Our Story

How did all this get started?
Vignette principals Mike and Shona come from very different backgrounds, but their early experiences planted seeds for their personal and professional lives together. Shona was raised in Mendocino, CA, where she showed an early interest in entrepreneurialism. At the age of 12 she was marketing herself as a trustworthy babysitter, business cards and all. Several odd jobs later, including one offering snail-picking services, she realized she wanted to own her own business. Mike’s father was a purchasing manager for large companies and from an early age Mike was exposed to corporate collateral. Product samples peppered his childhood. Annual reports and mail order catalogs were casual reading. Their curio cabinet featured gems such as engraved paper weights, logo-laden cutlery and other limited-edition corporate mementos. As a result, Mike’s sense of home involved advertising and he was able to translate it into a knack for developing creative corporate communications.

In 2008, Shona and Mike met while attending a professional conference in Portland. She was a designer and he was a video producer and they immediately hit it off. Two months later, they went on their first date. Six months of dating resulted in a snowy proposal. The two married in formal attire at the Portland courthouse in February of 2009.

Shortly after the wedding, they had a baby on the way. While deciding how to handle Shona’s business during her maternity leave, there was the fabled light bulb moment. In the spirit of weddings and partnerships, they joined forces, merging ALPHA Multimedia Solutions & Eye Design Studio to form Vignette Brand Communications.

Project #VIG09101
The Lepis’ first collaboration was their hand-crafted wedding invitation in the theme of an interoffice mailing envelope & memo, with a timecard as the RSVP. Inspired by old-fashioned personal records and featuring hand-stamped milestones such as when they met, their engagement date and other romantic reports, the invitation was well-received. The design did cause a few misunderstandings. One invitee thought he was being subpoenaed. Another mistook it for tax documents and avoided opening it for weeks.

What’s up with the name?
Vignette takes its name from the hand-hewn aesthetic associated with vignetting in photography. It also refers to the high-impact short scenes that share that same moniker. Both meanings are representative of our approach to work. Whether collaborating on product launches with large corporations or organizing events for retail lifestyle brands, we approach everything with the enthusiasm we brought to our very first project.

Vignette’s mission is to elevate branded communications by creating an environment where our employees and clients feel valued, understood, challenged and engaged. Meet the team that makes this happen.