black and white

as a less-experienced designer, sometimes i feel odd just using black and white in a design. it's necessary, especially when a client's budget is low, but i often think, "am i slacking off for using just black and white? will the design look incomplete?" i've come to realize, however, that black and white can present constraints that force you to be more creative, than simply relying on color to make the design look good. it also implies a certain sophistication, as evidenced in this stationery/id set for EightHourDay, a two-person firm based in minneapolis. (source: HOW, may 2010)