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Mini biography Recognized with the Best of 2010 for Excellence in Stationery by Wedluxe Magazine, published in Applied Arts Magazine, Weddingbells, & Coupe Magazine, and winner of the Gold Award for Young Achievement in Visual Arts in 2008 by the Chinese Cultural Centre of Toronto, Deborah Lau-Yu is a passionate designer-story-teller through her highly original and beautiful graphic work. Known to friends and family as a passionate artist since she was a child, Deborah created her first piece of correspondence when she was 3 years old. By age 5, she scribbled hand-drawn barcodes on the backs of her homemade cards. She endulges in art and design, and naturally spreads her love and appreciation for art, paper, and printing to those around her. Deb received her Bachelors degree from the University of Waterloo, majoring in Urban Planning & Design, where she excelled in the area of design & spatial concepts. She proceeded to pursue her love for drawing and curiosity for design at York University, where she graduated at the top of the class and obtained her Masters in Graphic Design. In 2006, seeing a lack of original, creative, non-template and truly personal social correspondence, Deb naturally began her journey as a small business owner. She designed artistic, one-of-a-kind hand-crafted invitations for weddings and special occasions. Invited to participate at juried shows in her community, she quickly gained a solid reputation for personal customer service and impeccable eye for detail. To her family and friends, she was a hard-working artist who hoped to one day change the world with her designs. In 2008, she graduated in graphic design, with 3 prestigious scholarship awards, and had winning work published in 2 major magazines. 'I love to inspire people. In my design work, I strive for originality and depth so that the stories that are translated are compelling and offer meaning & insight on life.' — Deborah Life is too short to not pursue your dream. Despite the most difficult time in her life, Deb decided to fully embrace her calling by taking a huge step. She opened a boutique studio-storefront in the upscale neighbourhood of Unionville in Markham, Ontario: PALETTERA™. This is where she and her team spend their days designing, creating, and hand-crafting beautiful work in-house; Deb is keen on the practice of making in a local context. She keeps her designs warm and uniquely detailed, by developing and drawing each concept by hand, from creative inception to the physical product. Deb is committed to developing the tradition of letterpress printing, and offering a truly bespoke design process that holds high standards for quality and luxury. She gives her clients the opportunity to work with a passionate designer who can capture the story and spirit of each client in their stationery projects. 'Some women delight in fashion, food, or perhaps designer bags. To me, nothing is more lovely to hold thana beautiful hand illustration letterpress printed onto pure cotton paper. '—Deborah Deb continues to research and experiment on her 1905 vintage press, as she builds her body of work. She finds inspiration in almost everything around her. Her recent travels to New York and Hong Kong also offered fresh perspectives on material culture, cross-cultural design and production. Deb's work is not stuck to any particular style, because she believes that a good designer is not tied down to one style. Rather, her life's work is about developing her designer voice. She likes to combine traditional elements with a fresh a innovative perspective, such that her designs honour the past but direct us forward.Deb has completed hundreds of custom tailored projects for weddings & private events, community galas, corporate identity/branding and novelty packaging and custom art pieces. Regardless of the project type, Deb enjoys producing stunning, never-seen-before work that gifts her audience with profound beauty and meaning. 'If you have a dream, you must absolutely chase it to your utmost — until you live and breathe it.' — Deborah
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