PPB August 2019

Can you share with us the history of origami and kirigami, the origins of Chao Cards? Although they are very similar, origami and kirigami have some slight differences. Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes, while kirigami is a form of origami that includes cutting paper and assembling without glue, rather than just folding the paper. Both origami and kirigami grew from Japanese culture and became very popular in almost all of Asia. Vietnamhas a rich history of unique, traditional, handcrafted art, such as embroidery—the art of stitching thread into an image—and sand art, the art of pouring colored sand and powdered pigments to form a sand painting. Paper art is another common form of handicrafts in Vietnam that are inspired by kirigami and origami, which is then converted into a card. This is where Chao Cards was founded. How are the cards made, how big is the average order and how long does it take to produce? Our pop-up cards are 100 percent customizable. Starting with our client’s ideas, we work with them to understand the intent of the card (self- promotion, thank-you card, etc.) From the client’s ideas, we send the design through our special software, which creates the artwork. The artwork is thenmade into a visual rendering, which must be approved by the client. Once the visual rendering is finalized, production of the cards begins. The paper is first laser-cut, and then each piece is hand-assembled to create our beautiful pop-up cards. Our minimum order is 120 cards, with production time for each order being about two weeks. Why did you decide to open the Chao Cards factory in Vietnam, and what are the benefits of working from this location? As a refugee fromVietnam, it has always been my dream to help the land I came from. With a rich history of handcrafted products and the skillset of the artisans, it was a natural fit for us to start up Chao Cards in Vietnam. In addition, we are able to contribute to the continuation of the Vietnamese tradition of handcrafts to future generations. Danielle Renda is associate editor of PPB . The Art Of The Card About Chao Cards Founding Date: September 2016 Principal: Dat Dang, founder and president Average number of cards manufactured per month: 30,000 Most popular item: architectural cards 1 Chao Cards works with their clients to develop a design based on the idea or intent of the card.The concept is sent to Chao Cards’ software, where the artwork is created, along with a virtual rendering. 2 Once the rendering is approved, production begins with laser-cutting the paper. 3 Then, each piece is hand-assembled to completion. 4 The completed cards are then placed into special packaging based on the client’s specs. 1 2 3 4 | AUGUST 2019 | 69 CONNECT