Last spring, as part of my ridiculously long hunt for a job for after graduation, I decided to make myself a set of business cards to hand out along with my resumes at job fairs. I knew I wanted something that would stand out with recruiters, and reflect my personality.
After researching tons of crazy business cards, and coming across an origami-inspired business card from a local designer, I came up with a crazy new concept: a business card that doubles as a paper airplane. Years of folding paper airplanes as a kid came in handy as I experimented with the best approach to my folding card, as I iterated my initial design. I knew I wanted my business card to be able to fold flat like a traditional 3 1/2″ x 2″, so it wouldn’t be cumbersome for employers to deal with when in ‘business card mode’. That required using thinner card stock with no gloss layer, and coming up with a folding mechanism to hold the wings of the plane in place while folded up.
As it turns out, a modified version of the old standard- commonly known as the Dart– was the best fit for the dimensions I required. I tested my folds with standard inkjet paper, and when I was satisfied with my technique I applied it to my thin card stock. I had already printed my design onto the card stock in advance, using my original paper model as a template for art placement, and cut out the cards using an X-Acto blade. Once the cards were cut out and folded (I had to wear latex gloves while folding to prevent smearing the ink), I made the small nick into the bottom of the card’s ‘fuselage’, where the left wing would slip through to hold itself in place when in Business Card Mode.
Awesomely enough, with just a small amount of scotch tape wrapped around the nose, my cardplanes actually flew when in Paper Airplane Mode. Actually, they flew awesomely (ha!), and I never had any trouble making an impression on employers after introducing myself with one of these babies. Mission accomplished.
The design for my cardplane, with fold marks.
Cardplane folded flat in Business Card Mode.
Cardplane in Business Card Mode, next to standard business card for scale.
Cardplane with wings opened, in Paper Airplane Mode.
Cardplane ready for takeoff.
What Is?
Hey! I'm Mike, this is my blog. and my dream is to use my middling tech skills to make the world a better place (not in the techno-libertarian, "the world is a better place if I get mine" sense, but in the actual, "I want to help" sense).
