Blind Embossed Coat of Arms Letterhead

Here at Downey, our coat of arms projects have an enormous amount of detail and complexity to them, and we love using processes such as colour die stamping/engraving, digital printing and lithography. We firmly believe the production value should match our beautiful designs,  which is why we recommend considering blind embossing from a sculptured tool, as you can see with this project. This allows for a step up to an elite level of stationery. It is certainly a matter of pride to us that we can create this standard of work.

The Client

We produced this beautiful personal stationery for the chairperson of a business who has requested to remain anonymous. We care deeply about our clients’ privacy - and, besides, the quality and exquisite craftsmanship that goes into each of our projects speaks for itself, as does the repeat business we have enjoyed from this client. We are pleased to report we have been working with them for 20 years.

The Brief

Our client came to us with a seemingly simple request: bespoke stationery. However, we were aware that this project had to go above and beyond. Being a chairperson, we needed to ensure that their personal stationery was at a superior level and befitting of someone of their status and prestige. We were also tasked with including their coat of arms in the design.

The Process

With coat of arms projects, we typically begin by taking a look at a visual provided by the client. We must then discuss what they hope to achieve with the final project - or, in some cases, help them to discern that themselves - and then have an internal conversation to decide the best way to reach that goal. In this case, we were given a flat image of the client’s official coat of arms. The client was already aware they wanted us to use the process of blind embossing in their coat of arms design to create the simple luxury and elegance they required from their professional stationery.

Embossing refers to a raised image - in this case, the coat of arms symbol - coming out of the paper, while blind means that no ink, foil or colour is used on the paper. Instead, our team had to create shadow and depth with an embossing tool so that when the coat of arms letterhead hits the light a certain way, you are given a 3D effect. We used a multi-level embossing tool, which allows us to create a sculpture of sorts, ensuring the different depths needed were possible in our engravement.

Despite being roughly the same size as a 10 or 50p coin, the coat of arms design features an enormous amount of detail in that incredibly small area - another reason why choosing the right tool is paramount. We also had to be extremely careful regarding the pressure applied by the tool we were using for the embossing - it had to be strong enough to shape the design properly without being so forceful that it ripped through the paper.

This unique process is something many people try to achieve, but few can in reality. Not only do you need the right tools to apply the right amount of pressure, you also need the skills of print design experts such as those who work at Downey - we are proud to work with individuals who specialise in this type of work.

The Result

Our finished result was something simple, elegant, intricate and detailed, with perfectly prominent lines and dips. There is really nothing else quite like this project - we think it is exactly what you would look for from a chairperson’s stationery.

This unique contrast of delicate material and robust production, when done by a team as skilled as our designers here at Downey, creates a true piece of art. We liken projects such as this to Beauty and the Beast, with the thin paper being the former and the industrial levels of pressure being the latter. These designs could easily be mangled during the creation process - but the finished product is well worth it.

A Work of Art No Matter the Project

Whether you are looking to incorporate your official coat of arms into your stationery or onto a wedding invitation, or you have another custom print project you’d like to discuss with us, the experts here at Downey are here to help. Please contact our team for more information and guidance towards creating a beautifully bespoke and impeccably crafted project.