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The Passion of the Card Leadlight Series Self Promotion by Rebecca Burt

The Passion of the Card Leadlight Series Self Promotion by Rebecca Burt is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Bronze A' Design Award in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Competition Category.


BronzeGraphic· 2020

The Passion of the Card Leadlight Series Self Promotion

by Rebecca Burt

Client: Flexicon

Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Graphic Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #90602

Colors

The Design

About The Passion of the Card Leadlight Series Self Promotion

Stained glass windows are beautiful when backlit by the sun and also a unique way to showcase this design and printing process. These business cards are virtually hand made. Silk screen printed on a clear plastic stock and then dried one colour at a time. Clear areas are treated as a colour unlocking the full design potential of the stock. A pearlescent seal and UV overgloss complete the process and create sophisticated effects. The design really comes to life when the cards are held up to a window.

The Recognition

About the Bronze A' Design Award

The Passion of the Card Leadlight Series Self Promotion is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. The Passion of the Card Leadlight Series Self Promotion is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. The Passion of the Card Leadlight Series Self Promotion splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.

Interviews

Design Interview

What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

The beauty of this project is in the story. Evan Reiman was an Entrepreneur and Screen Printer by trade and was taught these skills by his Father who was an influential figure in his life, but who had passed away. This series was a memorial to Evan’s father who was the last person in New Zealand to complete an apprenticeship in creating lead light windows, so the inspiration was to honour his memory by creating a special series of cards we felt passionate about. Sadly, Evan has now also passed away – so they are now a double memorial and tribute.

What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

To bring a story to life whilst illustrating the design capabilities and technical production excellence. Stained glass windows are beautiful when backlit by the sun and also a unique way to showcase the design and printing process. The design really comes to life when the cards are held up to a window. I researched images as they would be telling the story and evoking emotion. The objective was to capture the feeling of the awe and wonderment you feel when observing stained glass windows backlit by the sun. Although there is no religious message in the project, I was looking for strong imagery that would not only showcase our passion for the cards, but would invoke a feeling of quiet contemplation, as if the observer was in a cathedral, appreciating the craftsmanship and remembering a loved one.

What are your future plans for this award winning design?

No plans – they are memorial pieces now. The business Flexicon is no longer in existence and I am no longer involved in these products.

Read the Full Interview

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties
These business cards are silk screen printed on a clear plastic stock, then dried one colour at a time. They are virtually hand made. Utilising a process called Opaque Barrier Technique, clear is treated as a colour to create a myriad of effects. A pearlescent seal and UV overgloss were added to complete the design. The design really comes to life when the cards are held up to a window, just as a stained glass window comes to life with the light shining through.
Dimensions & Packaging
Stock is clear PVC plastic. Width 55mm x Height 90mm.
Tags
Brand Identity, Business Card, Screenprinting, Graphic Design
Production Technology
Clear effects were designed into the PVC plastic unlocking the full design potential of the clear base stock. Artwork was formatted using a unique and highly-skilled process that ensures accurate registering of colours, positioning and the sequence of ink layers before film is output. Cards are silk screen printed and dried in racks with each colour pass, embellished with a pearl seal, UV overgloss and then die cut.
Design Challenge
The most challenging part of this design activity is the production of the cards. Preparation of the artwork files for film output has to be 100% accurate. The screen printing can be challenging as each colour is printed and dried on a rack before the next colour can be added.
Research
I researched images as they would be telling the story and evoking emotion. The objective was to capture the feeling of the awe and wonderment you feel when observing stained glass windows backlit by the sun. Although there is no religious message or meaning behind the project, I was looking for strong imagery that would not only showcase our passion for the design and print process, but would invoke a feeling of quiet contemplation, as if the observer was in a cathedral, appreciating the craftsmanship and remembering a loved one.
Inspiration
The purpose behind this project The Passion of the Card Leadlight Series, was to illustrate the design capabilities for premium plastic business cards. Evan Reiman was an Entrepreneur and Screen Printer by trade and was taught these printing skills by his Father who was an influential figure in his life, but who had passed away. His Father was one of the last people in New Zealand to complete an apprenticeship for making stained glass windows, so the inspiration for these cards was to honour his memory by creating a special series of cards we felt passionate about.
Project Duration
Project took 6 weeks from design to production completion. Designed and printed in Auckland, New Zealand.
Operation Flow
Designing on a clear substrate means transparent or opaque colours can interact from side A to side B, creating sophisticated effects that traditional paper cards cannot deliver. The substrate will outlast a paper card and have less wear and tear.
Team Members
Evan Reiman.
Image Credits
Image #1: Photographer Aaron Lang, Product Photography
Image #2: Photographer Aaron Lang, Product Photography
Image #3: Photographer Aaron Lang, Product Photography
Image #4: Photographer Aaron Lang, Product Photography
Image #5: Photographer Aaron Lang, Product Photography

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