A bunch of cards in a pile
A pack of our favourite invitations from Salone del Mobile 2010
(Image credit: TBC)

With over 1500 exhibitors at the Salone del Mobile, the world's best designers know that their invitations are the first representations of the products they've spent the year refining. Invitations ranged from the elegant to the humorous and this year there was no shortage of artistry in these oversized calling cards. Here are some of our favourites from Milan.

A card with text on

Invitation for Wallpaper* Handmade... in Italy, printed on Japanese washi paper, designed by graphic design and letterpress specialist Kelvyn Smith

(Image credit: TBC)

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A Japanese Cypress luggage freshener from BCXSY

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Elegant black and white flip cards from Bottega Veneta

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House of Stone preview invitation from John Pawson and Salvatori

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Geometric origami from Arketipo

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Wood print invitation from Kristiina Lassus, Harri Koskinen, Hannu Kahonen and Anne Kyyro Quinn

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A card cut out of a hand

Skitsch beckons us to its first birthday party

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Newspaper-style invitation from Moncler featuring a collage of comics and clippings from The China Times on the front page

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Simplicity from Studio Nitzan Cohen for Mattiazzi

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Dizzying stripes for Design Miami and Fendi’s Design Vertigo

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Graphic card from Patricia Urquiola and Giulio Ridolfo for BMW, Kvadrat and Flos...

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... while embossing adds texture to the invitation inside

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ClassiCon celebrated 20 years with a chronologically mapped presentation of their pieces

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A card with number 6 on it

Laser-cut invitation from Established & Sons...

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...while the Established & Sons and Stella McCartney dinner invitation is given special treatment

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Illuminating poster for Wonderlamp by Studio Job & Pieke Bergmans

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A card with text on and an ice cube tray

The Boffi invitation comes complete with an ice cube tray

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Die-cut layers from Living Divani

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Neon orange type from Scholten & Baijings...

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A card with leaf on it

... and on the back, a textile leaf on paper

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