Graduation Announcements: what you need to know

Hi lovelies! I know I’ve been gone forever, but between working full-time and planning a wedding (which also feels like full time), life is crazy. That time of year is fast-approaching… May is almost here, and it’s hard to believe so many of you are closing the college chapter of your lives and moving on to the next season of life. I’ll admit, I’m not envious of you right now! That final push to wrap up my last semester before graduation was exhausting and overworked; professional life is about a thousand times better. But for those of you excitedly anticipating robes and diplomas, the end is in sight! I’m so flattered by all the requests for graduation announcement designs. I can only take on a few projects right now, thanks to a little event in August that seems to be right around the corner (eek! wedding in 136 days!). But for those who have inquired, here are all the details on putting together a personalized graduation announcement with me:

I can happily do customized graduation announcement design, tailored to your aesthetic—but I don’t print for you. I’m happy to recommend printers here in Dallas (check out Minuteman Press in Deep Ellum, or Elefant Press for letterpress), or a few sites that have successfully delivered quality prints to me before.

In addition, make my heart happy by asking me to address your envelopes! I adore lettering all your snail mail, whether you’re opting for a bold loose script or an elegant calligraphed style.

I love coming up with something special just for you… but you gotta give me something to work with first! Tell me everything you can about the feel you wish to evoke. Is this meant to be a formal announcement to distant relatives? Or a casual shout out to making it through the past four years? Your recipients are the most important component when thinking about a design. Make sure you’ll appease all audiences if this is being mailed to everyone you know.

Next, give me details on what you do and don’t like. The Internet is full of inspiration if you look around, but you can also just tell me personal opinions. If you love a handcrafted feel, or despise the color blue, or have a favorite font, tell me. You can even show me a Pinterest board of inspirations if you like. The more details you can give, the more likely you are to be pleased with the final product.

Finally, be thinking about wording. You may want to go formal and traditional, or you may write something with a little more character. The typical “must-haves” are:

• Full name
• Name of university
• Degree
• Major / Minor (if applicable)
• Date of graduation (but be clear if you are inviting recipients to the ceremony, or simply announcing your commencement)

You can also include some non-traditional components, like your next steps (new job, new city, etc.) or a thank you note to supporters. Whatever you want to include, we can make it happen! If you have all the details but aren’t comfortable wording it yourself, just let me know—I can write up the copy for you.

Wherever life takes you next, I wish you all the success in the world. I can’t wait to see what all you wonderful people make of your lives, whether tomorrow or ten years from now. Congratulations on successfully wrapping up this chapter, and best of luck on the next!