Creative Direction — Stationery Suite

Oranges & Blue

Client: Valentina Moreau · 40th Birthday
Date: Saturday, 16 May 2026 · from 19:30
Venue: Quinta da Luz, private garden estate · 84 guests
Suite: Invitation · Envelope · Menu · Place Card

Two directions below, Valentina — reply A or B to proceed to full design.

Direction A palette

Cobalt-led

Blue is the ground. Everything else glows against it.

Hockney Blue
#2B52C8 — dominant ground
Terracotta
#C4622D — warm contrast
Citrus Orange
#E84822 — accent
Olive Green
#3A6B35 — botanical
Warm Sand
#F5EDE0 — type + light

Typography

The typographic voice

Display — Cormorant Garamond Italic 300
in many forms
Heading — Cormorant Garamond 400
Valentina
Body — DM Sans 300
A private garden dinner in the warmth of a July night, for the people who matter most.
Label — DM Sans 500 Uppercase
16 May 2026 · Quinta da Luz

Direction B palette

Linen-led

Warmth is the ground. Colour arrives through illustration.

Warm Linen
#F2EBE0 — dominant ground
Citrus Orange
#E84822 — illustration lead
Cobalt Blue
#2B52C8 — gingham + accents
Garden Green
#3A6B35 — leaves + stems
Citrus Yellow
#F2B53C — lemon + fruit detail
A
The Cobalt Terrace

Architecture of
deep blue and citrus

The invitation as architecture — cobalt walls, terracotta light, a bowl of oranges on the threshold.

Cobalt takes the whole surface — deep and architectural, the colour of a Moroccan riad repainted in something bolder. Against it: terracotta warmth, the brightness of orange peel, the hush of olive. Valentina's name sits in large white Cormorant italic, reversed out of the blue. Graphic and warm in the same breath. You hold it and feel July.

A — The Cobalt Terrace
→
Choose Direction A if

Valentina leans into strong visual statements — the cobalt card arrives and commands the room before it's opened. The colour does the work. Bold, architectural, unforgettable.

B
The Mediterranean Still Life

Botanical warmth,
citrus and linen

The invitation as a still life — something Valentina would keep on her shelf long after July.

Warm linen ground, hand-painted citrus — oranges, lemons, olive branch — over cobalt gingham. The colour is joyful and alive, but arrives through texture and illustration rather than graphic force. Intimate. Handmade in spirit. The kind of invitation guests tuck into a drawer and find again years later.

Direction B — The Mediterranean Still Life
→
Choose Direction B if

Valentina values the crafted over the loud — the illustration on linen arrives as a gift in itself. Warm, collected, something guests keep.

What both directions share

The brief's
emotional truth

Valentina's table. July light. The people who matter most.

The shared vision

Side by Side

A vs B

Same palette. Same typefaces. Same July evening. Different hand.

Dimension A — The Cobalt Terrace B — The Still Life
GroundDeep cobalt blue — the card is the architectureWarm linen — the card is the table
TypographyWhite reversed-out on cobalt — bold, graphicCharcoal on linen — intimate, legible
IllustrationCitrus as accent against the blue groundHand-drawn citrus, botanical, gingham texture
Guest reactionHeld at arm's length to admireHeld close, kept long after the night
Mood wordArchitectural warmthMediterranean domestic
Paper finishMatte laminate — vivid, saturated cobaltUncoated natural — textured, warm

Your move

Which direction feels
right for you, Valentina?

Reply A or B. Or if something feels almost right but not quite — tell me what, and we'll adjust before going into full design.