Origami Business Card

This is one of the projects I’m most proud of. It’s a simple, unique, and if I may say so, well executed.

The inspiration came from seeing 3D printed ‘business cubes’ - literally large die-shaped blocks 3D printed with low-res text that were carried in a small bag. From that though, I started wondering if I could do something similar, but better. Making it out of paper would hopefully mean it could still be folded flat and placed in a normal wallet or card case, while also allowing access to better printing options. I spent an afternoon prototyping with some paper, scissors, and tape to prove out the concept, and then a few evenings fine tuning the design.

To simplify the production, the entire card is made in one pass on a laser cutter - text, artwork, scored lines for bending, and of course the actual shape. You can see a picture of the fully flattened card fresh out the laser below. I then fold it together, using a little rubber cement to hold things in place. The final dimensions match that of a standard business card, even though the starting layout is several times larger.

The card lays flat until the left and right edges are squeezed towards each other, at which point the card expands into the cube shape. The top and bottom surfaces interlock, so the cube holds its form unaided. The locks can be undone with a sharp tap on the top and bottom surfaces, collapsing the cube and letting it be stored flat again.