Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi - Essay Example For him, Hinduism was a religion that he knew better than other religions and he found it non-violent and peaceful. One aspect that Gandhi used to search in religions was their nonviolent attitude towards different aspects of life. He found nonviolence in Christianity, Buddhism and other religions.Gandhi practiced Hinduism by continuing to be a vegetarian all his life, he read and acted upon the teachings of Gita and he preached about non-violence and peace (Mahatma Gandhi: Hinduism at its Best). He was an inspiration for the Hindus. He believed in all the teachings of Hinduism and practiced those that seemed suitable to him.He emphasized on reading Gita and also informed that when he used to read it, it soothed him. Gandhi showed liking for the concepts of protection of cow, peace and non-violence but he showed disliking for the concepts of murti puja, intolerance to touch by Brahmans, virgin widowhood and spoilage of virgins (1961; Mahatma Gandhi: Hinduism at its Best).Gandhi held his own opinions about other existent religions. He considered all the religions equally. According to him, he belonged to all religions and also said that all religions of the world helped him in self-realization. According to Gandhi, all religions consist of positive values that should be considered and followed in order to be a good human being (Mahatma Gandhi: Hinduism at its Best). Gandhi once said, â€Å"I am also a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist, and a Jew†, which described about his neutrality towards other religions except Hinduism.

Football helmet Essay Example for Free

Football helmet Essay The average tackle football player has a natural tendency to experience fear and tension when thinking about the heavy rate of concussion injuries within the sport. In response to the violently physical nature of the game, Riddell Sports has produced a helmet that provides the best defense to worries and consequences of a concussion. The Riddell Revolution 360 football helmet has been constructed by engineers to protect the mental processes and safety of players. As a football player myself, I can think of no better alternative for head trauma prevention than this helmet. Riddell takes into account and states that players sustain roughly 950 impacts to the head over the course of a season. As a result of this, the helmet places a strong emphasis on protection of the most impacted part of the head, the front. Patented in 2012, HIT technology was established by Riddell in their experiment labs to measure the severity and location of head impacts from all directions. This technology proves that detrimental impact to the brain can go unnoticed or misunderstood, and use it to prevent future mental problems for players. This product changes the way participants feel comfortable and confident on the playing field more than ever before. The technology that is added includes a new carbon steel facemask that flexes in reaction to impact. Also added to the helmet was a new face frame structure which is made up of continuous hexagonal shaped padding on the interior that shapes to players heads for a custom and tight fit. This is important for reducing the amount of force to the head, which will allow the sport to be more commonly tolerated by everyone interested. With the rise of cognitive damage in football due to head trauma, parents are more hesitant than ever to allow their children play the game at a young age. However, parents can be assured that the expanded technology in the Riddell 360 will protect their children like never before. Customers will instantly feel the difference in protection when they place the helmet on for the first time! Although this product is revolutionary to the sport, there is a steep cost necessary to consider before purchasing it. The helmet itself has a retail value of $450 which could scare some customers away. This price does not appeal to high school or university student athletes who typically are looking for the best deal possible. However, the helmet is vastly popular amongst professional players and university athletic departments who have the income to buy the product at ease. The helmet also has plenty of cheaper competitors that provide more financially reasonable selections. Although the other products may be cheaper, the helmet Riddell has designed contains technology and protection that no other competitors can match. The helmet is a symbol of how far technology has advanced in sports to accommodate the needs of its participants. Football is notorious for its wide spectrum of physical limitations to those interested in playing, but innovation within the labs at Riddell have allowed for these barriers to slowly come crashing down over the years. The Riddell Revolution 360 football helmet should be strongly considered by all those striving to play the game of football in its safest possible fashion.

