Push Papers

We may surround ourselves with technology—iPods, BlackBerries, and Treos—but we are still drawn to pretty writing papers, chic journals, beautiful pens, and distinctive greeting cards. Most of us don’t look on the back of the cards we buy or pay much attention to the brand name on our journals or boxed cards. If we did, however, we’d find that some of the hottest names in paper products are from Minneapolis.

Northeast is home to dginventive, the social expression division of Diversified Graphics, owners of the Mara-Mi line of cards, as well as the Paper Prince, Roobie, Paper Salon, and World of Journals brands. Flipping through DGI’s current collection of a dozen catalogs, you’ll be amazed at the thousands of products created or produced by this under-the-radar company that’s tucked happily away on Central Avenue.

Things heated up recently when DGI entered into licensing agreements with Marimekko and Jonathan Adler. At a New York stationery show last year, DGI’s booth caught the eye of reps from both companies.

Fans of Marimekko know that the Finnish design house’s bold graphic patterns aren’t new—but the signature bright, saturated colors that first caught the public eye in the 1960s are again de rigueur. Despite lines of linens, clothing, tote bags, pillows, and tablewares, Marimekko had no stationery collection. Jonathan Adler, the guru of mod, first made a name for himself with mid-century-influenced pottery sold through Barneys. That led to home décor, furniture, interior design projects with hip hotels, and boutiques bearing his name in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, and LA. With consumers becoming ever more passionate about paper, Adler and Marimekko, hoping to stretch their brands, took the plunge into paper goods.

The addition of the two heavyweights to its spring catalogs, combined with an already impressive assortment of card, journal, and paper lines, has propelled DGI to the head of the manufacturer pack. Next up are collections from pajama queen Karen Neuberger, Minneapolis’s Thymes (in design collaboration with Duffy & Partners), and Thomas Paul, who’s known for his graphic use of cameos, birds, and flowers on bedding, rugs, pillows, and plates. All of which extends our connection to a favorite designer—or introduces us to new ones—but also helps us express our moods and tastes through our personal correspondence.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, isn’t receiving a striking card a nice break from all that text messaging?