Mok Duk (pronounced “Mock Duck”) is an original line of custom invitations, greeting cards, and art prints designed by Anne Benjamin. Mok Duk invitations appeal to fun, creative, design-oriented, laid-back clientele interested in a memorable design experience.AOur design styles are unique and highly versatile, and can accommodate a wide range of events from elegant dinner parties, to casual backyard barbeques. Mok Duk invitations are comprised mostly of hand-printed screenprint and letterpress projects.These old-world print methods produce superbly warm, tactile results. We also offer engraving, die-cutting, hand-painting, simple sewn bindings, calligraphy, and custom envelope lining.

Anne Benjamin is the founder and principal designer of Mok Duk custom invitations. A Chicago native, Anne’s creative work as an illustrator, graphic designer, and printmaker lead her into the colorful world of invitation design. After earning a degree in graphic design from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Anne learned letterpress, screen-printing, and other print methods through the vibrant Chicago printmaking community. Her design sense is broad and playful, drawing from the art deco, art nouveau, and pop art movements, classic children’s book illustrations, Japanese printmaking, vintage animation, nature documentaries, and funny-looking animals.AThe unique aesthetic of Mok Duk invitations stems from Anne’s facility for hand-drawn type, organic and fluid shapes, the brushed line, and textured drawing styles.

Anne’s design and invitation work has been featured in Brides Chicago Magazine, Brooklyn Bride, Daily Candy, Design Sponge, The Knot and Style Me Pretty.

Mok Duk custom invitations are designed from scratch and handcrafted exclusively for each client.Every project begins with research and information gathering, moves onto brainstormingAand exploring concepts, and ends with developing and finalizing designs.With an eye on the client’s budget, materials and printing methods are chosen to fit the overall design scheme. We offer a range of standard paper options from economical packing chipboard to Crane’s beautiful 100% cotton papers, and exotic/specialty options from Japanese prints to hand-made artisan papers. We also have green options for the ecologically conscious.

Our old-world, labor-intensive printing methods produce sophisticated, one-of-a-kind results. More about our printing methods:

Letterpress: This outdated form of relief printing, invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439, enjoyed a revival in the late 20th Century when the design community brought it back to life as a hands-on alternative to intangible, impersonal digital media. Letterpress is characterized by its "punch," the impression the printing plate makes on the paper surface, and by its mottled ink coverage, which produces an earthy sumptuous feel. At Mok Duk, we print on a century-old Chandler & Price cast-iron platen letterpress.

Screen-printing: Screen-printing is one of the earliest methods of printing. It first appeared in a recognizable form in China somewhere between the 10th and 12th Centuries. Later, Japan and other Asian countries advanced the craft by using it in conjunction with block printing and paints. Screen-printing involves the passing of ink through a mesh screen that has been stretched on a frame, and to which a stencil has been applied. It is the ideal choice for producing large areas of deep, flat, and saturated color. The line quality of screen-printed images is precise, and their aesthetic has a graphic, controlled feel, making it the favorite method of contemporary poster artists since the 1960’s.

Engraving: Engraving is one of the oldest and most elegant “intaglio” printing processes, dating back to the European Middle Ages. Developed as a method for reproducing images and illustrations on paper, engraving involves etching text and artwork onto a metal plate. During the printing process, the plate is coated with ink that fills the grooves created by the etching. The plate is then wiped free of excess ink and pressed onto a piece of paper with a tremendous amount of pressure. The ink transfers to the paper and dries raised on the surface. Engraved images are very crisp and clean and produce amazing detail.
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Digital Offset: Invented in 1903 by Ira Washington Rubel, offset printing is a printing technique wherein an inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket, and then to the printing surface. Digital offset printing works without the use of plates and is an economical, time-efficient printing method that produces perfect color registration and consistent images with little impact on the environment.

+ Birth Announcements
+ Party Invitations
+ Personal Stationery
+ Holiday Cards
+ Moving Announcements
+ Wedding Packages, which may include:

- Save The Date Cards
- Invitations
- RSVP Cards
- Map/Directions Inserts
- Printed Envelopes
- Menus
- Ceremony Programs
- Escort Cards
- Place Cards
- Coasters
- Rehearsal Dinner Invitations
- Booklets
- Printed Tote Bags
- Thank You CardsA
- Signage
- Vinyl Wall Stencils
- Wedding Certificates
- Commemorative Posters

We will guide you through the design process step-by-step. Since our custom invites often reflect the personal history and shared experiences of our clients, it is important for us to get acquainted with your taste and style and learn about the aspects of your life that you want to see reflected in the design scheme. Whether you have a specific concept in mind, or a collection of rough ideas, we will build a personal design scheme from the information you give us about your wedding, anniversary party, baby shower, or other special event. From start to finish, the design and production process takes about 4-5 months, so leave plenty of time before your big day. But if you require a quicker turnaround time, we will do our best to accomodate you.

1. Initial Meeting: Hello There!
The first step is to meet in person (or via phone and email for out of town clients) and simply share information about your ideas and inspirations. We encourage you to bring images from books or magazines, fabric swatches, color chips, or any other visual reference you find. To aid the getting-to-know-you process, we will email an event-specific questionnaire prior to meeting, and discuss it in detail when we see you. We’ll go over the nuts and bolts of your design package – number of guests, which pieces you want – discuss the theme and tone of your wedding or celebration, briefly explore materials, and show you samples of our work.

2. Design Proposal and Quote: Hatching a Plan
Based on the design package, we will put together a proposal and quote and email them as a PDF to the client. The proposal and quote will include deliverables, production specifications and timeline, and an estimate of the total cost.

3. Moving Forward: Shaking Hands
Once the proposal and quote are approved and a service contract is signed, a non-refundable 50% deposit is required to begin work. This is the time to send any text you want to include in your design package. All text should be sent electronically to ensure precision. If you need ideas for the content of your invitations or announcements, we can offer guidance based on traditional and non-traditional wording.

4. Concepts: First things First
We will provide 3 design concepts using the invitation as the basis for your entire design package. Concepts will be mailed as a PDF. At this stage, the concepts are rough and meant to demonstrate options for the design style, layout, and materials.

5. Choosing a Direction: When Stars Align
Based on the client’s feedback on the design concepts, we will develop and refine a single design direction, incorporating any changes we have discussed. Once the design direction is established and approved by the client, we will flush out the design to all the components. The client will also review all paper, envelope samples, materials, and ink colors to be used.

6. Finalizing the Design: Crossing the T'sA
As the design comes to fruition, we will send at least 2 rounds of PDF proofs to the client. Once you are completely happy with the design, we will email the final proofs. Upon signed approval of the final proofs and production specs, the design will go into production. Cancellations occurring after final proofs are signed will require full payment.

As your designers-for-hire, we will provide you with the most open, collaborative, and creative design experience possible. If a brilliant idea hits you in the middle of the night, let us know about it the following morning. If you have questions or concerns, share them with us and we’ll help resolve them. We understand that our work plays a key role our clients’ lives – weddings, births, anniversaries, graduations, and more. We are honored to take part in these pivotal moments and want you to have a fun, relaxed time with us.

You can contact us at 773-412-9343 or anne@annebenjamin.com.