Slice Card 3.0: A Panorama to Posterity
The new Slice Card has hit the market and it is receiving rave reviews from every nook and corner. Why? The design, chiefly!
Thrilled and humbled at the same time, I’m so grateful to be able to convert a piece of plastic into something that is alluring to young Indians.
For those of you not familiar with Slice, it is a fintech startup focused on redesigning the financial experiences of young Indians.
So, let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of the new design.
In the Beginning, was the Word(s):
“When?”, “Wow!,” “Can’t wait!”, “Amazing!”
Well, my heart was in a state of deep contentment upon seeing the initial, warm reviews for the revised card design. But what added the cherry on the cake was that majority of the reviews stressed on the visual aesthetics of the design.
In the Labyrinth of Forking Design
To strike the perfect balance between Slice’s DNA and our partners’ branding guidelines, one cannot but work under limitations. But as the saying goes, only challenges breed creativity. The more limitations/restrictions I had, the greater was the creativity that sprouted from me.
Most design routes were strictly defined and dictated by Visa’s herculean brand book. The only leeway I had was to subtly play with the colours, our logo, the position of the NFC symbol, and the cardholder name. And that’s exactly what I did: traversing through aeons of permutations and combinations of the unwed constituents.
The approach of mixing and matching flexible elements with respect to the immutable components gave birth to an invisible grid system that helped me achieve what I was looking for. The smallest details matter the most and it’s a no brainer! Hence, the design was sought out keeping in mind that every infinitesimal detail is incorporated with precision.
Numero El Peso
There was a huge in-house debate on whether to keep the numbers or eliminate them to further simplify the design. Of course, it can be accessed through the digital application! However, Indian youngsters were (and are) not ready to face a sudden transition. We realized that moving the numbers to the rear of the card in our previous design puzzled many users. So, removing it entirely would definitely be a bad move.
The Quick Read Format by Visa was one of the best developments to happen in the history of card design. The vertical number configuration was just a portal to initiate an exploration into uncharted territories that are deemed dangerous and deviant. Even then, pairing the numbers and security code on the same side is not a good idea. We tried to negotiate with Visa, but it was a dead end. I really hope that Visa takes this into consideration though. But all things considered, it was NOT a deal-breaker for me as a user.
Past experiences have taught us that having separate designs for Physical and Virtual Cards will perplex the customers. So, the next challenge was to design a similar looking Virtual Card to be used inside the app. Much to our relief, we cracked it in a few trials as the iconic Quick Read Format by Visa did more than half the job.
Casting in Clay and Cloaking the Bride
Forgot to mention something important! We slightly tweaked our brand colour to make it more energetic. We’re gradually bringing the new purple to every touchpoint with the release of this new Slice Card 3.0. We will also be expanding our palette in the coming months to mould a memorable visual delight into the brand’s identity.
The card’s material comes with a sprinkle of violet stardust. The name and numbers are engraved with a metallic material to make them shine in the light. This will not only make the overall texture look more premium, but also mark a progressive step away from the old fashioned technique of embossing.
In a world where companies are competing to be innovative in their packaging strategies, the new Slice Card Packaging is also something unique. It’s designed to be minimal and greener in an effort to reduce material wastage and cost, yet the card is a freebie for Slice Members. Isn’t that great?
Now, I’m eagerly waiting for customers to start sharing their hands-on experiences of the card. Nothing would thrill a man more than watching YouTubers unbox his creation and sing gospels of trust and aesthetics. Honestly, I’m counting down the days to unbox it myself and feel the final product in my hands.
On a side note, I’ve written another blog on the general rules of Card Design. So, if you’re interested, you can check that out here.
TL;DR: Slice Card has a new look.
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To see more of our work, check out Slice App on Android and iOS
If you have some thoughts on this or want to know more, feel free to get in touch with us at design@sliceit.com
