About Goldfinch Design

Goldfinch Design is run by Sally Basterfield.

Sally is a seasoned designer with a wealth of creative experience. 

Sally specialises in the creation of bespoke stationery, including wedding stationery, hand-drawn maps, illustration and graphic design.

The company is keen to develop joyful and thoughtful work through close collaboration with clients looking for something a little different. Consequently the company’s work ranges from small businesses requiring a logo to couples looking for unique wedding stationery and party planners with ambitious ideas for the ultimate in luxurious and bespoke event stationery.

 

Harrogate Map Wedding Invitation - corner detail shown with buildings and The Stray
London skyline invitation corner detail with red postbox and black cab

Are you having a Harrogate Wedding?

 

Goldfinch Design is based in Knaresborough, near Harrogate in North Yorkshire. We are happy to meet up and discuss your stationery/design requirements if you are based nearby. However, we also work happily with clients from further afield.

We regularly work with clients from further afield and have successfully worked for businesses and couples from New York to Melbourne as well as those closer to home in London, Brighton, Glasgow and York.

 

Do you need London Wedding Invitations?

 

Many of our clients have been based in London and we have worked with them to create all kinds of London-based wedding invitations and day stationery. From London maps to London skylines, we can work with you to create a bespoke invitation perfect for you and your wedding. Please see a selection of our London wedding stationery here.

 

New York and London wedding invitations featuring skyline of both cities
Ibiza boarding pass wedding invitation showing wallet, ticket and event passport all in a bright blue and orange coloursheme.
monogram wedding invitation with lime green circular stamp

Would you like to find out more about Goldfinch Design?

Please see our list of FAQs below for answers to some of questions we have received. However, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your question, we are always happy to help.

General Questions

 

Q. How long does it take from ordering my invitations to delivery?

Delivery times do vary and depend on our current workload, the printer’s workload, the complexity of the design, the number of elements in a stationery set (for example do the wedding invitations also need further information cards, RSVP cards including?) Basically, we aim to deliver as quickly as we can. Six to eight weeks is a good estimate but please do get in touch with us for a more accurate answer. If you need something fast, we’ll always do our best to accommodate your requirements.

Q. Do you offer a bespoke wedding invitation design service?

Yes! It’s where our roots are and it’s something we seriously enjoy. We have worked with couples on a wide-range of stationery in a variery of styles.

Q. Can I have a map drawn for my invitations?

Yes! We love drawing maps! Please take a look at our bespoke maps page by clicking here.

Q. Can we commission you for a bespoke illustration?

Yes! We do commissions. Please get in touch for a chat.

Q. I need my invitations in a hurry, can you help?

Yes – if we can fit you in without compromising quality, we can help. Please contact us.

Q. Where are you based?

We work from a studio just outside of Harrogate, North Yorkshire. But we work with clients from across the country and indeed the world.

Q. Do you have a testimonials page?

Yes. Please click here.

 

 

Paper and Print

 

Q. Do you design and print letterpress invitations?

Yes, we do. We offer stationery in all print forms from digital, to litho, to thermography and letterpress.

Q. Can you provide digital-only designs?

Yes, digital files are not a problem. We can supply whichever file type you prefer, at whatever resolution you need.

Q. What paper/card stock do you use?

Our preferred paper and card stock is GF Smith Colorplan. This is an FSC certified paper/card stock made in the UK. It is a beautiful, matt range of paper and card in a variety of wonderful colours and weights from writing paper to thick board. It has the added bonus of matching envelopes. However if you have a specific paper or card in mind, we are more than happy to work with your preferences.

Q. Can you provide samples?

Yes, we have samples here we can send to you without charge. Please email the studio to find out more at hello@goldfinchdesign.co.uk. Please provide details of your name and address and we can put some samples in the post to you. If you have certain print types or card types in mind, do let us know and we will aim to tailor the sample pack to your interests.

Q. My handwriting isn’t the best, can you print guest names onto invitations?

Yes! As long as your stationery is digitally printed, we can print guest names onto your invitations. All you need to do is send us an Excel spreadsheet and we will do the best. We can even have names and addresses printed onto envelopes should you wish! We’d also happily stick the stamps on to should you want us to.

Q. I don’t understand paper and card weights, can you help?

Yes! The best thing to do is request a sample pack from us – it includes a range of card weights which we highly recommend for printed stationery. It’s a very tricky area to clearly communicate online as it’s quite a personal thing but basically, the bigger the number, the thicker the card or paper.