Offshore Drilling Impacts And Solutions Environmental Sciences Essay

Offshore Drilling Impacts And Solutions Environmental Sciences Essay Nowadays, there is a growing demand for hydrocarbons in the world market. This study was to determine the impacts of offshore drilling to the aquatic lives and methods to reduce it. Offshore drilling is the process to discover the hydrocarbons by drilling exploratory boreholes or wells on the seabed. The ocean is not that vast to dilute all the chemicals that had been discarding to it. The chemicals that remained in the sea are called pollutant. This research paper will discussed three main impacts of offshore drilling and three suggested solutions to reduce it. The three impacts are offshore drilling operation noises will destructed marine lives, improper disposal of waste products will poisoned marine lives, and oil spill accidents will gradually killed marine lives. As human is at the top of the food chain, which receives the greatest impact, should find solutions to save ourselves. The three suggested solutions are government and organizations should enhance the rules and policie s respectively, professionals should consider accepting Khan and Islams five sustainable management models and try to work them out, and professionals should use their knowledge to improve monitoring and develop strategies. Therefore, concluded that human should try to protect the marine lives from being sacrifice because of us. Offshore Drilling: Impacts and Solutions Petroleum hydrocarbons play a very important role in society (Khan Islam, 2008). Nowadays, people tend to rely very much on the use of gas, petrol and oil. Hence, the growing demand for petroleum hydrocarbons on the world market has cause the development and production of oil resources to grow rapidly (The Prevention of Pollution from Offshore Installations, 2002). Gbadebo, Taiwo and Eughele (2010) stated that the only way to confirm the presence of hydrocarbons in an identified promising geological structure is to drill exploratory boreholes or wells (p.284). It is well known and generally accepted that the waste products of the offshore drilling activities are usually dumped into the sea (Khan Islam, 2008). The ocean is not as vast as people thought. It could not dilute all the chemicals that had been disposing to it, thus, the waste products of offshore drilling and the oil spill accidents are actually causing pollution to the ocean (Pollution in the Ocean, 2007). The main purpo se of this research paper is to identify the consequences of offshore drilling to the marine lives and solutions to reduce it. Practicing offshore drilling will gradually disturb the communication calls of marine lives (Offshore Exploration and Exploitation in the Mediterranean, 2012), improper disposal of chemical waste products will toxic the marine species (Gbadebo, Taiwo Eughele, 2010), and oil spill accident will cause deaths of a wide variety of marine species. Therefore, we have come out with some suggestions to decrease the pollution level. Government and concerned organizations should enhance the rules and reinforce the policies (Amos, 2011); professionals should consider to adopt the theoretical idea of the five sustainable management models of Khan and Islam (Khan Islam, 2008), and scientists and professionals should use their knowledge to improve monitoring and continue to develop pollution source-reduction strategies (Pollution in the Ocean, 2007). Very few people actually realize that the operating noise produce from offshore oil drilling can put aquatic animals lives at risk (Offshore Exploration and Exploitation in the Mediterranean, 2012). There are approximately 119 species of aquatic animals use sound as their primary sense (Pollution in the Ocean, 2007). They use sound to communicate, navigate and forage (Pollution in the ocean). However, the loud noise made by the drilling operations of offshore oil and gas production and other noises generated by human activities will confuse them, hence, causing them to do abnormal things such as stranding. According to The National Academies, in March 2000, fourteen beaked whales and two minke whales became stranded; six of the beaked whales died (Pollution in the Ocean). Autopsies revealed three of the beached whales bleeding in the inner ears and one whale has inner bleeding in its brain (Pollution in the Ocean). Many of the impacts of offshore activities on marine environments are inconstant, as the complicated relations between many types of species in marine ecosystems and difficulties associated with conducting research at depth (Amos, 2011). Thus, there is still lacking of scientific evidence to prove the actual impact of the short and long term effects of noise on marine mammals. Nonetheless, we can still assure that the noises of sea activities had disrupted the sense of the marine mammals, causing them to have difficulties to communicate, navigate, and forage. In addition, the public are very concern about the improper disposals of chemical