My brother recently turned 30. His wife decided to throw a surprise party for him, knowing beforehand how much he despises being the center of attention.
"Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new." ~Brian Tracy.
My brother's wife and I collaborated for a while during the lead up to the party. We first created birthday invites to be sent to all the guests. I designed the cards and would send them to her for approval. We went through multiple versions of various cards until we settled on one that was most like my brother. The man loves pirates, black, red, and gray.
That is the final version of his invite that we decided on. Feedback was tremendous from the guests. Everyone loved it and agreed that it couldn't be any more like my brother. I mean the guy proudly flies a Jolly Roger (Skull & Crossbones) flag from his garage. So proud, in fact, that he has several of his neighbors doing the same thing. He has created a little pirate-flag-loving community. It's awesome, hilarious, and terrifying for anyone who doesn't understand why there's a group of people living next door to each other flying pirate flags.
After the card went out, my sister-in-law thought we should have some type of guest book for the guests to sign as they walk in. Back to the design table I went and came up with another awesomely pirate themed product.
That's the cover and first two pages. I alternated every other page with a collage of images and a place to sign your name. On the signing page, it says "Scribe Ye Moniker 'N Leave a Memory if Ye Wish." Thanks to a quick Google search for "pirate translator," I found a bunch 'o websites offerin' free translation to shout like a scurvy pirate. I used burnt pages and scrolls to make it look like an old treasure map and added in the burnt edges around each photo to make it look like just that, that the photo has burnt edges. Magical, I know.
After we agreed on a final design for the book, there were only a few small details left to take care of (aside from renting the space, getting food, drinks etc) to make this pirate themed party complete. My sister-in-law ordered those fake tattoo sleeve socks (is it a sock? You slide it on your arm and it looks like tattoos), eye-patches, mustaches, hook-hands, and a million other fun little piratey things.
A few weeks before the party we had one final idea - to create this huge welcome sign as the first thing the guests (and guest-of-honor) see when they walk into the room. It would say "welcome to the party, sign the book." Something along those lines. Back to the design table. It didn't take me long and there weren't many drafts (if I remember, there weren't any drafts. The first design was the one we printed). I brought back the Jolly Roger, the black, the red, and the Pirates of the Caribbean themed font.
I had this printed as a 20"x20" wall panel and used an easel to stand it up right behind the signature book. Guests would see this huge monstrosity, get a chuckle, then sign the book. My brother - who thought he was coming out for a few drinks with me and some friends - saw it and immediately turned around and tried to escape!
All-in-all, the party went great. Everyone had an awesome time and loved all the attention that my sister-in-law and I paid to every little detail about the party. You only turn 30 once! Might as well do it big!!