Blog

Bette Troy Stationery
Elegance, personality, and attention to detail describe the work of photo stylist Bette Troy. We kept these elements in mind when crafting her logo, business card and stationery.

Jenny’s Pizza
Local pizza and sub shop, Jenny’s Pizza, needed a brand and site that would make them both memorable and stand out from the competition. Roycroft Design did just that.

Aquent Calendar 2010
When creative talent is your main resource, it’s no wonder that you want to show it off. Aquent does that every year with their calendar that goes out to their clients. With such great art work, our objective is always to create a clean design that lets each piece speak for itself.

Montefiore Wine Tasting Fundraiser Invitation 2011
Having worked on the annual event to benefit Montefiore Children’s Hospital for several years now, we never forget the purpose of the event. Each year we aim to create an invitation that is truly special and worthy of this great cause.

All of us here at Roycroft Design would like to wish you and your families a happy and healthy New Year!!

 

From all of us here at Roycroft Design, we hope you have a wondering Thanksgiving holiday filled with family, food and good cheer.

I had the pleasure of attending the opening of the beautiful new Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art at the MFA earlier this fall. The space is huge and the architecture alone is really impressive, the way they made the new modern exterior fit right in with the classic existing structure is amazing.

Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The gallery spaces are huge and display a wide array of work, from large paintings to sculptures, and even video installations. One of my favorite pieces is by the artist Ellsworth Kelly, you have probably seen banners and ads all over Boston that feature the large painting. During the opening they were taking professional photos of anyone wearing bright colors standing in front of the piece and it made for a really fun experience.

Blue Green Yellow Orange Red (Blue panel), 1968
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Visit the MFA website  to find out more detailed ticket information and the special events schedule. There are a ton of family and kid friendly events that take place at the MFA so it makes for a great weekend day trip.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

On the cusp of launching a new website, Arbella Insurance commissioned us to create a Facebook presence for them. They have some great plans for this space in the future, so that we knew we were just laying the groundwork with this design. With that in mind, we still wanted to help Arbella’s customer’s find a local agent as easily as possible.

We are looking forward to the opportunity to expand Arbella’s presence in the social networking space. With all the exciting things that they have planned, why don’t you head over to their page and “Like” them so you can stay in the loop?

The Charlestown Gourmet

We have been busy over the past month here at the studio working on developing a brand for local chef Amanda Ellis McCabe’s newest creation…her own personal chef business! Amanda is a great client that really understands the value of branding, so we have had a smart partner from the get go.

Our task was to help her launch her business by providing her with a logo, business cards, website and series of posters that will speak to her clients and help The Charlestown Gourmet stand out from it’s competition in the marketplace.

Here is a peek at the work:

It’s a great time to be a New Englander. There are so many great events that happen in the fall, and here are three of our favorites.

© dvs flickr.com/photos/dvs/1605034145/

Fall Foliage

In my native Vermont, the foliage season is usually at peak around the first week of October. Of course, this depends on the year and where exactly you are, but that doesn’t mean that it is dreary up there. If you head up there now, you’ll still be able to see the wonderful colors of fall and the beautiful visits of the Green Mountain State. It’s also a great time to go for a hike. I would suggest Mt. Abe, if you are feel like a worth-while challenge.

Unfortunately, many parts of western and southern Vermont are still going through very tough times, post-hurricane Irene. If you are able to support tourism, it would go a long way to repairing some of the damage done there.

© Dick Howe Jr flickr.com/photos/93262283@N00/4021966641/

Head of the Charles

On the weekend of October 22nd–23rd, a particularly unique event takes place here between Boston and Cambridge: the Head of the Charles regatta. Since 1965, rowers have come from far and near to the banks of the Charles River to take part in the world’s largest two-day rowing event. But the fun isn’t limited to competitors—there are many ways for spectators to get involved in the weekend’s activities. For more details, check out their website.

