If you or I make a bad investment decision, it most likely will feel like the end of the world to us, but the rest of society will continue to hum along just fine. Yet for those whose job it is to decide where money must go to support the crucial utilities and government services around us, it’s another story.
Wanting to entice these guardians of our infrastructure into attending a workshop on value-based decision making, (and hopefully into using their C55 software), Copperleaf Technologies sent them an invitation as intriguing as their potential clients’ jobs are important.
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Designed by Wian Branding and brought to life by Hemlock Printers, the invitation is actually a suite of four cards tucked inside an attractive folder, each piece reinforcing the Copperleaf name with exquisite copper-foil-stamped artwork.
Let’s start with that luscious mini-folder. Held closed with a small latch that tucks inside a die-cut slit on the opposing cover, it was printed black on the outside and warm copper inside, all on a 100 lb. Neenah Classic Crest, the stipple finish adding a subtle dimensional look. The iron-cross style fold holds the cards in place inside.
What truly brings the folder to life, however, are all the various ideograms and line drawings foil stamped on the cover. Representing everything from the power industry (wind turbines, pylons and nuclear smokestacks) to light bulbs and a rendering of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, the illustrations not only address the industries their clients are likely to work in, but also hint at all the different decisions they have to contend with as part of their job.
Upon opening the folder the recipient is greeted by the first of three snazzy cards offset printed UV Black on 130 lb. Classic Crest Stipple Cover, this one depicting the iconic mustache and mop-like mane of Albert Einstein, his first name appearing where his eyebrows should be. All around him float atomic symbols, mathematical formulae and other science-y stuff rendered in beautiful copper foil stamping. Turning the card over shows a simplified explanation of Copperleaf’s C55 software beneath a riff on Einstein’s famous “E = mc2” equation: “E=C55.”
The next two cards, devoted to Marie Curie and Leonardo da Vinci, take a similar tack. Yet it is with the fourth and final card that this package kicks it up that extra notch as it celebrates that greatest of over-achievers....you!
Here we find our own face looking back at us, thanks to the clever use of digital printing on 19 pt. GPA C1S Silver Foil Board, which also includes the recipient’s name in Black in the middle of the facial outline, mimicking the previous three cards. This is a particularly effective use of digital’s variable-data printing feature. And let’s face it, who WOULDN’T want to be lumped in with greats like da Vinci, Curie and Einstein?
Beyond foil stamping we have a wide range of foil options available to use today, foil board being just one alternative. Discover everything you need to know about this medium, as well as how it stacks up against hot, cold and digital foiling – download our free Foil Cheat Sheet right now!
Sabine Lenz is the founder of PaperSpecs.com, the first online paper database and community specifically designed for paper specifiers.
Growing up in Germany, Sabine started her design career in Frankfurt, before moving to Australia and then the United States. She has worked on design projects ranging from corporate identities to major road shows and product launches. From start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, her list of clients included Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Deutsche Bank, IBM and KPMG.
Seeing designers struggle worldwide to stay current with new papers and paper trends inspired Sabine to create PaperSpecs, an independent and comprehensive Web-based paper database and weekly e-newsletter. She is also a speaker on paper issues and the paper industry. Some refer to her lovingly as the "paper queen" who combines her passion for this wonderful substrate called paper with a hands-on approach to sharing her knowledge.