Each year, the president of The University of Alabama holds a President's Dinner, a formal event for donors and university dignitaries. In 2020, the event was to be held at the location of Tuscaloosa's newly unveiled monument to Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy. 

As a team, my design office was assigned the task of creating the invitation and our marching orders were clearly defined. Whatever we came up with, it needed to be dynamic.

After a thorough brainstorming session, we landed on the classic “pop-up book” design. When opened, a 3D Minerva would extend from the center of the fold, creating a small diorama of the statue and its surroundings near the Black Warrior River. To add detail and a splash of flair, metallic foil was added to Minerva to accentuate its reflective nature.  The river and the foliage, as well as the stone walkway around the landmark, were illustrated using a combination of Photoshop, Illustrator and Procreate.  

For the front of the invitation and the copper envelope, we decided to have a more minimalist touch. The card featured a stamped outline of Minerva’s gesture on black. The words “President’s Cabinet” were printed in copper foil to match the envelope and the copy on the inside. 

The end result is a complex, highly engineered, design that works both as an invitation and a keepsake that attendees could enjoy as a remembrance of the event.