Can I hire someone to create a Paper Source-like image?

November 30, 2009 6:00 AM

I want to copy the Paper Source feel for my wedding font and motif. How can I do that?

A few related questions here. #1. I like the font the Paper Source uses in their own ads and informational materials. Can anyone suggest where I could download a similar font? (Bonus points for free.) I've been searching but don't even really know what category of fonts that would fall under. #2. I want to pay an artist to make me a custom motif that has the feel of the paper source dragonfly (but ours would be a totally different image) in the sense that it looks sort of rough and imperfect like a stamp or maybe a woodcutting. I want to be able to use that little custom motif on my invitations, program, website, welcome packet, etc. So (a) where should I advertise for that project and (b) how much should I pay and (c) how should I describe it? I already hired one graphic artist but he has been creating pretty/cutesy obviously computer-generated motifs that remind me of clipart and it's really not the look I'm after.

posted by semacd to media & arts (12 comments total)

Do you mean the font in the "Free Shipping on Orders over $100" here? I don't know much about fonts, but I tried identifont.com and it looked a bit like a Baskerville.
posted by cider at 6:31 AM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

Try Dominican Small Caps as a similar typeface to the one in the Paper Source logo.

As for how much you should expect to pay- I would expect to pay a full-time, full-service graphic designer somewhere between $80 - $160/hr to get the good, clean kind of work you want.
posted by headspace at 6:39 AM on November 30, 2009

The typeface is Mrs Eaves.
posted by letourneau at 6:46 AM on November 30, 2009

Dover has some great vintage woodcut clipart - here's a few dragonflies
posted by hibbersk at 7:36 AM on November 30, 2009

It looks like they've custom-distressed a non-distressed font. Compare for example, the two E's in their logo. The top edge has a notch missing in one of them but not the other.

This can be accomplished fairly simply in Photoshop or Illustrator, but would require some expertise to make it look good.
posted by odinsdream at 7:52 AM on November 30, 2009

Dominican Small Caps - that's very similar to the one I'm talking about. I guess I should have specified that it's a font the Paper Source uses on their logo (and hard copy printed materials in the store) rather than on their website. Thanks!

I don't actually want dragonflies. I want to hire someone to create a custom motif for us that has the distressed feel of the Paper Source dragonfly motif. (I want ours to involve boats and candles, for example.)
posted by semacd at 8:45 AM on November 30, 2009

Are you near one of their stores? I've found that the folks who work there are a great source for local graphic design talent - they either know several someones who could help you, or they could help you themselves. There must be a sort of greymarket in "yes, our letterpress is wicked-expensive, but I know a guy/girl..." I did all my own wedding paper using their supplies, and the folks who work in the Georgetown store were invaluable. Oh, and their insect-logo is actually a paper wasp.
posted by ersatzkat at 8:49 AM on November 30, 2009

Oh! And MeFi's Own woodblock100 might be able to help?
posted by ersatzkat at 9:35 AM on November 30, 2009

Actually, I'm pretty sure that the font is a customized version of Palatino. I doubt you'll be able to find the distressed version as a font, since I imagine it was created specifically for that logo.
posted by eggplantplacebo at 9:35 AM on November 30, 2009

2nding a roughed-up Palatino. But OMG, woodblock100 is a real find.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:17 AM on November 30, 2009

Looks like Palladio, based on whatthefont.
posted by signal at 3:40 PM on November 30, 2009

(Late to the party, sorry ...) This one is a bit out of my line actually, but I am a member of a woodblock group that does have plenty of members who do exactly this - woodcut illustration work. semacd, if you send me a MeMail with some contact info, I can post your request to that group; you should be able to get at least a few replies from people capable of doing what you want.
posted by woodblock100 at 3:33 PM on December 3, 2009