waste products. This is because they afraid that the marine species will get poisoned and they afraid of eating them (Gbadebo, Taiwo Eughele, 2010). The accumulated toxicity in the fish can cause illness, sometimes fatal, to anything or anyone that consumed it; thus, will destroying the food chain and reproductive cycle (Rose, 2009). According to American petroleum institute (API) (1989) as cited in Khan Islam (2008), both the well cuttings and the drilling fluids compose about 2% of the total exploratory wastes. Besides, there were two recent studies do research on the impact of drill cuttings from offshore installations on corals and marine worms (Offshore Exploration and Exploitation in the Mediterranean, 2012). The first result shows that the coral were able to withstand and self-clean in short period of time; however, the coral will smother and started to die over weeks (Offshore exploration and exploitation in the Mediterranean). Whereas, the second result shows that the populations of marine worms are decreasing when exposed to concentrations of barium, which is a similar heavy metal in drill cuttings. Taking Dibi and Ewan offshore wells as background, the result shows that the concentrations of various polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons analyzed in cuttings from both oil wells are very high (Gbadebo, Taiwo Eughele, 2010). If the drilling wastes are not discharged properly, it will endanger the marine lives and also our health (Gbadebo et al.). The results of heavy metals analyses also tell us that the concentrations in the cuttings and mud are high, which could lead to bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms (Gbadebo et al.). If anyone accidentally eats those aquatic organisms, he or she might get sick easily. The problems of oil spill accident happened around the world (Offshore Exploration and Exploitation in the Mediterranean, 2012). Oil spill accident, such as the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, causes deaths of a wide variety of marine species (Offshore Exploration and Exploitation in the Mediterranean, 2012). When there is a quick flow and concentrated oil during a spill makes them especially harmful to localized marine organisms and communities, plants and animals that coated with oil will cause them to die (Rose, 2009). Oil that covered the surface of the animals, such as sea gull, cannot keep its body warm will die in the Artic; whereas, when there is a layer of oil covered the surface of sea, sunlight will be difficult to reach the the seabed. Since it needs a long time to recover the sea, the plants and animals live on seabed will gradually die. Therefore, in June 2010, National Energy Board (NEB), Canadas federal energy regulator, organized a review of safety and environmental protection requirements for Canadian Arctic offshore drilling for oil and gas (Amos, 2011). Despite the great economic and social benefits, public also concern about the solutions to reduce the impact of offshore drilling activity (Khan Islam, 2008). Government and related organizations should strengthen the rules and improve the policies (Amos, 2011). Government should always transmit positive feedback to the public when a new method is in probation (Pollution in the ocean, 2007). This is to convince and to increase peoples confidence level towards that new method. Given the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, NEB should learnt the lesson and strengthen the offshore drilling safety requirements (Amos, 2011). In order to strengthen the rules applied to future Arctic offshore exploration NEB should maintain the capability requirement of same season relief well (SSRW), improves policy, regulatory and liability requirements; polish the comprehensive filing requisites for future applications for offshore drilling requiring thorough ecological baseline studies (Amos). Khan and Islam had reviewed the new environmental management techniques on solving the existing problems of offshore oil and gas drilling. Professionals should consider adopting the theoretical idea of the five sustainable management models, which were marine protected areas in oil sites (MPAOS), ocean fertilization and CO2 utilization (OFCU), integrated coastal pollution balancing (ICPB), artificial recruitment in fisheries (ARFS), and artificial rigs from oil rigs (AROR) (Khan Islam, 2008). Professionals should take a look on the idea of them to generate more applicable methods for reducing the level of pollution in ocean. Scientists should choose the applicable theory to undergo experimental studies, understand how these proposals will function in real ecosystem context. MPAOS model is to designate an oil site as a protected area (Khan Islam, 2008). This could protect and improve fisheries production. Since the fishes are protected, hence, we no need worry about the toxicity of the fishes. Secondly, OFCU model is the idea of balancing carbon dioxide emissions by sinking enough organic carbon in the ocean bottom. Thirdly, ICPB model is to