announced by @acidyo and without further ado let’s get to the topic. After reading the very short briefing and condensing the requested features in Acidyo's contest post I decided to go for an overall bright, fresh and light image. What you are going to see first is a base design of the HIVEside and the DISCORDside next to each other and then we‘ll go through them individually plus a few variations.
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Base Design
Format - 85 x 55 mm
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HIVEside - Base
This is my base design for the HIVEside of the card and that fresh blue color is not just used as a contrast for the word #HIVE to jump right in your face and lead your eye to the smaller “Scan To Enter” call to action, but as a connection to the DISCORDside on the back.
HIVEside - Variation 1
This variation uses the highest possible contrast instead of the fresh blue.
HIVEside - Variation 2
To complete the options, here is a third version, with everything in the same red tone, except the QR code, because it simply works best with high contrast.
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The QR Codes
Having a simple plain white field for inserting standard QR codes might be kind of the standard how everybody does it, but i think there are visually more appealing and working ways to implement QR codes that visually stand out from the standard. Don't Panic! The QR codes are easily customizable by anybody and if my design should make it i'll provide you with everything necessary to generate and fit in different QR codes in SVG or PNG format or i'll do it for you.
For the front i decided to use a dot matrix as a nice contrast to the mostly straight lines of everything else. Another conscious decision was to not use the HIVE logo inside the QR code on the front, because the logo is everywhere on all sides already so i thought i keep it clean on this side. On the back on the other hand, I put the DISCORD logo inside the QR code to make it immediately clear on first sight that this is a different link, and as you can see, I used a more "Asian" looking style for the QR code matrix. Those QR codes don’t always have to look so cubic and boring as you can see here and they can easily be customized to make a visual difference for each community and country!
Both QR codes are functional btw. One takes you to hiveonboard.com and the other opens up the actual Discord invitation link of the @hiveph community. Get your mobile out and give it a try!
Now let's move on to the DISCORDside of the card with the features that have to be customizable for the particular community in which they will be used.
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DISCORDside - Base Design
This is the base version as you’ve seen at the top already. For the main color on this side I used that fresh blue with the HIVE red from the original logo as the contrasting color. The first customizable feature is a simple text field with the country name, which keeps the design quite clean.
DISCORDside - Variation 1
As an additional customizable graphical feature i used a part of the background graphics as a mask to fit in the flag of the Phillipines in this variation. This can of course be customized to whatever country flag is needed as you can see in the two examples below.
DISCORDside - Variation 2
To complete the options here is a second clean variation this time only with the flag instead of the country name.
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The Slogans and alternatives for the HIVEside
Concerning the text or slogans on the cards i thought about what's really necessary to be on them in the context in which they are used. Since they are supposed to be handed out directly from person to person in an onboarding conversation (if i understood the briefing correctly) they don't need to tell the whole story and instead need only be a takeaway and a clear reminder of what they are for ... the link to go for it and make the connection. Short, big, on the spot, easy to read and fast to comprehend, that's all these cards need in my opinion and that's what i went for.
The slogans for both sides on the base design were immediately in my head when i started thinking about the design and while working on it i had a few alternative ideas for the HIVEside i don’t want to hide from you so here they are:
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Conclusion
Now it's up to the jury to decide whether they like my visual approach. All the important features are there and i think i managed to achieve my idea of an overall bright, fresh and light image for this eye grabbing little business card flyer giveaway.
Independently of which design is going to win the contest let me give you a little advice about the grammage and finish of the paper you're going to print on. Do #HIVE a favour and not print on the thin and glossy 170g paper just because it's cheap, because in the end this is exactly what it feels like for the recipient of the card, cheap like the flyer from the delivery service of a restaurant at the corner. Please, go for a matte or semi gloss finish with at least 350g or more, you won't regret it when you get the feedback!
For the technically interested: The Software i used to design the cards is Affinity Designer 2 for iPad and the device i used is an iPad Pro 11” 3rd Gen M1.
Got feedback? I'm looking forward to read yours in the comments and wish all participants a lot of fun producing their designs. May the best and most useful design for this initiative win.
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• Thank you for checking in • • Stay Healthy • Stay Open Minded and Curious • • Wherever you are • Wherever life takes you •
@acidyo and without further ado let’s get to the topic. After reading the very short briefing and condensing the requested features in Acidyo's contest post I decided to go for an overall bright, fresh and light image. What you are going to see first is a base design of the HIVEside and the DISCORDside next to each other and then we‘ll go through them individually plus a few variations.
@hiveph community. Get your mobile out and give it a try!