© max_ff_g flickr.com/photos/maxffg/4055113985/

Ghosts of Somerville

Under normal circumstances, Somerville isn’t that scary of a place. On this tour of a burial ground in this history city, however, you’ll meet with real ghosts (okay, actors portraying historic figures) who tell gripping tales of the past. Though Somerville is the most densely populated city in the country outside of the tri-state area, it’s easy to forget some of the amazing things that have happened here. Learn more at this event on October 23 and visit Somerville Arts Council for more info.

So get out there and enjoy this fantastic season.

I know fall is around the corner when I have the pleasure of designing the invitation for the annual wine tasting event to benefit The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore.

It is always a fun challenge to come up with something that will reflect the tone of the event and help raise both awareness and money for the hospital. We always try to keep in mind the site and theme for that particular year. This year we were lucky enough once again to have Kevin Zraly head up the wine tasting. He chose to present wines from across America. The event was held at Riverpark, a Tom Colicchio Restaurant on 450 E 29th Street in New York City.

The event was a tremendous success raising over $40,000 for the Phoebe H. Stein Child Life Program with almost 130 guests in attendance. The Clild Life Program helps children at the hospital cope with illness, injury and treatment through education, emotional support and creating a more comfortable environment for them.  If you would like to help a great cause, please click here.

Here we go again: sharing some of the fun patterns we have developed over the years for you to use as desktop wallpaper. Hope you enjoy!

Pattern 3

• iPhone: 640 x 960
• Laptop: 1024 x 768
• iPad: 1024 x 1024
• Desktop: 1600 x 1200
• Cinema display: 1920 x 1200

Pattern 4

• iPhone: 640 x 960
• Laptop: 1024 x 768
• iPad: 1024 x 1024
• Desktop: 1600 x 1200
• Cinema display: 1920 x 1200

Please note: these images are available for personal, non-profit use only.

Photo © lillieinthecity http://www.flickr.com/photos/elilliann/3903087018/

In the northeast, fall is just around the corner. You can feel it in the air in the mornings, and the light is starting to fade even earlier. Sadly, summer is drawing to a close and it always seems like it went by so fast.

Don’t get us wrong: fall is still a great season. In New England, we always have the changing of the leaves to look forward to. While the days at the beach are over, it’s nice to be able to walk around town comfortably in jeans without overheating. The best thing about fall, however, is the farmer’s markets.

We know that some of you out there might be reading this from outside of New England, or even outside of the US, but rest assured that this is really a magical time of year for foodies here in Massachusetts. The farmers’ markets all over the state are jam-packed with the freshest produce imaginable. You can potatoes, tomatoes, summer squash, beans and peppers along side peaches, apples, pears and melons. What more could you ask for?

The Boston area has some great farmers’ markets, so if you do happen to be in the area, here are ones that we frequent:

Union Square (Somerville) – Sundays, 9am to 1pm.

Copley Square – Tuesdays and Fridays, 11am to 6pm.

SOWA Farmer’s Market – Sundays, 10am to 4pm.

This is such a sad post to write, yes, it is true, the end of summer is almost here. So before you say goodbye to your flip-flops and suntan lotion, make sure you schedule some time to check out these old summer favorites.

Swan Boats in the Boston Public Gardens Open 7 days a week until Sunday September 18th

Jazz in the Porch at Spectacle Island Events run all summer, but the last time to chill out on the porch unfortunately September 4th. The last event on the island is the Summer Shack’s Chowder Cook Off on September 24th.

SoWa’s Open Market There is still some time left, the sunday open market shuts down for the winter on October 25th

Check out your local farmer’s market This is a great time for farmer’s markets, so check out your local market and see what’s in season. Let us know what you make.

Yankee Homecoming in Newburyport The first Yankee Homecoming was held in 1958 in Newburyport and twenty-nine other communities as a way to revitalize pride and interest in downtown communities back east. Over 50 years later, Newburyport’s Yankee Homecoming is the only remaining annual celebration.

Visit Newport RI  Newport is a beautiful place any time of the year, but it’s a bit more quiet after most vacationers and beach goers have left for the summer. September bring the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival as well as the Newport Arts Festival, as well as comfortable weather and beautiful scenery. In short, no lack of reasons to visit.

Let us know if you have any great events worth checking out before summer is just a memory.