Finishing School is a design studio based in Portland, Oregon that develops outstanding, affordable visuals for a variety of applications ranging from identity packages to product photography to custom invitations. Our aesthetic perspective blends an appreciation for the past with a distinctly modern, understated eye.

Things We Like
Mid Century modern furniture. Used bookstores (smell and all). The gentle giant: manatees. Paint Chips. Midwestern Skylines. Berets. Late-night life revelations. The color of peacocks. Pomegranate juice. Superior penmanship. A well-tailored garment. Recycled packaging. Oversized publications. Serif typefaces. Surprise parties. An excellent challenge.
Sustainifesto
We believe in consuming differently, and less. We believe that excessive profits make for bad business, not to mention bad karma. We believe that helping others to thrive helps us. We believe that marketing can be an agent of change- that our conscious choices can help to transform culture. We believe in FSC certified recycled papers. We believe in forging long-term relationships with local vendors. We believe in vegetable inks, green web hosting, word of mouth referrals, waste-free advertising solutions and giving back. Our lives are about backyard vegetable gardens, livestock as pets, dear close friends, making beautiful things, enjoying life and helping to make things better.
Updates
Hiatus
Hiatus

We’re on hiatus from new clients for the immediate future to focus fully on growing our other business, Pigeon Toe Ceramics. We appreciate your interest in our work and encourage you to email with any questions.

Customs Invites Coming This Way

We will be launching a new facet of Finishing School Design very soon as we expand our studio capabilities to encompass the growing interest in our work and our desire to share our designs with the world. First up will be a line of customizable invitations — for weddings, parties, et al. Spawned by my [...]

Spreading the love
Spreading the love

We hope you’re liking the changes we’ve made to our look and our website. A lot has changed since our first project as Finishing School Design way back in 2006, and we felt it was fitting to mark the occasion with a little sprucing up. We also thought we’d remind our friends and clients of [...]

New Website In the Works

Welcome to the beginnings of our new website. We’ve been weighing our options for awhile now trying to decide the best way to present our work after becoming dissatisfied with the functionality of our (albeit pretty) flash website. I’ve been suggesting Wordpress integration for a few different clients and friends who were looking for easily [...]