Playing Games with Foil

When preeminent online gaming impresarios High 5 Games needed new business cards—a special set made expressly for their Chinese team—they had two objectives: The cards needed to be as eye-catching as the fantastical imagery of their games. And they called for a palette of red and gold—colors that symbolize good luck and wealth in China.

From their cool metallic glyph logo to their bevel-and-emboss game signage to the points of light glinting off the innumerable precious metal elements and fantasy scenarios in their gamescapes, High 5 Games' branding calls for the shine and depth only foil stamping can provide in identity printing.

So many eye-popping gold gradients and glowing jewels;

so much dazzling digital gold leaf. 

The best way to translate 3D metallics and gradients from the digital realm to an IRL product is to print with a metallic foil stamp. Rather than printing out a full-color facsimile of a computer-designed gradient—which can look a little unconvincing—printing with a foil stamp provides an interactive element that brings the "hardware"to life. As you turn the card back and forth and see light hitting the foil from different angles, the gradient and the shine springs alive, glinting off the opaque metallic material heat-stamped into the paper. 

In addition to its shine and dimension, foil stamping's natural debossed quality also contributes to 3D effects on a business card. When you run your fingers over a foil stamp, you can feel how the foil actually pressed down into the paper—and since it's an opaque, separate material that sits on top of the paper rather than an ink that absorbs, it has a texture that feels precious, substantial and unlike any other printing technique. (Foil stamping can be combined with embossing for an extra raised and shiny effect, of course, but it stands on its own to luxurious effect.)

For this run of cards, the High 5 design team chose to pair their gold foil stamping with brilliant red Touché paper, a specialty matte stock with a suedelike finish that works stunningly with foil. It comes in a few extra-thick versions and can also be duplexed to any weight, as seen here in this double-thick duplexed incarnation for High 5. 

Well played, High5—this thick slab of velvety texture with luxury gold stamping is sure to turn heads in any country.