Foilco: Ikigai

During the pandemic Foilco created a new promotional card based on the Japanese concept of Ikigai. With the support of Takeo Papers (one of the most prestigious and oldest paper companies in the world), and in collaboration with Dave Sedgwick of Studio DBD, Foilco produced the card with the aim to help people not only understand new uses of stamping foils, but also illustrate that there are ‘life guidance’ concepts from other cultures that may help those not feeling ok in these unprecedented times.

The Japanese concept of Ikigai is the reason for being; the reason to jump out of bed each morning, and an ideology that the team at Foilco loved. Ikigai is a beautiful concept that helps people visualise how they can balance life’s priorities, reduce stresses, and live a life which is ultimately happier. The Venn diagram style concept is the perfect partner for this concept because it visually represents overlapping qualities; what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

Foilco have always followed a similar ethos, and when presented with the concept of Ikigai they realised a desire to share this message through print, and more importantly, through their foils. The idea of overlapping foils came to fruition quickly, and knowing that many may not realise that you can foil on top of other existing foils (to create unique colour), the team set about creating promotional material that respected Ikigai’s ideas.

“Each finished card includes 4 foils but due to the layering effect we have encouraged, the cards actually showcase 12 different finish and shade combinations. All in all, the Ikigai promotional cards showcase a total of 36 finishes, multiplying the possibilities that stamping foil can bring to a design… The Ikigai card series has been designed to encourage people to keep experimenting with stamping foils. It’s important that people understand that there is more to foil than just one impression and we’re working hard to push the creative limits of foil. The possibilities really are endless and in just this example, over foiling allows creatives to blend colours together, creating completely unique offerings. It’s nice to know that there are still combinations out there that may not have even tried yet and we look forward to seeing what people do with this knowledge”, says Jaime Evans, Marketing Manager of Foilco.

Wanting to stay as true as possible to the Japanese concept, Foilco teamed up with paper company Takeo, who graciously donated some of their Kihoushi U-FS deep rough 335gsm paper to the project, beautifully complimenting the layered stamping foils. Continuing the Japanese theme throughout, the cards’ folds have been die cut to reflect the stunning naturalistic shape of cherry blossom petals which, when folded together, create a blossoming flower that will unravel itself unveiling the delicate colour combinations inside. On each of these petals Foilco have included the layered foils as a single print, to present what they look like in isolation.

Due to the nature of the Venn diagram design, Ikigai was achieved through the use of an innovative ‘pocket die’ system crafted by Dreyer Kliche. The system allows for incredibly accurate alignment of stamping dies using a bracing plate, keeping everything secure whilst allowing the printer/finisher to rotate the dies without the loss of registration.

Images by Johnathan Beer Photography.

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