Play the right card!
By Pat McGrew | On PRINTlovers 101
Pat McGrew, founder and managing director of McGrewGroup, Inc. and MC2 Services, is a well-known industry evangelist in the printing world: with over 30 years of experience in the industry, she supports clients in achieving success through communication projects. We also know her for the suitcase with which she travels the world, always full of samples of the latest innovations in the printing world: in this column she opens it up for PRINTlovers readers.
Finding new ways to showcase a brand is the daily search for every marketer. Even the things that work well can start to seem mundane. That is when it is time to add some spice! One format often missed is the humble card format. Ask anyone engage in Pokémon or other card-based adventures, cards can take on their own value. They can also serve as a showcase.
Playing cards can be used as simple brand-promoting giveaways. Everyone knows the template for a traditional set of cards. The magic comes on the back of the card with a simple or embellished brand logo or get creative and be more product focused. One set I have included instructions for how to play poker variations.
Some of the best decks are those that use the format for education. These can still promote a brand or product, but some are the product! The Design Deck (https://www.forrestgoods.com/shop/the-design-deck) created by Ben Barrett-Forrest is a brilliant multi-functional deck where every card is a playing card but also features design concepts on every card. Another is A Guide to Typography designed by Caisa Nilaseca for Design Taxi. Using the same concept of playing card with education, each card features typographic terminology. I keep both on my desk! They are great for those times when you are searching for an idea or concept but don’t have the right keywords to form a usable search prompt. They are well-produced and thoughtfully designed!
Card formats can be any size if you don’t want them to be used as true playing cards. Consider the deck created by the team at The Boxmaker to help clients understand the options for customized corrugated boxes and displays. As a digital corrugated producer, they wanted to show that full color and personalization could be part of the packaging story, but they had so many variations and ideas, it was hard for the sales team to decide what to take on sales calls. Enter the deck they called Reveal Your Fortune with the Deck of Digital!
Inside the box are large format cards printed on corrugated stock. Each tells a story of the ways digitally-printed corrugated solutions can help a brand tell their story. They are printed on both sides in color using the same equipment The Boxmaker uses in production.
Think about your clients and their customers. Think about how any brand could bring a new pop to their campaigns by adding a deck of cards. For playing cards, think of the fifty-two things you would want to share! Even if your print partners do not have the needed finishing, there are plenty of folks in the trade who produce beautiful playing cards!
If you have the coolest print sample among the work you have commissioned or produced, let me know. I am always looking! Reach out to me and I’ll be delighted to tell your story!
31/05/2024
