A few years ago, I had a licensing contract with Aunt Sadie's, a candle maker in Boston's South End. As anyone who does commercial printing will tell you, you get a better price on the printing if you print a larger quantity (1000 pieces or over). Well, the licensing contract has come and gone, labels were bought and sold, and at the end of it all, I was sitting on several thousand overprints. In addition, one of my printers mysteriously sent me an extra 4000 labels out of the blue.
One option was to chuck them into the recycling bin and call it a wash. But here's the thing: I'm practically phobic about throwing out printing I've already paid for. My mind was whirring for days until I struck on an idea: what if I lopped off the candle label info printed on one end of the label and folded it in half? Lo an behold, it actually fits in an A-4 envelope!
I decided to pay the nominal fee to trim all my labels and have them folded. I found myself with a a text weight note with a wrap-around design that is visible through a vellum envelope. I designed and packaging labels on vellum so the consumer could see the see-through effect for themselves without opening the package.
Having worked in advertising and marketing for nearly two decades, I knew that naming this new product was going to be important. I wanted a poetic-sounding name that was also a good description. When I was a kid I used to watch boxing matches on TV with my dad and was fascinated with the weight classifications: heavyweight, welterweight... featherweight. Yes, Featherweight Notes! Light as a -- well, you get the idea.
I believe products deserve a second chance, a second life.
See my Featherweight Notes at my Etsy Shop.
