§ 01 — The Concept
The Diner Ephemera
"Paper that has been handled. Type set by someone who knew what they were doing. Coastal Texas, 1950s to 70s — before anyone thought to preserve it."
This suite exists because the film exists on 35mm, and 35mm has a material life. It is not a file. It has grain, weight, and history. The printed ephemera of the Texas coast from the mid-century has the same quality: menus, ticket stubs, diner placemats, handbill programmes — objects that were used and survived by accident, not design.
Direction B — The Diner Ephemera — positions the Tidewater screening materials inside that tradition. Not as pastiche, not as nostalgia, but as a direct continuation: this is what an invitation looks like when it takes the event seriously. Fifty-five people will see this film once. The materials should hold that weight.
Every design choice traces back to the physical: cream ground as aged paper, asymmetric layout as handset type, crimson as the single saturated colour that appears in old diner signage and letterpress printing. DM Serif Display italic carries the warmth. Inter Light carries the precision. Nothing is decorative.
§ 02 — Colour System
Colour System
| Colour | Permitted Uses | Never Use For |
|---|---|---|
| Crimson | Display titles, horizontal rules, notice band backgrounds, section labels | Body text (fails WCAG AA on cream at small sizes) |
| Grain | Metadata labels, spec keys, secondary divider lines, opacity overlays | Primary display type — too light to read at scale |
| Cream | All card surfaces, paper grounds, light text on dark panels | Pure white (#FFF) is never a substitute — the warmth is the point |
| Ink | All body copy, display headings at secondary level, dark section backgrounds | Pure black (#000) — too cold, too digital |
§ 03 — Typography
Typography
DM Serif Italic
DM Serif Upright
DM Serif Italic
Inter 300
Inter 300
§ 04 — Image Suite
Image Suite
Four images were created for the suite — one per design piece. Each was made specifically for this brief, and no image is reused between pieces. All are finished with a sepia-warm filter at delivery to unify the palette.
§ 05 — Voice & Copy
Voice & Copy
invites you to the first and only
private screening of
TIDEWATER
Saturday, November 7th, 2026
Eight o'clock
The Ritz
Austin, Texas
35mm print
Followed by a conversation with the director.
§ 06 — Design Constraints
Design Constraints
These constraints are rules, not preferences. Each one exists to protect the material integrity of the suite — its print-era character, its specificity, its weight. None of these elements appear anywhere in the Tidewater suite.
§ 07 — The Deliverables
The Deliverables
§ 08 — Print Specifications
Print Specifications
Jed Ortiz — Tidewater Private Film Screening
Direction B: The Diner Ephemera
November 7, 2026 · The Ritz · Austin, Texas