The paper is a lightweight flecked green, which adds a dimension to the 3-color design

The "inside" of the mailer

The "outside"

This 3-color tri-fold mailer for BugFest is one of my favorite mail designs. I had the vision in my head since the start of the project, which allowed me to spend my time working out the minor details and technicalities.

I planned the design for a light gray paper, with the tri-tone images gaining even more depth from the paper color. I wanted the whole piece to exude a deep, saturated, bug-like feel. My hopes were squashed when the laser printer I was using couldn't quite handle the heavy duty vellum gray-brown I'd picked out. Luckily, happy-accident-god prevailing, my backup stock—a greenish, flecked paper—turned out even better than I hoped.

Two blues and a black (and various mixes and blend modes) are used to give the layout an intense level of detail and interest throughout the two-sided mailer. The event, BugFest, is an annual day-long affair at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. I've never been.