Trains and Subways Theme

Running out of ideas to improve the ginkgo leaf theme for our logo-of-sorts, I shifted my attention to another invitation design theme which I had actually been thinking about for some time.

The inspiration...  two-and-a-half years of long daily commutes from the dorm to the school via subway and train. Did I mention long? Sixteen stations in all, if my memory serves me right, or two hours or more spent everyday just for traveling.

And  in each trip, each day, you'll never know who you'll meet and sit beside with inside the train, how brief or lasting those encounters will be, or how they will change your life, eventually... 

2008: Future groom demonstrates another use for a camera case.

 For the invitation, the idea is to have our names drawn like the lines of the Tokyo Metro Subway, which are represented by different letters of the alphabet that are enclosed by "rings" of a specific color.

http://www.calvin-c.com

   

The different elements of the invitation (parents of the B and G, sponsors, wedding ceremony and wedding party venues, etc) would then be connected to each other through colored lines:

We were pretty satisfied with the final output. I am particularly enamored with our bride-and-groom drawing which was modified from an image we saw from the internet. Jon took pains to have Mr. Groom in barong Tagalog (traditional Filipino formal attire for men), and Ms. Bride wear a turquoise pendant similar to mine:

Neat and clever. After some time though, we both realized it has looked less like an invitation to a wedding and more like- well...a train brochure! :P.

Ginkgo Loco

It all started with this logo which I saw on FB, which shows a couple`s names- both starting with the letter "P"- intertwined, with a single "P" for both their names formed into the shape of a seahorse.How cute, I thought. Might as well get one for ourselves, by ourselves, with a symbol or object that is a nod to our common interest or past. 

So that`s how the ginkgo leaf idea came in. In Japan, the ginkgo tree is a symbol of  longevity, hope, and resilience.   Each autumn sees the university awash with its vibrant, yellow-gold leaves...

This yearly phenomenon sends the students, especially the Pinoys, in a picture-taking frenzy. I can`t explain it.

Anyway, here are some designs we came up with (technically it was the G who drew them).

First version. I didn`t like the fonts, the leaves I thought too curly, and why so many?

Other versions:

And still another one. 

The Todai reference on this one is too obvious, we could get sued, hehe. I like its simplicity, though.

In the end we had to let go of the idea. But it was fun for the most part.