Intercard is a small, family-owned printing house in Wroclaw, Poland, that specializes in work that requires special techniques and handcraft. Combining modern technologies with traditional techniques, years of experience and deep understanding of special papers and their qualities, Intercard produces printing products, such as business cards and branding stationery, as well as a wide range of custom products. Each year the company produces a calendar to showcase their expertise and present the various printing techniques and special papers it offers for potential customers, and for the second year in a running, Intercard chose the topic of zodiac signs.
A calendar designed with papers and printing techniques reflecting the characteristics of the zodiac signs
Following the previous year’s success, the topic of zodiac signs was chosen as the theme for Intercard’s 2020 calendar. The theme was received by interest and intrigue, as many enjoy learning about their particular characteristics under their zodiac sign while enjoying a beautifully designed and produced calendar.
“This subject seems to be very grateful, close to the human, and simultaneously it opens a lot of possibilities of applying technological solutions that allow us to present the nature of the phenomena in a symbolic way”, Intercard explains about the project.
The calendar was designed as a kind of a tutorial for advertising and branding agencies, presenting them with various printing technologies, while matching beautiful papers for each particular zodiac sign, reflecting the particular character and style of the element in a fun and inspiring way.
“When creating the calendar we were trying to put all components together so as to maintain a general message resulting from the chosen subject matter. But our main goal was to present the technological possibilities of our printing house on the basis of accessible materials (paper, hot stamping foils, printing technologies)”, Intercard says.
From the fiery golden papers for the fire element to the muted tones for the earth
Each detail in the design and production of the calendar is carefully thought out, from the zodiac sign illustrations to the specific papers, and combined printing techniques used. The details of each design echo the complexity and character of the particular zodiac sign, from the features of the people who were born within that period, such as expressiveness in Aries and sensitivity in Cancer, but also the natural elements assigned to them. The same criteria were used to choose the specific papers, and match the printing techniques and foil colors for the hot foil-stamped details.
For the element of fire – Aries, Leo, Sagittarius – glossy and matte mirror papers in a fiery golden color were chosen, including Mirror Gold Gloss laminated Munken Pure by Arctic Paper. For the element of earth – Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn – papers in muted tones of Galaxy Metallic, to resemble the sand of a desert, and Color STYLE Smooth and Munken with raw, natural finish, were chosen. The element of air – Gemini, Libra, Aquarius – was perfectly reflected by subtle papers in color and structure such as Galaxy Metallic Pearl White, laminated Munken Krystal, and Pur Cotton. While the element of water – Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces – utilized Mirror Silver Gloss, resembling the reflection of water, and Bindakote Silver Mat, resembling the surface of the ice.
Intercard used various printing techniques such as offset printing, embossing, debossing, screen printing, and hot-stamping, metallic hot-stamping, hot-stamping with matte pigment foil, and 3D stamping. But the beauty of the calendar comes from the masterful combination of all these aspects, that come together as a beautiful calendar.
Image © Papierowy Dizajn