"Memory is our way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, and the things you never want to lose."From the TV Show The Wonder Years |
Couture Family Albums:
The idea for Couture Family Albums came while Melissa was an intern at Becker & Mayer Book Producers in Seattle, WA. Becker & Mayer is renowned for creating exquisite biographies which combine traditional biographical text with visual artifacts and reproductions of documents. The effect is a stunning, immersive opportunity to learn more about the lives of famous figures such as Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Tupac Shakur, Audrey Hepburn and more.
“I loved being part of the process that produced those books,” she recalls, “but at the same time I was having a sort of ethical quandary. Here we were documenting the lives of American pop culture royalty in a new way: but those stories had already been documented several times. I think it was great to be able to offer a new look into these icons’ lives, but at the same time I was becoming very interested in family genealogy and the biographies of everyday people which seem to be getting lost in our culture.”
When Melissa’s grandmother passed away in 2002, historical family documents dating back to the 1800’s were divided amongst 5 children. “I felt like there was an entirety to the story that was lost because of that. I looked at my “part” of the story that I would have to pass down to my children and I thought ‘but this represents only a little part of who my grandmother was. I was afraid they wouldn’t have the opportunity to “see” the whole story. I wanted to preserve that whole story. With the availability and affordability of technology, it was very possible for all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children to have that entire story to pass on to future generations, instead of the heirlooms being split with every generation, and the story becoming more and more fragmented.”
The book Melissa produced documenting her grandparent’s lives was meant to be a one-time family genealogy project. However, she was soon contacted by a family wanting to document their own lives in the same way for their grandchildren, as well as friends who had seen the album and wanted something similar done for their own families. As a result, Melissa has decided to make this unique design service available to families wishing to record their story in this unique way.
Components:
A Couture Family Album consists of the biographical document (including genealogy charts, etc.) interspersed with candid photographs as well as photographic documentation of items or locations (an heirloom locket, or a location photo or a cemetery headstone, for instance). Additionally, historical documents are scanned and reproduced to approximate their originals, and then worked into the book design itself, in a pocket or page folder. Historical documents may be any sort of family memorabilia, from wedding announcements to photo albums reproduced in their entirety, to passports, and are recreated to as closely as possible resemble the paper type, texture, and age of the original.
This doesn't have to be a family genealogy. The process can be used to create stunning, unique and comprehensive albums or a smaller scope, such as a wedding or the birth of a child. We would be able to take the same techniques of gathering the story, quotes, and artifacts to create an exquisite book. For instance, for a wedding, you could have your professional photos, candids, quotes from your guests, a CD or DVD, all in one place along with reproductions of your wedding and engagement announcement, honeymoon reservations, etc--- anything you would want to save from this special time to share with your children can be documented and preserved in this way.
Process:
The process for creating a Couture Family Album varies significantly, depending on what material the client has to start with. For instance, is there a member of your family who has written a family biography already, or will we be writing the family history for you based on extensive interviewing? Do you have your photos scanned, or will we be offering that service? We are willing to help you at whatever scope you need: from a full-service sort of situation where we gather and generate the majority of the content through interviewing and working with multiple family members, or a more removed approach where we would simply work with the material you have already collected. Another variant to keep in mind is the scope of the project: are you looking to create a family anthology that goes back five generations and covers the breadth of the family history, or are you looking to create something limited and specific to only one person, or even one event? (Please keep in mind that while we offer asset-gathering services, we are not a genealogy service and are not able to research your family history for you, but to simply help facilitate the consolidation of family information that you possess and prepare it in a digital formal suitable for this process.)
Quantities:
The great thing about doing a Couture Family Album is that it can be ordered in any quantity: from 1 to 100. That means that all the members of your family can have access to the same family historical materials, and pass them on to generations to come!
Timeline:
While it makes for a tempting Christmas or Anniversary gift, creating something of this scope and quality is not a quick project. Please be aware that it may take 6-8 months minimum to gather all the material and deliver a finished book.
For more information, or to receive a customized estimate for this service, please contact us. We will need to have a detailed discussion about your goals as well as the materials that you have in order to give you an accurate estimate for a project.
