Downey Angel Wings Christmas Card
It’s that time of year again. Lavish gold meets Fallen Angel in this striking Christmas card, created for our own annual client list. Shimmering gold foil coats the surface, combined with intricate embossing detail, making for a yuletide masterpiece. Read on to see how we created this festive piece.
The Client
This piece was made as our own personal Christmas mailer, or Christmas card, that we send out to our clients annually.
The Brief
Each year we craft a seasonal Christmas card. We have a tendency to get competitive with ourselves, and try and out-do the previous year - to create something that is both more daring and gorgeously festive. We like to push our own boundaries with our christmas card designs, and try out techniques, colour combinations and styles that we haven’t before. With this mailer, brought out in 2017, we did just that.
The Process
Evoking festivity at first glance is the rich metallic gold that encases these cards. The lavish nature of this gold, with its glimmering rich tonal quality, is due to the use of gold foil. Traditionally, gold foil printing is used to embellish and illustrate designs, providing a pop of colour or texture. However with this design we decided to go against the status quo and cover the whole card in gold foil. This is what gives the colour its luxurious opulent nature, making it a Christmas card that stands out when it lands on your doormat. Often we use our own in-house creations as prototypes where we try and test ideas and techniques. If successful, we bring these into our extensive design arsenal for future client use - to create invitations, packaging and stationery to name a few.
After being hit by the vibrant lavish gold, the bold angel wings are the second thing to catch the eye. These beautiful wings cascade down the card, making a striking statement combined with the gold foil texture. On closer inspection, the wings are extremely detailed. This precision is created with the use of embossing, which allows our designers to create pressed patterns and shapes in different materials. This is achieved by a brass tool that uses pressure to ‘damage’ the card, and create ridges and creases. What makes this design even more interesting ( which can’t actually be seen in this picture) is that on the flipside of the card, the embossing shape is left for the receiver to see. This gives an intriguing edge to the design - the recipient can see the process of the embossing, both in its finished form and the shape that creates it.
The combination of embossing and gold foil creates a textured surface that catches and plays with light. The use of light in our designs is something we always think about as it is a key way a design is experienced. Light and shadow is how we see and observe art, and therefore is a part of the making and impact of a final piece.
The Result
The outcome was a Christmas card design dripping with opulence and elegance. The spirit and magic of Christmas were captured in a card that wont be forgotten easily.
Christmas cards, Invitation Designs, Brochures and More
Are you looking for a Christmas card for your special event? Or perhaps you want us to create another design for your brand? Our experts here at Downey can cater to anything - whether you have a concept in mind or not. Please contact our team for information and guidance on how we can create a beautifully bespoke project tailored to you.
