A respected sourcebook for inspired business card design, the latest edition in Rockport’s best-selling series presents “the most current and innovative work by top designers worldwide.” Sibley/Peteet Design of Austin, Texas, was tapped by Rockport to review thousands of entries from more than 25 countries and choose 400 of the very best for inclusion in its 240-page hardbound anthology.
Even in the digital age, the book emphasizes, the diminutive business card plays a vital role in bringing people and organizations together around the world: “Business cards tell a story; they open doors; they make a statement; they answer questions; they connect; they unlock and initiate conversation; they provide information and serve as an extension of one’s self.” Fuel’s two winning entries - including the design firm’s own business card and one created for client Cedar Ridge Vineyards - achieve these objectives with their artful integration of visual and tactile elements.
The Fuel card effectively conveys the firm’s identity through several related components. Lead designer Bill Bollman explains that the card was a deliberate attempt to avoid the possible clichés associated with the word “fuel” in order to create a more timeless effect. “We wanted something more tactile and out of the ordinary that said, ‘We offer something completely different.’ It’s not a literal representation of the idea of fuel, but something that captures our unique character.”
In addition to a hole-punch of the “fuel” wordmark, the card features a subtle Braille emboss of the word “refine” and is printed in a palette of rich metallic inks, which offer a more textured finish than traditional inks. “We don’t have a typical visual icon,” Bollman says. “We have a wordmark and a color palette - also used in our design space - that is understated, yet has a feeling of sophistication. The combination of visual and tactile dimensions gives a sense that Fuel makes a distinctive and permanent impact, yet the card doesn’t overwhelm our work for our clients.”
Fuel’s other entry, designed for Cedar Ridge Vineyards, an award-winning Midwestern winery and distillery, clearly demonstrates the design collaborative’s commitment to understanding and capturing each client’s unique identity. “Jeff, the vintner, is a craftsman and chemist who did research all over the world to create a hand-crafted product that is a blend of local and exotic flavors,” says Bollman. The winery is named after the ridge where it is located, and a cedar tree illustration created by Fuel is a key visual element in the company’s logo design and product labels.
On the business cards, winery staff members’ names and contact information are incorporated into Cedar Ridge labels that appear to be “tipped,” or hand-applied, to the card. Photographs of the vineyard emerge as ghosted monotones in the background, and the Cedar Ridge seal is hand-embossed at mid-card, imparting a sense of the company’s preference for time-honored traditional wine-making methods over mass production. The overall effect of the card, which is printed primarily in earth tones, is to communicate the exceptional appeal of the vintner’s hand-crafted, small batch approach to producing fine wines and spirits.
Fuel is a design firm that specializes in brand strategy and identity development. To learn more, please call 319.393.7739 or email John Moes at jemoes@fuel-inc.com.