You guys are fantastic! We asked for your ideas and feedback, and the emails rolled in. You confirmed some of the freshen-up plans we already had, and added some of your own interesting ideas and requests (yes, the new color names will be a little more “family friendly”).
Choosing new cover materials has been a big focus for us. I hate a messy desk, but have to admit I’ve had fun being surrounded by heaps of swatches! Stacks and cards and books of beautifully colored fabrics and leathers. Oh, the leathers! There are a couple of swatches so luscious I’d love to take them home and pet them once in a while.
We’re still finalizing choices and vendors, but things are looking good. Here’s a little info on what you can expect in our new cover options:
Simplicity. In our primary options, there will be many fewer choices. We want to make decisions quicker and easier for you and your customers. Our new swatches will be a collection of individual cards to allow you to create a custom set of your specific favorites, or just present all those of a specific material or color.
Rebalancing the rainbow. Some colors just aren’t in demand these days. And we were a little thin in some color families. So, we’re adding more blues, greys, purples, and wines. More icy-pale, classic and natural hues, contrasted with rich jewel tones.
Fabrics. You’ll have more soft, solid-color choices. Linens with a little natural texture, silky dupioni with lustre not shine, crisp buckram, and a dash of velvet.
Vegan Leathers. Short and sweet—these are such a favorite we’re adding more colors for you to choose from!
Leathers. We’ve developed a more contemporary palette of leathers. A mix of the best of variable top grain, uniform buffed grain, embossed for fun contrast, and dyed for great color. No matter the type we continue our standard of only using genuine, natural leathers. Unlike many album companies, we never use bonded leathers. All our leathers originate in Europe and South America and we source them from a small selection of ethical and environmentally conscious US leather companies. We make a point to work as exclusively as possible with domestic vendors.
Woods. We recently rounded out our collection of natural woods. Silky blonde bamboo and three tones of rustic barn board joined the classic birch, walnut, and cherry.
No need to panic. Some people love the latest and greatest, while others hate change. How to keep everyone happy? Instead of cutting you off cold turkey, we’re sending materials into semi-retirement. A Finao core value is to be where you can create unique albums, and we want to maintain that. Some of your old favorites won’t be part of our primary palette, but you’ll be able to find them in a custom order section of our website. So, don’t throw out your old swatches just yet. In a year we’ll take another look. The ones that are gathering dust will go quietly, and we’ll keep the materials that are still in demand.
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