This Paper Ship is an illustration, design, and photography studio in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina, created by husband-and-wife team Joel and Ashley Selby. Having competed against each other to get BFAs in graphic design at Shepherd University, they eventually discovered they worked best as a team, and launched This Paper Ship in 2009 as a small Etsy shop. Now they work with clients locally and internationally with a wide variety of assignments, from custom hand-crafted wedding invitations, to identity design for a line of artisan chocolate bars, to illustration for a new hip iPhone app. They pride themselves on versatility and their promise to work with clients on any budget, big or small.

Their diverse work combines hand lettering, illustration, graphic design, photography, paper craft, and printmaking; their playful, colorful, and sophisticated work is influenced by Mid-Century illustration, Victorian typography and printing, Swiss design, and photography that tells a story. They maintain a strong commitment to traditional drafting and printing materials while shaping the trends of the contemporary art world.

For weddings they offer a wide variety of custom hand-drawn and hand-crafted items which are uniquely made for each client and printed in house on environmentally friendly papers. Some popular items include wedding invitations, programs, wedding keepsakes, save the dates, reception signage, banners, stamp design, etc.

They also offer wedding photography! Check out their photography portfolio on their website! You may receive discounts on multiple large orders (such as purchasing invitations and photography).

They have done work for DIY Bride, Wedding Jo Jo, Cincinnati Wedding Magazine, and have been featured on Wedding Style Guide Magazine (Australia), Green Wedding Shoes, Weddings Unveiled, and more!

They would love to work with you!