apply the principle of bioremediation or food web enhancement to utilize the runoff oils and pollution through balancing ecosystem components. Fourthly, ARFS model is the idea of compensate the fisheries production of certain species in a targeted area and to restore the stocks. Lastly, AROR is the idea to keep the original sites of the abandoned rigs to establish a reef community or transported to another planned site. The models are following the principle of natural functions in marine environment and take into account ecological, biological, and technological factors (Khan Islam). The impact of offshore drilling will be lightening by applying these five models. Professionals should use their knowledge to improve monitoring and continue to develop pollution source-reduction strategies (Pollution in the Ocean, 2007). It is difficult to clean up oil spills. In those days, people use complicated method such as water shut-off, bottom separation and down-hole separation of oil and water (The prevention of pollution from offshore installations, 2002). Nowadays, they usually use biological agents to break down the oil, use materials that absorb oil, and gelling agents that make oil easier to skim from the surface. People also physically clean up the spills by using high- pressure water hoses on shores and cleaning oil off from animals (Pollution in the Ocean). These methods were used because of the improvement of technologies and sciences. Therefore, the professionals should work hard to figure out easier method to solve the oil spill problem. Scientists should work together to find the solutions from reduce the harm towards the living organisms in the sea; whereas, the technicians should invent other types of machine that will do less harm to the environment (Tyack, 2008). In conclusion, human should safe the marine species because the innocent marine lives are suffering because of our selfishness. We should know that practicing offshore drilling will disrupt the main sense of marine lives to hunt, communicate and navigate (Offshore Exploration and Exploitation in the Mediterranean, 2012). In addition, improper disposal of chemical waste products of offshore drilling will toxic the marine lives (Gbadebo, Taiwo Eughele, 2010). Moreover, oil spill accident will cause deaths of a wide variety of marine species. Considering human is at the top of the food chain, which will receives the greatest impact, we should stand up and do something for rescue ourselves. Thus, government and concerned organizations should strengthen the rules and improve the policies (Amos, 2011). Furthermore, professionals should consider to accept and carry out the theoretical idea of the five sustainable management models (Khan Islam, 2008). Additionally, scientists and professio nals should use their knowledge to improve and develop pollution source-reduction strategies (Pollution in the Ocean, 2007).

Blink-182 :: essays research papers

Blink-182 The legend that is blink-182 started way back in 1992, by Mark Hoppus (bass, vocals), Tom Delonge (guitar, vocals) and Scott Raynor (drums). Origionally just called blink, they were forced to change their name when an Irish techno band also called blink threatened to sue them. Although there are countless rumours of what the 182 stands for, ranging from the number of times certain words are said in movies to numbers that relate to where they live to the number of times that they have performed various sexual acts, the truth is that it is really just a number that they choose pretty much at random and thought sounded good. Mixing fast, melodic punk with brutally honest, from the heart lyrics, they convert almost everyone who hears their music to fans. In 1995, they released their first full album, Cheshire Cat. Dude Ranch followed in 1997, and this was the first album to gain widespread commercial success. Scott left the band this year to go back to college, and he was replaced by Travis Barker, previously of the Aquabats. The change from Scott to Travis was made easier by the fact that they had been friends with Travis for a while already and he already knew most of their songs. They have always spent a lot of time touring in the surf/skate/punk scene, with bands such as NOFX, Pennywise, Less than Jake and the Vans Warped Tour. Around the end of 98, blink decided to stop touring and started work on their next album, Enema of the State. This gained even more commercial exposure than Dude Ranch, and helped expose the band to whole new groups of listeners. And the reasoning behind the title? According to Mark Hoppus, "In order to maintain good health, your body must be able to eliminate food and bodily waste. Your colon, together with your lungs, skin and kidneys are designed to accomplish this essential task by elimination of toxins in the intestines, blood and lymph systems." Continues Tom Delonge, "the process of digestion from ingestion of food to defecation, normally takes between 12 to 24 hours assuming that the colon is fully functional and non-toxic.

