hand-painted greeting cards from One Canoe Two.

Invitation designers reported that one of the most requested colors right now is gold. A popular way of achieving the glamorous metallic look is foil stamping, a printing technique that involves pressing shiny, opaque colors onto paper. Haute Papier offers an extensive collection of foil stamped goods.

Social stationery line Twist Paper showed off a shiny gold patterned design.

The foil-stamped design printed by AR-EN Party Printers also played into the Gatsby trend.

Kate Spade escort cards, foil stamped with gold polka dots, encourage mingling. (Beginning this summer, Kate Spade's stationery line will be available through Lifeguard Press.)

Hipster-fied, camping-inspired motifs and patterns popped up at booth after booth. The new Notes From Camp boxed stationery set from One Canoe Two retails for $22 and features hand-painted plaid and bandana patterns.

The new hand-illustrated Ferme A Papier collection was inspired by Parisian hipsters and biodynamic farms, according to creator Cat Seto. Her foil-stamped plaid and gingham note cards retail for $5 each.

Other invites offered a more Southwestern vibe with patterns reminiscent of Navajo textiles, such as the Clove suite by Wednesday.

Another invitation with a Southwestern-style summer-camp feel: Caroline Creates offers an eco-friendly collection printed on recycled white card stock.

Chalkboard-like design details can offer a crafty, lighthearted vibe. Tag & Company offers a flat-printed invitation.

Carlson Craft also has a few of the options featuring chalkboard details.

Black-and-white stripes accent Something Detailed's stationery suite printed on a chalkboard-style background.

Several designers found inspiration in the heavens. A letter-pressed invitation from Smock's new line features a mix of hand-lettered fonts and a map of the constellations.

Oblation Papers & Press has a sleek, pared-down interpretation of the celestial theme.

A letter-pressed invitation from Paper Boat Studios comes wrapped in a pocket printed with a detailed star chart.

Attention-grabbing colors dominated over more subtle, pastel choices. A collaboration between Haute Papier and Dabney Lee has produced a collection of neon-hued note cards.

AR-EN Party Printers showed off a graphic, flourescent triangle-patterned invite.

From event planner Shawn Rabideau's brand-new collection for Kramer Drive comes an eye-popping, trippy design.

A blind impression is a method of letter-pressing paper without using any ink to create a subtle motif or pattern. The invite, from Designers' Fine Press, features blind impressed polka dots.

Printerette Press had two examples of blind impressed patterns paired with colored text.

Hand-painted edges can add a subtle pop of color to an otherwise conservative invitation, as seen in the design from Elum.

Not wood, but an equally interesting textured print medium: Plum Blossom Press's Sonoma invitation suite is printed on cork, a style that would certainly set the right tone for a winery event.

On July 16 MTV Latin America hosted the first MTV Millennial Awards, a show designed to celebrate the millennial generation and social media engagement. Held in Mexico City, the event handed out fuschia-colored cat-shaped trophies—a nod to thousands of memes, images, and viral videos made about cats.

To promote the Chevrolet Spark, the General Motors-owned brand hosted a parallel parking competition on July 24 in New York's meatpacking district. The winner, who was judged by a panel of so-called parking experts, received a mounted traffic cone award.

As part of the 2011 New York City Wine & Food Festival, professional chefs competed to make the tastiest meatball at the San Pellegrino Meatball Madness event. The toque with the highest score from the judges received a trophy topped with a plate of meatballs.

A croquet tournament for bartenders hosted by Hendrick's Gin in 2010 had awards topped with prop cucumbers.

The third annual Eater Awards in November 2012 handed out cans of peeled tomatoes to its picks for the best food and drink from around the country. The tinned food trophies were, of course, covered in custom wrappers emblazoned with the names of winners.

Billed as a culinary competition, this year's Citymeals-on-Wheels Chef's Tribute event pitted New York and Los Angeles chefs against each other. As a playful take on a typical trophy, the award for the winner was made from kitchen utensils.