ericamay | photography blog.

I am so blessed to have the coolest friends ever. And it’s even better when my amazing friends are also super talented professionals who can provide my clients with great service and beautiful products. I’m excited to share with you more details about Element Creative Studio, the brainchild of my talented friends Sonya and Lindsey.

I’ve asked them a few questions, which I’m going to post here in a Q&A type of format. I hope this helps you get to know them better — they’re pretty awesome people.

But first, I have to give you my personal recommendation. See the pretty little logo at the top of this blog (or on www.ericamay.com)? That logo — and really the entire new look of brand that we launched last fall — was the result of Lindsey’s creative genius. I gave her some vague descriptions like “I want it to be happy.” and “I like the color green.” and she produced a logo and image that is so much better than I ever could have imagined on my own. She’s incredible.

The same goes for their invitation designs — for everything (weddings, save-the-dates, baby showers, baby announcements, etc.). Their designs can really set the tone for an entire event. I felt like once I had a “vision” that Lindsey helped create graphically, everything else falls into place. Imagine how much time and back-and-forth decision-making you’d save if you had a “vision” for your wedding invitations and design — if everything matched the design, you’d not only have a really cool wedding theme, but save some headache.

They do it all. They’re super talented designers, and I trust that kind of thing to professionals. Check out their work at www.elementcstudio.com.

Now, on to the tough, investigative questions (I was a journalism major in college, you know!).

What is your design style?

“Simple. With a touch of funky, a dash of fun, and a pinch of elegance. We like to cater to our clients preferences but Element C’s “style” always shines through in each design. Weddings, births and showers are celebrations of some of the most joyful moments in our lives. We believe a printed representation of that should have the same elements of those moments.”

How do you figure out what your clients want in a design?

“We like to talk to our clients and find out a little bit about the story. No two clients are ever the same. It’s important to get to know a little bit about the story that’s behind what we need to reflect. We get a feel for the tone, which takes us into colors and eventually shapes and little extra “flair” that might accompany the announcement. Each person, each couple, each announcement is so incredibly different, and we want to honor that individuality with something unique. Personalities foreshadow a design style more than one might think, and a benefit with using Element C is that both of us do a design. It’s amazing to see how each of us perceives a look/feel. This gives our client variety and something they usually don’t find with a one-(wo)man-operation.”

What are your sources of inspiration?

Sonya: “Outdoors are a good place to start, anything from God’s amazing creation to sweet architecture. However, to be completely honest, I imagine a lot of designs in the shower.”

Lindsey: “There are so many sources of inspiration floating around each and every day. It can be as simple and visual as how the lines in shadows fall on pavement or more abstract such as a melodic beat of a funky, new song. It’s everywhere…ready to be soaked in. You just have to remain open.”

Why is professional design important?

“Someone we respect once told us people who do the jobs that no one wants to do make the most money. We definitely didn’t go in to design to make a lot of money, but even if we did, design is one of those things many people want to do. Most people can imagine what they’re looking for, but not everyone has the ability and resources to make it come alive. This is why professional design is so important. Element C takes the personality of your baby or even the ambiance of your wedding and puts it on paper. Not only do we believe in creating exceptional designs, but also working with professional printers to give our clients a final product with the highest degree of quality.”

What’s your favorite restaurant in Kansas City?

Sonya: “Oh that is so hard. I love food! It has to be either the Blue Moose in Prairie Village for atmosphere and Domo Sushi & Grill in Brookside for the food.“

Lindsey: “Agreed. That’s difficult because I have too many (my poor checkbook). Basically anywhere that includes a cozy atmosphere or sweet patio, good food and good wine. Menu items in Spanish are a plus.”

Besides designing awesome things, what fills your time?

Sonya: “K-State, K-State football, K-State basketball, you get the idea.“

Lindsey: “Absentmindedly doodling sketches of red and blue, fictional birds. Kidding. I love being outdoors, finding new musicians, listening to live music and exploring new restaurants. And just to be clear, I, too, bleed purple…and might be seeing a lot of that after this answer.”

Tell me something else.

Sonya: “If I could design every day, all day long, I would. And I would love it. Also, like Erica, I love the color green. I’d be more than happy to live in the Emerald City.”

Lindsey: “I love design and the amazing way so many elements can come together to make something “work”. I thrive on finding and liking things before others find them and secretly wish I had a Range Rover to drive back and forth, up and down, between Vancouver and a mountain home in Whistler.”

“Finally, we’d like all to know that at Element C we care. (And no, this is not the beginning of a mushy greeting card.) We really care. Our name is on the back of everything we do, and our client’s name is on the front. Both of these are equally good reasons as to why we strive to design things that are fabulous, and have lots of fun along the way!”