Into The Gorge: A Spiral of Decline toward Loss

Into The Gorge: A Spiral of Decline toward Loss Into The Gorge: A Spiral of Decline toward Loss â€Å"Jesse stood on his porch and looked east toward Sampson Ridge, where bulldozers razed forests and grazing land for another gated community† ( Rash 18 ) . If one were to cut down Ron Rash’sInto the Gorgedown to one markedly important transition, this would be among the campaigners. It presents an image of commercialisation from the eyes of Jesse, a adult male who was raised to esteem the land. It besides marks a tangible passage for Jesse as he unwittingly conforms to his milieus.Into the Gorgenowadayss a narrative of loss. Get downing with the loss of Jesse’s great aunt and finally stoping with the loss of his ain life, or so the reader is to assume. This subject represents the spiral of diminution that ensues in a society that abuses and disrespects the land for intents of pecuniary addition. Into the Gorgeclears with a beautiful word picture of Jesse’s great aunt. The reader really rapidly becomes affiliated to her, about to the point of misidentifying her as the supporter in the narrative. She is aligned with a harmonious life with an about calm aura about her while being profoundly connected to the land and its seasonal rhythms ; she â€Å"could state you to the hebdomad when the first cornel flower would lighten up the ridge, the first blackberry darken and swell plenty to harvest† ( Rash 17 ) . But so she had lost her head and â€Å"with it all the people she knew, their names and connexions, whether they still lived or whether they’d died† ( Rash 17 ) . But despite this the reader is told in the really following paragraph that â€Å"The cognition of the land was the one memory that refused to dissolve† ( Rash 17 ) . Jesse’s grandaunt would go on to hoe her Fieldss every twenty-four hours until the twenty-four hours of her de cease, when she wandered off into the forests to vacate herself to the one invariable in her life, the one love that refused to fade out, a â€Å"final stepping down of everything she had one time been, † a surrendertothe land ( Rash 26 ) . The decease of Jesse’s grandaunt has in consequence begun the spiral of diminution toward an overall neglect for the necessity of the renewing of the land. The reader is told that â€Å"after her decease neighbours shortly found topographic points other than the gorge to run and angle, garner blackberries and galax†¦When the park service made an offer†¦Jesse’s male parent and aunts had sold†¦Now, five decennaries subsequently, Jesse stands on his porch and looked eastward†¦where bulldozers razed forests and grazing land for another gated community† ( Rash 18 ) . As antecedently mentioned, the loss of Jesse’s grandaunt seems to hold caused, at least for Jesse and his immediate milieus, a loss of a regard for the land. As the narrative takes the reader through Jesse’s foremost and successful effort at reaping the ginseng we are told, â€Å"Afterward, he’d carefully replanted the seeds, done it merely as his male parent had done, so walked out of the gorge, past the Fe gate that kept vehicles off the logging route. A xanthous Sn marker nailed to a nearby tree said US Park Service† ( Rash 18 ) . Here the reader gets a split image ; Jesse replants the seeds â€Å"just as his male parent had done† old ages ago ( Rash 18 ) . There is a sense of regard for the land and the cyclic nature of nature, which is besides represented in the generational lessons of planting and replanting passed down from male parent to boy. However, there is besides a really explicitly painted image of development. The workss that Jesse ha s harvested and so replanted are within the boundaries of the land which the authorities uses for logging. This land has been transformed into a commercialised operation in order to untangle any and all pecuniary value from it. Furthermore, there is a parallel image in this xanthous mark. A blazing neglect for nature is nailed to the tree by manner of a US Park Service mark, nevertheless in the predating paragraph it says â€Å"back so, the forests had been communal,No Trespassingmarks an affront†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ( Rash 18 ) . The forests had been a topographic point of community and friendly relationship and invitation, any effort to interrupt apart this public into personally claimed belongings was seen as an abuse to the corporate. But now, non merely is the land sectioned off into countries of unpermitted districts, but these countries are being used explicitly to work the land for pecuniary addition. This loss of a regard for the cardinal significance that the land has is somethi ng that Jesse seems to be troubled by, yet it is something he himself can’t isolated off from. The lone ground he is out reaping the ginseng in the first topographic point is to acquire money. He doesn’t love the act of reaping and replanting, he hasn’t even had any exposure to the land in this regard since his grandaunt passed, five decennaries earlier. What’s more, he doesn’t needfully even need the excess money. The storyteller says â€Å"his house and 20 estates were paid for, as was his truck. The baccy allocation earned less each twelvemonth but still plenty for a widowman with adult kids. Enough every bit long as he didn’t have to travel to the infirmary or his truck throw a rod. He needed some excess money put away for that. Not a million, but some† ( Rash 18 ) . Albeit he isn’t a money hungry corporate executive who has wholly disregarded the verve of nature. But he is however reaping the land for one ground and one gr ound entirely: money. This disconnected image of working and fostering the land represents an even further