Windows Distillery Business Cards Case Study
Project Info
Introduction
Windows Distillery Case Study: Custom Business Card Design That Strengthens Branding
This past spring, Windows Distillery in Sycamore, Illinois, approached us with a unique request: design luxury business cards that convey their brand identity for a product that was a year-out from its initial launch.
Windows Distillery blends and finishes spirits, including whiskey, gin, and vodka. Colleagues Chris Mayer and Mike Weckerly wanted a distinctive business card that would make a strong impact on clients, one that wouldn’t get lost in the plethora of cards that clients stash away in their wallets or bags.
Graphic Design of Business Cards
Both Chris and Mike wanted to pay homage to the industrial aesthetic of their company as well as the property’s storied past. Windows Distillery, located in BCM Industrial Park (formerly Sycamore Industrial Park), occupies the former Communications Cable Center of the Anaconda Wire and Cable Company, founded in 1890 and deeply entwined in the city’s history. In keeping with the innovative and visionary spirit of Windows Distillery, our design team’s inspiration was sparked by the vintage windows of Anaconda’s former fabrication mill.
Windows
Including actual windows on the business card is a notable feature of the Windows Distillery luxury design. The company logo, six square window panes of equal size, is a powerful visual representation that captures the Windows Distillery brand identity, establishing its place in the industry.
Initially, the windows on the card were going to be die-cut and left empty. In the end, we chose vellum to create “glass” windows that evoke the windows of the original brick factory structures. The result is a set of elegant yet industrial frosted panes that truly distinguish the business cards from any other.
Paper
The cards are printed on high-end, triple-layered coverstock paper to give them some weight, similar to a credit card rather than a traditional thinner paper used for business cards. We chose weighted paper because the card needed to be thick in order to contradict the vellum for the windows. Typically, coverstock has gloss or matte finish options. For this project, we went with a 32 pt. suede finish to heighten the elegance. This suede coating, similar to a velvet or soft touch finish, is matte with a smooth texture. When you hold the Windows Distillery business card in your hand, it feels like a luxury item.
Lettering
As light reflects off the card, the copper foil lettering produces an opulent shimmer. This foil lettering evokes the rich history of Windows Distillery’s location. Some of the principal products fabricated at Anaconda’s mill in Sycamore included copper rod as well as bare and tinned copper wire, cable, and copperweld conductors. These parts were produced on-site in the same facility that houses not only Windows Distillery but also another exciting future Windows Distillery project, the Copper Wire Event Space. In addition to paying tribute to the past, the lettering also references the copper barrels in which whiskey is distilled.
results: Not Just Business Cards
In a digital world where business cards simply aren’t used as often, the unparalleled Windows Distillery custom business card design by Green Closet Creative is a combination of form and function. More than just a way to share our clients’ contact information, this business card serves as a piece of art that elevates distillery branding while expressing the client’s visual aesthetic and its roots in Sycamore, Illinois.
Hermes Creative Awards – Platinum Award Winner
Green Closet Creative is thrilled to share that we received a Platinum Award from the prestigious Hermes Creative Awards for the website we created for Windows Distillery, recognizing the brand’s refined creative direction and cohesive identity. While the award honored the website, it underscores the distillery branding system that also shaped Windows Distillery’s luxury business cards and printed materials.
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