 

Small Business Queries

 

Q. Do you for design work for small businesses?

Yes, designing logos and branding for small local businesses is something we enjoy doing. We can work closely with you to design whatever you need, to your budget. Please see our graphic design page here.

Q. Do you design Instagram Posts?

Yes, we can design Instagram Posts for you – whether that’s a template that you work with or a set of images for you to upload, we’re happy to work with you to create whatever your business needs.

Q. Can you design a logo for me?

Yes, we can design logos.

Q. Can you alter my logo for me?

Yes, we’re more than happy to alter existing design files as needed.

Q. Do you design reports / power point presentations?

Yes, we can happily design or provide templates for reports and power point presentations if you would like to take them off your to-do list.

Q. Do you make business cards?

Yes. We can create business cards for your business, as well as compliments slips, invoices, letterheads and any other stationery you require.

 

 

Pricing

 

Q. How much are your wedding invitations?

Pricing varies so much – with stationery, there is a vast array of options all of which can contribute to costlier or cheaper costs. If you are interested in working with us, we will always work with you and your budget to find a way to producing stationery that is both beautiful and appropriately priced.

Q. What are the most expensive types of invitation?

Letterpress print on a heavy weight (540gsm or 700gsm) board would lead to the highest prices for invitations.

Q. Do you print in small quantities?

Yes! Small quantities are absolutely not a problem, whether you need one invitation or a hundred, we provide the same quality of print and service.

Q. How do you take payment?

We provide an invoice for 50% of the total cost at the start of project. This can be paid via bank transfer. Once the final files are approved, we send the invoice for the outstanding balance. Once this is paid, we can release the digital files to you or send the files to print for delivery to you.

Q. Can you print addresses onto envelopes?

Yes! We’re more than happy to print names and addresses onto envelopes. All we need from you is an Excel spreadsheet sending through.

Q. Do you print onto really thick card and board?

Yes! If you’re after a truly luxurious piece of stationery, we can sort that out for you. We’ve printed many designs onto 700gsm board, which is always a joy.

Q. I only need 8 wedding invitations, can you help?

Yes! We are happy to create wedding invitations in any quantity and have produced as little as 6 for one wedding.

 

Guidance

 

Q. I don’t know where to start with my wedding invitations, can you help?

Yes! We’re here to guide you through the stationery design process if you need us! We have a lot of experience and are happy to help with whatever questions you have.

Q. Do I really have to send wedding invitations?

No! If you would feel happier sending your invitation by email, text or other method, do it! Wedding invitations are lovely to send, and people do enjoy receiving them, but if it’s not your thing, then don’t do it. Your wedding should be right for you.

Q. Do I have to order all of my stationery through you?

No! If you’d just like a bespoke map drawing, we’re happy to do that. If you only need place name cards for your wedding day, that’s not a problem. In contrast if you would like to order everything through us from save the dates, through to invitations, table names and thank you cards, we can sort that out.

 

Wedding Stationery Queries

 

Q. I don’t want white or cream card for my invitations. Can I have another colour?

Yes! We welcome colour! We have a vast range of colour card options and ways to bring colour into your stationery designs. Let’s us know what you would like and we can gather some samples to post to you.

Q. Do you design table plans?

Yes! We can produce table plans, no problem.

Q. Which wedding stationery items do you design?

We can design anything needed for your wedding. Generally we design save the dates, wedding invitations, RSVP cards, further information cards, custom maps, orders of service, wedding day itinerary boards, table plans, table name cards, place names, thank you cards and any other signage required for your day.

Q. Do you design Orders of Service?

Yes, we have designed many orders of service, especially for church weddings. Generally, the designs have a card cover with four inner pages however it is possible to have four, eight or even twelve inner pages should you wish.

Q. Can you design matching Thank You cards?

Yes, we can design thank you cards to match your wedding stationery.

Would you like to get in touch? Please just email us at hello@goldfinfinchdesign.co.uk or call the studio on 01423 223987 and we will be happy to help.

We contacted Sally with a very tight deadline for our invitations to be designed and printed. Having come up with a wide range of original and interesting initial ideas, Sally transformed these into an amazingly personal design. What impressed us most was that Sally really understood what we were trying to achieve and was prepared to amend the design until it was just right. Her attention to even the smallest details was superb. The finished product was even better than we expected and looked so professional. We cannot recommend Sally highly enough. We are sure she will create something equally special for you!

A & P

Wedding Invitations