diminution, as a society, toward the commercialised corruptness of the land. The narrative comes full circle at the terminal as Jesse â€Å"waited† in the forests merely as his grandaunt did before she died. In this minute he thought of his grandaunt and paralleled himself to her as his waiting was â€Å"a concluding stepping down of everything†heone time was. However, it’s non merely a pure and symmetrically sound stoping ; the usage of the word â€Å"abdication† has a dual entendre underlying it. In respects to Jesse’s grandaunt, it has a meter of a dignified release of her life and everything that she lived for. Not needfully the instance for Jesse, for him it seems to take on a different significance wholly. It is Jesse’s chance to fly from the forfeiture of artlessness that his life has culminated to. Jesse recognizes his loss of artlessness, his loss of self-respect, but it is merely when he attempts to travel back to being in melody with the land that he comes to this realisation ; â€Å"Jesse shifted his orga nic structure so his face turned downhill, one ear to the land as if listening for the faintest footstep. It seemed so incorrect to be 68 old ages old and running from person. Old age was supposed to give a individual self-respect and respect† ( Rash 22 ) . In this minute Jesse acknowledges his loss of regard, a regard which has been neither received from others nor given by himself. The consequence of this self-fulfillment is his â€Å"waiting† at the really terminal. A bi-laterally asymmetrical stoping to the gap. One can follow though this narrative the slow diminution toward a society which does non foster the land, but instead relies on it for the here and now. The reader is left gyrating down along with Jesse as the plot line moves from the loss of Jesse’s grandaunt, to the commercializing of his hometown, to Jesse’s ain selfish aims with the land, and eventually to Jesse’s realisation of his conformance which finally leads to his decease. This spiral is a representation or a possible warning to the effects of a commercialized society which exploits the land: there is a natural and unconditioned diminution when 1 refuses a fear to the land. This refusal leads to inside turned desires, which leads to capitalistic inclinations and the commercialisation of the land—extricating it for all that its worth—which will finally take to the decease of those who were one time respected, and who in bend irradiated it back.

How to Create an Elegant Wedding Invitation

How to Create an Elegant Wedding Invitation As a designer, wedding invitations are some of the most fun projects I get to work on. Theres something incredible about creating something thats one-of-a-kind and tailor-made to a couples personalities and style- not to mention that the invite itself becomes a keepsake for the couple even after the wedding is over.Because of the creative freedom that wedding invitations allow, its easy to get overwhelmed by all the style and production choices. Whether youre a designer working for a client or youre creating invitations for your own wedding, here are a few tips that can help take your invitations to the next level and create a polished, beautiful visual experience for guests. While making creative choices for your invitation, its important to keep in mind the style of the wedding and personalities of the couple in order to design something that truly represents them and feels appropriate for the event. This can be a great source of inspiration for you as you begin designing. Its also important to consider a couples budget before beginning so you dont present them with options they cant afford. With a little creative thinking, distinct and beautiful invitations can be created on any budget.SizeOne thing that can help your invitation stand out is considering a unique size for your invitation. While a standard 5x7 invite feels traditional and formal, a different proportion can create a custom feel. A smaller invite has an intimate feel, while a larger one can feel grandiose. Play with the proportions and orientation as well- try a tall and skinny shape or flip the invite to be landscape instead of portrait. Another option to consider is a square, circular, or die-cut shaped invite. However, keep practicality in mind–too small and your invite might not have enough room for legible information, and too large or uniquely-shaped and it might be challenging or expensive to package.TypographyWhen choosing the typeface for your invitation, think about how formal y ou want the invitation to appear and the overall impression you want guests to get from the invitation. Using a formal script font for the names of the couple is a great way to make the invite traditional and elegant. These fonts generally use thinner and more intricate strokes, and they work well with ornate graphics and imagery. Casual script fonts more closely resemble actual handwriting and can give a personal, laid-back appearance to your invite. Their heavier brushstrokes make them more modern-looking than formal scripts.Serif fonts also feel traditional and classic, and when printed are some of the most easy-to-read typefaces, making them ideal for the supporting body copy on your invite and invitation materials. Sans serifs feel modern, clean, and classy, and they work great both for headers and body copy.When choosing font pairings, its best to stick with fonts that contrast with each other to create a sense of balance and harmony. Avoid using scripts for anything except ti tles and headers, as these can be difficult to read at small sizes.If youre on a budget, it can be difficult to find quality typefaces for free or little cost, so below Ive outlined a few good choices that are completely