Ana Zilio designed these business cards for her personal branding as a freelance graphic designer based in Brazil.
This graphic designer’s business card is designed to convey a modern and friendly image. A thoughtful word puzzle is included to reflect playfulness and an iridescent foil effect for maximum visual impact.
A Playful Logo Design
After almost 10 years working for advertising agencies as a graphic designer and art director, Ana decided to take the big leap and work as a freelancer.
Due to that, she needed a branding to represent her new venture while introducing herself to future clients.
“I wanted a brand that’s minimalistic and easy to remember. My goal was to create a playful and friendly logo that matches my personality (and being a Sagittarius),” Ana said.
In case you’re wondering, the logo is indeed an inverted smiley face, which also represents the letter “n” found in Ana’s name.
“I made three versions for the logo: horizontal, vertical and round/seal. For both horizontal and vertical options, the ‘n’ represents the smiley face. That’s the way I’ve customized the font and always kept the playful side of the logo.”
“Also, it’s the emoji that I use most frequently across all social media platforms,” she added.
A Custom Typeface for the Logo
Ana created her own typography for the logo. She explained, “This way, I was able to keep proportions perfectly.”
“For the contact information on the card, I used Modulus Pro with some customized glyphs, such as the letter ‘e’ and ‘z’ from the logo.”
“Just like the logo, the aim is to have a clean, modern and minimalistic appearance.”
A Captivating Gradient of Colours
Ana has chosen a special gradient for her brand’s colour palette.
“I went for a fluent gradient of pastel colours that represent constant movement and evolution, just like inside an oyster shell.”
“A simple grain of sand turns into a pearl inside an oyster. That’s my approach with every project received. I hope to help small businesses have more value and recognition in their niches.”
Special Mini Game: Wordsearch
Ana’s business card has an interactive feature that stands out – she placed a word search puzzle at the back of her business card.
“I believe every designer is a puzzle solver, as we receive the pieces from our clients and try to find the best solution in developing the work.”
“Someone once told me that the business cards must be memorable or they’d wind up in the trash or with some random stuff. Hopefully, by including a word game, the recipient will spend a few extra seconds taking a look and trying to find some words from the puzzle.”
“There are nine words and acronyms hidden, including my lucky number. They are all related to the things I like and places I’ve been.”
The Printing of Business Cards
These business cards have not been printed yet because Ana hasn’t been able to find a printer capable of printing her cards using iridescent foil.
“I’d suggest having my business cards printed on 300-350g/m² matt white paper. One side is laminated with iridescent foil paper with white paint for the word search game, while the other side is just regular digital print,” Ana said.
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Check out our Business Card Categories to find more business card designs.
Designed by Ana Zilio
For Ana Zilio personal branding