I finished my latest business card this week, without exception, it never fails to be a gut-wrenching experience. There are many ways that I can define myself, but my business card never captures any of them. This time the decision was made that Silver ink would be used as a 5th color. It was a natural fit, as it holds a special place in my heart and I am trying to sell the idea of the extra ink to every odd client. Note: Silver edge and text.

The ubiquity of silver in most forms of commercial design makes it a great second color for logos, promotional designs, etc. and with this in mind, we will be venturing through my imagination as I remember and illustrate a few good silver ideas. Note: as most monitors can’t display silver, I will be representing it with the gray from illustrators 877c swatch in the Pantone Coated Library. Additionally, all of these designs are vector as Raster Metallic effects will be covered in another article.

No. 1

This illustrates the use of silver in a background texture, in this case a fishnet like texture that will pick up light when the card is moved. To further the illusion of the fishnets, one may vary the frequency of the intersections making them closer at the ends to imply a roundedness beyond the gradient.

No. 2

Using Magenta, Black and Silver this card moves to the edge of taste. The type and flower imply serenity, while the colors including the silver(Background texture) make it memorable.

No. 3

Using 877c in real world objects is an excellent way to show purpose. I was so taken with the fence company signs, looking like an engineer had designed them, that I mimicked this in the card. The next step in this construction is to drop in a blurry background of a person’s yard or part of a house to complete the sense of fence-ness. The silver is in the fence and the gray lettering, an allusion to the metal.

No.4

Using solarized photos came into vogue in the late ’70s for some applications, and later resurged in the ’90s a bit. I at first didn’t like solarized photos at first, but there are really good examples. This is a concept that I was working with as an employee at a print shop, which through lack of resources I never printed. The silver should serve as both bright and medium gray counter-point to the rest of the photo. This will be revisited in the Duotone silver article later.

No. 5

This is a printed circuit board design that is both techie and aesthetic without being over-processed. The background is the first pass and would be lightened, with an ideal printing being on vellum with a translucent green. Then the silver would reflect and the green would transmit light.

No. 6

This card has the most potential of almost any of the designs. The gray will be 887c and in a perfect world, the outside (bottle) will be UV coated with the inside being matte. Furthering the impression of a bottle and a label. The outline/shadow of the lettering is also silver. This might also be a good candidate for foil stamping, embossing and/or textured paper.

No. 7

This is a high-concept card with many alternative processes, including: Spot UV on the plate and on the textured wallpaper. Silver ink for the silverware and some type. Emboss the plate down while leaving the silverware up. Use puff ink or a type of thermographic for the background texture instead of the Spot UV.

Silver is an excellent way to add value to a print job, logo or other investment without breaking the bank. It is best to talk to your printer or find one that specializes in printing silver (877c) or another ink called first down that is mixable with other printing inks. We will cover that in the next silver article.