The idea for Couture Family Albums came while Melissa was an intern at Becker & Mayer Book Producers in Seattle, WA. Becker & Mayer is renowned for creating exquisite biographies which combine traditional biographical text with visual artifacts and reproductions of documents. The effect is a stunning, immersive opportunity to learn more about the lives of famous figures such as Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Tupac Shakur, Audrey Hepburn and more.
“I loved being part of the process that produced those books,” she recalls, “but at the same time I was having a sort of ethical quandary. Here we were documenting the lives of American pop culture royalty in a new way: but those stories had already been documented several times. I think it was great to be able to offer a new look into these icons’ lives, but at the same time I was becoming very interested in family genealogy and the biographies of everyday people which seem to be getting lost in our culture.”
When Melissa’s grandmother passed away in 2002, historical family documents dating back to the 1800’s were divided amongst 5 children. “I felt like there was an entirety to the story that was lost because of that. I looked at my “part” of the story that I would have to pass down to my children and I thought ‘but this represents only a little part of who my grandmother was. I was afraid they wouldn’t have the opportunity to “see” the whole story. I wanted to preserve that whole story. With the availability and affordability of technology, it was very possible for all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children to have that entire story to pass on to future generations, instead of the heirlooms being split with every generation, and the story becoming more and more fragmented.”
The book Melissa produced documenting her grandparent’s lives was meant to be a one-time family genealogy project. However, she was soon contacted by a family wanting to document their own lives in the same way for their grandchildren, as well as friends who had seen the album and wanted something similar done for their own families. As a result, Melissa has decided to make this unique design service available to families wishing to record their story in this unique way.
Components:
A Couture Family Album consists of the biographical document (including genealogy charts, etc.) interspersed with candid photographs as well as photographic documentation of items or locations (an heirloom locket, or a location photo or a cemetery headstone, for instance). Additionally, historical documents are scanned and reproduced to approximate their originals, and then worked into the book design itself, in a pocket or page folder. Historical documents may be any sort of family memorabilia, from wedding announcements to photo albums reproduced in their entirety, to passports, and are recreated to as closely as possible resemble the paper type, texture, and age of the original.
This doesn't have to be a family genealogy. The process can be used to create stunning, unique and comprehensive albums or a smaller scope, such as a wedding or the birth of a child. We would be able to take the same techniques of gathering the story, quotes, and artifacts to create an exquisite book. For instance, for a wedding, you could have your professional photos, candids, quotes from your guests, a CD or DVD, all in one place along with reproductions of your wedding and engagement announcement, honeymoon reservations, etc--- anything you would want to save from this special time to share with your children can be documented and preserved in this way.
Process:
The process for creating a Couture Family Album varies significantly, depending on what material the client has to start with. For instance, is there a member of your family who has written a family biography already, or will we be writing the family history for you based on extensive interviewing? Do you have your photos scanned, or will we be offering that service? We are willing to help you at whatever scope you need: from a full-service sort of situation where we gather and generate the majority of the content through interviewing and working with multiple family members, or a more removed approach where we would simply work with the material you have already collected. Another variant to keep in mind is the scope of the project: are you looking to create a family anthology that goes back five generations and covers the breadth of the family history, or are you looking to create something limited and specific to only one person, or even one event? (Please keep in mind that while we offer asset-gathering services, we are not a genealogy service and are not able to research your family history for you, but to simply help facilitate the consolidation of family information that you possess and prepare it in a digital formal suitable for this process.)
Quantities:
The great thing about doing a Couture Family Album is that it can be ordered in any quantity: from 1 to 100. That means that all the members of your family can have access to the same family historical materials, and pass them on to generations to come!
Timeline:
While it makes for a tempting Christmas or Anniversary gift, creating something of this scope and quality is not a quick project. Please be aware that it may take 6-8 months minimum to gather all the material and deliver a finished book.
For more information, or to receive a customized estimate for this service, please contact us. We will need to have a detailed discussion about your goals as well as the materials that you have in order to give you an accurate estimate for a project.