free to use. Font Squirrel is a great resource to find quality fonts for free.Heres some free fonts that would look great in a wedding invitation.Unique imageryTo make an invite truly feel like it was custom-designed, consider creating custom visual elements or illustrations. This will make the invite feel personal and considered, and your client will probably appreciate the extra touch. A custom or unique illustration avoids making the invite look like it was created from a pre-designed template.If youre not an illustrator, another route is finding quality illustrations that you can repurpose to create a one-of-a-kind invite. The Graphics Fairy is a great online resource for free, public domain images including flourishes, floral accents, and page dividers. Or, con sider creating minimal, geometric graphic elements for a polished and clean look which pairs great with a sans serif font.Paper stockThere are lots of options when it comes to choosing the type of paper you print your invites on, even if youre on a budget. Paper with a matte finish feels classic and minimal, while textured paper can elevate your design and has a more artistic, handmade feel. Shimmer paper or other types of lustrous, semi-gloss papers create an upscale and luminous feel. Cotton or fabric-based papers are warm and approachable. Thinner paper stocks feel delicate, while thicker stocks feel substantial and considered.Along with weight choices, paper stock also comes in different variations of white and ivory. A bright white paper feels fresh and modern, while ivory or off-white feels traditional and antique. You could also use brown kraft paper for a rustic vibe or colored cardstock for a fun pop of color. Overlaying your invite with a translucent vellum paper is an eas y way to create both elegance and visual interest.If youre not sure how a certain paper will look or feel, dont hesitate to ask your printer to send you paper samples- many common printing sites online offer this option for free on their websites. Making guesses about a paper stock without samples or a physical proof can lead to extra costs and time spent if the paper isnt what you expected. This also makes the choice easier for your client if they can see and touch the paper before buying.ProductionThere are a variety of different finishing techniques that can elevate your design and give it a premium feel. Letterpress invitations add dimension and texture. Currently, letterpress is a very popular option for printed pieces like invitations and involves making impressions on paper to create a raised surface out of lettering or design elements. Foil-stamping, another popular technique, is a great way to add metallic shine to your invite, and it is usually available in a variety of go ld, silver, and bronze tones which can be applied to any part of the design. A great way to create an intricate feel is having edges or elements of your invitation laser-cut into lace or floral-like patterns.Finishing options like the ones listed above can be costly, but there are several less expensive ways to add interest to your invite. Simply rounding the corners of an invite can help it feel softer and more custom-made. Printing a pattern or solid color on the blank side of your invite is also a great added detail. Instead of having your invite be a flat piece of paper, you could consider a folded card for your invite. Tri-fold designs are a popular option right now, and a bonus aspect of this design is it allows extra room for other photos and graphics to be added. Folded cards can add an element of anticipation as a guest opens and unfolds the invitation, and they also work well to contain other pieces that go along with the invite, like RSVP cards and maps to the reception.A s with paper stocks, talk to your printer to see what finishing options they have available and how much they cost. If youre crafty and have the time, DIY can also be an option to cut production costs- foil stamping kits, corner rounders and punches, and paper scoring tools can help you achieve your desired effect without spending a lot of money.Invitation suitesOne of the best ways to make your invitations feel professional is to create a cohesive package of all the different printed pieces for the wedding that all use the same design elements. Think save the dates, envelopes, RSVP cards, reception maps, programs, menus, place cards, and thank you cards. Having all these different pieces feel cohesive is an ideal way to reinforce the wedding theme through a guests entire experience, and itll save your clients time and hassle because they wont have to design every piece separately.PackagingFinally, consider the way your invitation will be packaged and sent to a guest. To secure the contents of the invitation together, consider using elements like belly bands, ribbons, twine, or lace to add a handmade touch and to allow the guest to easily pull the whole stack out at once. Custom envelopes that match the design are an easy and relatively inexpensive way to package everything up, but if your budget allows, sending your invites in a small or shallow box can really make an impression. For the address labels, printing or stamping the text directly onto the envelope or package looks professional, but handwriting adds a personal touch that your guests may appreciate. To seal your envelope, design a custom sticker with the couples initials or use a wax seal. Packaging is a great opportunity to think creatively and to try the unconventional.Overall, dont be afraid to think outside of the box for the design and production of your invitation- the right solution will make your invite stand out and be a beautiful reflection of the couples heart and character.