My super good friend, Farooq Karim, is both an accomplished and prolific architect AND a really spectacular artist. So I was very honored when he asked me to create a design for business cards for his artistic endeavors.
His art is a spectacular fusion of intricacy and precision with the subtle variance introduced by each piece being hand cut and placed. He hand makes his frames from various forms of corrugated cardboard and other recycled materials. Then he hand cuts and places every single one of thousands of flower forms. The result is magical.
As I thought about how to represent Farooq’s artistic style through a business card, I realized that I would never be able accurately transmit his art. However, it should be possible to transmit the essence of his style. I had him send me several images of his signature, which is very architectural, and I zoomed in on the individual elements of his art.
Farooq decided he wanted to have cards printed by MOO. They have a custom size called “MOO Size” that is 3.3″ x 2.16″. MOO allows a single design front and multiple design backs in the same order. I digitized the signature and cleaned it up a little. Then I made a “monogram” from the “F” and the “K”. Farooq’s favorite color is purple, so I selected Pantone 254C.
Putting it all together there is a single front with just his signature. This carries his architectural sense and the influence it has on his art. The backs carry the monogram, his contact information in “A Day Without Sun” font, and the five different flower forms I took from an actual piece.
