DESCRIPTION Primer Business Cards CLIENT Primer DATE June 2009 DESIGN CREDITS Brian Isserman and Lawrence O'Toole PRINT CREDITS RoyerComm TYPE CREDITS Bodoni twosix by Gerald Giampa and Gotham by Hoefler Frere-Jones

QUANTITY PRODUCED 3,000 PRODUCTION COST $2,000 PRODUCTION TIME 8 days DIMENSIONS: WIDTH × HEIGHT × DEPTH 3.5 in. × 2 in. PRINT METHOD Foil stamping PAPER STOCK Carnival Vellum 80 lb. Cover, New Black NUMBER OF COLORS 3 foils, white, silver and clear

Business cards are loved by designers and non-designers when nicely done. First impressions, memorable contacts and interesting conversations often start as one of these little pieces of paper are handed out. Brian Isserman and Lawrence O'Toole wanted to make sure they had a memorable card to put out--they started with a good vendor who helped them figure out what the best solutions were based on what they wanted to achieve. Here are a two valuable things they learned:

1. Using clear foil was a better solution than using black foil on black paper to mimic a high gloss texture.

2. Finding the exact combination of paper weight and stamp pressure ensures that no push through — when you can see the effects of the stamp on the other side of the paper — was created.

Finally, selecting a colored paper is no easy task, especially when it comes to black. So we asked Brian and Lawrence for a little guidance based on their particular needs:

The paper we selected for this project was ideal for foil stamping and fit the overall brand feel that we are trying to establish. We wanted to find a stock that was heavy and had a smooth finish while still having a bit of tooth. Another valuable aspect was the variety of companion papers and forms the Carnival Vellum stock came in. We wanted to plan ahead to make sure that the items we created in the future would match our existing paper choices. It is extremely important to think ahead when selected a stock to keep a brands identity consistent.

Very slick cards. Nice work and thanks for sharing.

However, I only see the white and the clear foils in these images, where is the silver foil that is mentioned in the stats?

Regards,
Gage

Gage - The effect is lost a bit in the photos. We wanted a way to emphasize our name and phone number on the cards. We used a white foil stamp and used a matte silver stamp for the rest of the text. When you hold a card in your hand it's a pretty dramatic effect when the light catches it.

Thanks for looking.

I wish my business cards were as cool as these. Nice work.