This could be the least expensive way to make a unique branded impression!

Posted on 20. Feb, 2010 by Paul in News

When I stumbled upon this design (showcased among the great examples at the Origami Resource Center) my mind was on fire with ways to use it — see below!

Business Card Origami Cube by Paul Jackson
Reprinted with permission

If you have an ample supply of business cards and want to do something creative with them, you can make business card origami cubes. Each cube requires 6 business cards. These cubes are easy to make and look great but they are not terribly stable and cannot be tossed around.
  1. Take two business cards and stack them perpendicular to one another.
  2. Fold the edges of the bottom card up and around the top card.
  3. Separate the cards and repeat until you have 6 folded cards.
  4. To assemble the cube, place one folded business card on the table as shown. This will be the base of the cube.
  5. Slide two business cards onto the bottom card (one of the left and one on the right). The small folded flaps should lie on top of the base of the cube.
  6. Slide in a folded card to form the back of the cube. Note that the flaps of this card should slide into the inner side of the cube, touching the left and right walls made in step 5.
  7. Slide in the 5th business card to make the front of the cube. Again, notice that the flaps should slide into the inner side of the cube (they should not be visible from the outside of the cube.
  8. Finish the cube by sliding the last card on top. The flaps should touch inside of the front card and the inside of the back card of the cube.
  9. Done!
Note: In step 1, you need not stack the cards dead center, thus, you can position the cards so that a logo or your name will be at the center of the cube face. A very interesting and pretty conversational piece.

As promised, here begins the “fountain of applications” inspired in my mind from this idea:

  • What a branded conversation starter on your desk or cubicle in the office, on the dashboard of your car, or at a trade show booth!
  • Now there’s a way to get the attention of a prospective client or customer who ignores your email and phone messages.  Either stop by his/her office and leave it with the receptionist, or put it in a shipping box and mail it!
  • While sitting at your local coffee shop listening to a friend catch up, or to impress a new client or prospect, ask if they can spare 5 more when they give you their business card. Naturally, they’ll ask why you want them — just say “I’ll show you at the end of our coffee, now go ahead and let me know what you wanted to share with me”. Then, pass the time over the next 40 minutes by making a fold here and a fold there, then nonchalantly handing it back to them and asking if you can have one more to keep for your files :) . Trust me, you’ll be remembered — in a good way!

This is a great justification to increase the size of your next business card order (given the economics of printing presses, doubling your order typically costs only 10-15% more, whether from 100 to 250 or from 1000 to 2000).

If you’re tickled by this idea, please take a moment to write a comment below saying why. And if (when) you come up with new ideas, please come back and share them — whether you have gotten results yet or not!

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