CASE STUDY NO. 1  | Upscale Designs, Tight Deadline and Seven Languages for Corporate Retreat

Herbalife was planning a yearly retreat for their top distributors from around the world. They needed 5 different menus, welcome and closure letters, and name tags. They had an incredibly tight deadline, changing menu language and guest list. Moreover, Herbalife needed each printed collateral in 7 different languages to accommodate their guests from Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, Portugal, the United States, and Vietnam.

20 distributors were participating in a luxurious week-long trip beginning in Venice and ending in Paris. The evening meals were taking place at top restaurants – a private Venetian Palazzo, Cipriani, Gordan Ramsey’s  Trianon Restaurant at Palace A Waldorf Astoria, The Orient Express, and culminating at the world famous Le Jules Vernes Restaurant atop the Eiffel Tower. Much investment was made in these dinners. These menus needed to be beautifully custom designed, accommodate last minute changes to the language, translated to seven languages, printed and produced – all in three weeks.

I developed a time line and unique production method to accommodate their corporate deadline. I quickly created a highly customized design for each event. I researched the look and feel of the individual interiors of the restaurants and creatively incorporated Herbalife’s logo. While the four-color background borders were being printed, I simultaneously worked on the translated proofs for approval. The menus were laser-printed in house, cut and mounted onto the borders – saving time and money.

Within three weeks, my method delivered elegant customized menus, letters, and tags on beautifully designed thick backings – all in seven languages. Our time line, design and production strategy gave the client freedom to focus on other action items – such as travel logistics.

Herbalife was so happy they called me a “Wonder Woman.” The guests kept their menus as keepsakes from the trip. The event planner said: “We are so happy. The guests loved them so much that they have been calling from all over the world to request copies for their photo books from the trip!”

I went on to do paper collateral for many of their events around the world.

CASE STUDY NO. 2  | Emotionally Charged Client, Rescuing Event Planner

An award-winning Event Planner had a client with high expectations, who began the invitation process with one of our competitors and was now very unhappy. As invitations are always the first impression of an event, they are inherently charged with anxiety and hope. This was the beginning of the relationship between the client and the Event Planner. The client started judging the choice of vendor and the Event Planner’s job was now on the line.

I was asked to meet with the client immediately and help turn the situation around – for the sake of the client and for the Event Planner. The client had incredibly high expectations and a personal crises – she wanted the Save the Dates to go out before her mother passed away. Events, and especially weddings, are extraordinary anxiety-producing circumstances. They can create a windstorm of emotions.

I quickly assessed that this was a client that needed time to be heard and wanted someone with a decisive action plan. I needed to build up her trust in me that I could accomplish her goals. I asked questions and listened carefully to the answers. What were her dreams for the event and for the invitations? How could our process be different and improve the experience? What was her time line?

I determined that this client needed the macro solution first. I suggested: “Here is what I envision for your Save the Date (providing a brief overview of the style) and immediately followed with an absolute time line in which I could accomplish the project. Without speaking, I gave her time to contemplate her possible rescue from an apparently hopeless situation. Once she let out a breath of relief, I followed with “Let’s move onto the fun part!” She smiled as I pulled out samples of color, paper, and designs.

The coordinator called me after the first meeting and was relieved that I had moved her client past this challenging experience. She said: “I would trust you to turn around all my challenging invitation experiences!” Once I had gained her client’s trust, I continued to produce all the remaining collateral for the event – from the invitations to the thank you notes.

The client opined: “We received our invite and it looks great! Thanks for all of your work Alyson – you are a legend amongst our friends now.” Morgan Goldberg, Los Angeles, California.

When the client became head of Marketing for SBE Entertainment Group, she hired me to create their stationery.

CASE STUDY NO. 3  | Celebrity Client, Competing Events and Highly Customized Collateral

A celebrity client – one of the three biggest box office actors – decided to throw a party for a Grammy Nominee. The invitations and collateral had to have an absolute “WOW” factor. My clients’ party was to take place in just four weeks.  Not only did they need the invitations to be customized to attract the music industry elite, but they also wanted me to merge the style of the Grammy Nominee with their own style as hosts.

Moreover, they were unexpectedly now competing with another party thrown on the same night for a different Grammy Artist. Each invitation had to be completed in time to be sent overnight via FedEx before the competing invitation reached any guests who might have been invited to both parties. In Hollywood, industry parties can become akin to competing corporations.

My design tactic was to go for both flash and exclusivity. I used a metallic silver casing that folded out into a large square to give the effect of opening a secret package. Silver foil was printed on black velvet. There was a large crystal punctuating her name. I even created a custom logo for the Grammy Nominee based on her initials. Each invitation was then personalized – sealed with the guest’s names.

The guest list was ever-changing; the time for the separate, intimate dinner invitation decision was re-made at the last minute; and menu language and place card names were provided 24 hours before the event. My clients additionally decided that a customized back splash was needed behind the entering celebrities for the paparazzi shots.

My staff and I drove from vendor to vendor (five in all), and ultimately I hand-delivered the menus and place cards two hours before the start of the event. We met all these deadlines with style and grace.

The client continued to hire me over the years including for his mother’s 70th birthday invitation and event, for the invitations to his non-profit academy think-tank retreat and for his own personal stationery.

CASE STUDY NO. 4  | Rescue 101, Busy Client Drops Last-Minute Job into Event Planner’s Hands with Multiple Vendors and Unrealistic Deadline

This situation was a disaster. One week before the due date, a client dropped 100 high production value invitations into an Event Planner’s lap. The Event Planner needed someone to step in and take charge immediately.

This invitation had multiple parts to produce and multiple vendors. There was a silk box, brocaded ribbon, hand-applied clasp, and 15 different printed items, four different printing houses, multiple suppliers, two different designers from separate design houses, the calligrapher, and the production staff. The domino effect of vendors was at a complete stand still because the client had not approved the proofs for printing.

My strategy was to de-trigger the stress and re-focus the production team so they could complete the job to both their standards and the client’s needs. I quickly and calmly gained an understanding of the situation by listening to him and then contacting each party involved in the project to determine their status. I could hear that they had already spoken with others who did not grasp the intricacies of the printing and production processes. Upfront, I gave them my qualifications and empathized with their situation. Once they were at ease, I listened carefully to their history with the job and concerns for delivering the product. After an assessment, I explained exactly what steps we would take on our part to streamline the process and bring this to a successful and professional satisfying closure.

I  handled the crisis, created order from chaos and produced the job to completion. Over the next five days, I worked tirelessly with focus, grace and humor. I moved some of the printing off the primary printer’s plate and engaged another printer I had worked with. I re-designed and re-printed the outer labels because the planner wasn’t happy with a vendor’s box labels. I oversaw the planner’s staff in the highly focused assembly of the invitations.

The planner and bride hired me to design, print and produce much of their day-of collateral.

Alyson is someone of the utmost character and ability to concentrate, follow though, and make sure every minute detail was taken care of. I found that the tasks and services provided were executed with perfection and confidence. There was never a question in my mind that everything was being handled with tact, concentration and attention to detail. Alyson provided timely completion, the absolute reliable follow-through and carrying out of what was assigned, without mistakes. Mistakes are not forgiven in my business. The price was fair and the service provided exceeded my expectations. Alyson knows very well the process and what it takes to execute a task or job. She is forthright with information so there are no surprises that arise, which is very important for budgeting and costing. Alyson is filled with valuable, extensive knowledge and experience that is imperative for the successful completion of a project. I am eager to find another project so we can work together – I am sure with another perfect result. – Michael Wilmns, CEO, Entertainment Design Events, Beverly Hills, CA