I have to start this Featured Friday post by saying this: When Ashleigh, of Type A Invitations pulled out this invitation suite, I fell in love with it’s uniqueness. Ashleigh is truly gifted and I feel honored to have met her.
Type A Invitations is your local design & art studio specializing in custom wedding invitations, illustration, and letterpress as well as branding. All of their designs are completely custom and produced in-house. They offer custom watercolors, paintings, and drawings for any event or even just as gifts! For weddings, Type A Invitations create everything a Bride and Groom could possibly need for their paper including Save-the-Dates, Wedding Invitations, and Day-of Stationery such as table numbers, programs and signage, and even guestbooks! As a design studio, Type A Invitations also works with corporate clients and other small businesses creating logos and overall branding, printed collateral, digital advertising and specialty pieces.
What is the inspiration for your business? How did you get started?
I graduated with honors from the Corcoran College of Art + Design with a BFA in Graphic Design. Even though I worked a variety of design jobs through college and after graduation, I found I was missing something from my professional life but never had the gumption to fully commit to going against the grain. Then, in June of 2015, after having been in and out of hospitals and specialists offices for almost a year, and having just been laid off from my full-time, senior designer job at a local marketing agency, my life was changed forever. My doctor sat down and told me that they found a rare, pre-cancerous growth in my colon. He then continued to say that had they not removed it, I would’ve been dead in ten years…before my 37th birthday. So, with nothing to lose and an overwhelming realization of how short life is, I made Type A Invitations a reality.
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
I’m a captain of the DCLC First Ladies Lacrosse team. We’re a post-collegiate women’s team that plays competitively in the DMV in the spring and summer. My position is defensive point. I also enjoy camping and un-plugging with my husband and family.
What is your favorite thing about a wedding day?
I love watching the Groom’s reaction to seeing his Bride for the first time.
What characteristics does your ideal client carry?
Type A Invitations ideal clients want something truly unique and special for their wedding day. They aren’t couples who are okay with having the same invitation, the same look, the mundane things that everyone else has already done. They value their own story and want to share it with those closest to them. They want perfection and creativity to come together into something beautiful.
What keeps you motivated to face the challenges small business owners face?
Having a small business is hard, but SO rewarding! Anytime I find myself getting overwhelmed and stressed by my business, I remind myself of all the freedoms I have from being my own boss. I remind myself of all the traffic that would be taking time away from my life if I still worked a corporate job. And I think about all the complaining my friends and I did while “working for the man.” Those little things keep me going and wanting to achieve all my goals for myself and my business.
Where are you based? What areas do you serve?
Our print shop and design studio is based out of Silver Spring, Maryland. We don’t currently have a client facing storefront, so we meet with client’s at local coffee shops (#shoplocal!). We serve all of Maryland, D.C., and Virginia.
Type A Invitations LLC www.typeainvitations.com Blog: http://typeainvitations.com/blog Instagram: @typeainvitations Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TypeAInvitations Twitter: @typeainvitation Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/typeainvitation/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/type-a-invitations/?trk=top_nav_home