I’ve had the pleasure of  knowing Kari Becker-Beard of sugarB Studio for some time now and we’ve had the opportunity to work on a number of projects together (including my website and blog!). Each time we collaborate, Kari brings such energy, passion, and talent to the project. I wanted to give readers a taste of that and decided to interview Kari. Here’s what she says about wedding stationery, knitting, and where the name “sugarB” came from…

1) SugarB Studio. What a great name! Tell us what it represents and a little bit about the firm.

When I decided to start my own small graphic  design firm, I played around with a lot of different name ideas.  As I think many of my corporate clients know, it’s all in the name so I wanted to get it right!  I knew from the get go that I wanted to incorporate a “B” in some fashion as both my maiden and married names begin with the letter B. Interestingly, a bee is a sign of creativity hence the suggestion of a bee you see in the brand.  Finally, I drew from my southern upbringing of where women are thought to be ‘sugar and spice and everything nice.’  I’m a savvy business owner but who says I can’t be sweet to boot and so sugarB was born!‬

2) You work with an array of clients from brides to corporate clients. For brides, what is it that they should be thinking about when they are considering their stationery suite for their wedding?

Getting married is such an exciting time, I love being even just a small part the joyous occasion!  When thinking about wedding stationery, I think brides should focus on two things in the beginning that will help to set the stage for other elements of the wedding to fall into place.  Firstly, brides should consider the holistic picture of all the printed material they will need from start to finish of the event – everything from the save-the-date cards to escort cards, invitation to thank you notes.  Secondly, brides should consider what mood or tone they want to set with the stationery.  Remember, the stationery will be the first thing that guests will receive, so if you want your wedding to be formal and traditional versus modern and playful, the stationery should reflect this!  Hiring a graphic designer to create a custom suite of materials adds a unique touch to your event.  Designers can often assist a bride through some of these steps to visually translate who the couple is to paper.  From invitations to table numbers, sugarB studio can do it all!

3) What trends are you seeing in stationery design these days particularly in wedding stationery?

I always try and remind my clients, that the most important part of their wedding is that they are getting married to the person they love – it so important to remember that!  With all the hubbub around the ‘big day’, sometimes brides (and grooms of course) lose track of that.  The biggest trend I have been seeing in wedding suites is couples are using the invite as an opportunity to tell a story, their love story. My clients want an invite to be a reflection of them as a couple – how they met, what activities they like doing together or how they spend their time together.  Getting it right for a bride and groom is the greatest reward of the entire process and I can’t think of anything I would rather do!

4) I understand there is a sugarB baby? What does that specialize in?

About 10 years ago, my mother taught me to knit. Ever since then, every autumn I would knit myself a new scarf (you can imagine how many scarves I have!).  When a dear friend had a baby boy, I decided to try knitting him a hat and the simple cap was born.  Soon I was knitting hats for all my expecting friends, and the simple bear and simple bunny were added to the family.  My friends loved the individuality of the caps and the thought that went into each one and began asking me to knit hats for their expectant friends.  In early 2009, I decided to share the hats with the public and launched www.sugarbbaby.com and thus sugarB baby specializes in hand knit hats for newborns to one year olds.  What is great about it is that since I make each one to order, a client can specify size, style and even color – I am open to all requests!  I think a handcrafted gift is so much nicer than a store bought one that is made in who-knows-where and I love creating thoughtful, handmade gifts that can be treasured for a lifetime.