Valley Dental Arts AACD direct mail invitation

quick thumbnails

Valley Dental Arts is one of the finest dental laboratories in the world. Their products are known for being a splendid blend of artistry and science. This direct marketing campaign invited prospective clients to a large party hosted by VDA at the 2004 AACD meeting in Vancouver, BC.

The folded invitation is 4 1/2” wide by 6” tall.

more details

These invitations were sent out to every AACD member prior to the 2004 edition of their yearly convention. VDA hosted a large gathering at this convention as a way to promote their products to these dentists. While the “Beauty” magazine ad was the first piece to be done in VDA’s 2004 rebranding, this invitation and the AACD party was the true launching point.

front of the folded invite

This invitation was sent in translucent white a6 envelopes to give a sneak peek at VDA’s new look and entice the recipient to investigate what was inside.

rear of the folded invite outside of the invite when unfolded

The design wraps around the outside of the invitation so that no matter which side of the envelope the recipient saw first, he or she was immediately introduced to the bold new VDA style.

inside of the invite when unfolded

The most unusual—and my favorite—part of the invitation was the shockingly red inside. By giving the soft off-white invitation a bright, bold inner surface, the piece immediately feels like more than just a sheet of paper folded in half. The inside takes a life of its own and it is impossible to ignore.

translucent rice paper insert

Upon opening the invitation, the recipient found more translucent paper. I have attempted to reproduce the translucent nature of the rice paper here, but it doesn’t translate well to digital form (compare the brightness of the off-white with the RSVP card below to get a gist of what I’m showing). Regardless, this insert gives the invitation a bit more of a formal feeling not unlike a wedding invitation. Printing on the translucent paper worked surprisingly well.

rsvp card

Right behind the translucent sheet was the RSVP card. The background artwork of both inserts was identical, so the printing on the translucent paper produced a unique, though ghostly, effect when the two inserts were not perfectly aligned.

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