13. About Nexus, a Business Card Holder for 70 Cards

This time, I'd like to share the thinking behind how 11DROPS business card holders are made.

In business, a business card holder, just like your clothes, is an important element that shapes your first impression when greeting someone for the first time. When you don't yet know each other well, visual information carries a lot of weight, so in a sense this may be unavoidable.

Do I look neat? Do I seem sincere? Do I seem trustworthy?... Meeting someone face to face for the first time makes your heart race, doesn't it? I'm exactly the same, and I still get nervous.
A card holder used in such moments must, of course, look beautiful, but it also needs practicality: a structure that supports smooth movements and enough capacity. From the maker's side, it is an item that demands a surprisingly challenging design.

I myself have used many different business card holders over the years.

I changed what I used depending on my position at the time, but there were also moments when I felt small frustrations.

Things like: "Choose a compact one and it doesn't hold enough cards," "Choose a high-capacity one and it's big and bulky," "It stands out a little too much when I'm with senior people," "It opens by itself in my bag and the cards get damaged," and "Depending on the angle, it's vulnerable to impact."
They are small, everyday annoyances, but if 11DROPS were going to make a card holder, we wanted to address these users' concerns and create something that could be used smartly in any situation. That was the thought behind starting development.

That said, the number of cards used and how often cards are exchanged differ greatly between people who are often out of the office, such as salespeople, and those who work in the office. So this time we planned two different types, and decided to start development with the high-capacity model.

While pursuing comfort of use, the first thing that came to mind was the seemingly contradictory ideal of being "sleek yet high-capacity." Wondering whether such a thing was even possible, I racked my brain over the overall structure of the card holder, and, as expected, things didn't go well for about half a year.
After repeated prototyping, what I finally arrived at was a "continuous gusset" with a unique spring-like structure. The gusset part looks neat at first glance, but the key point is that when the folded leather is stretched out, it actually uses quite a lot of material.
By adopting a mechanism whose thickness changes flexibly according to the number of cards stored, I worked on a design that stays slim when there are few cards and firmly keeps its square silhouette even as the number increases.
This was because the gusseted card holder I used before would swell up into a round, ungainly shape as more cards were added, and I wanted it to keep a beautiful silhouette even when filled to capacity.
Also, to prevent it from opening accidentally in a bag, I gave the body a magnetic closure, ensuring stability so that the flap doesn't lift or shift even when it is packed full.
The interior is fully lined with smooth cowhide so cards slide easily, and the flap was made thicker to increase its strength so that it can withstand frequent, casual use by people who are always on the go.

"Sleek, yet able to hold up to about 70 cards," "a smart size," "a design that doesn't stand out the wrong way," "smooth insertion and removal," "doesn't open by itself in a bag," "a flap that doesn't shift," "sturdy construction," and so on... Working through each of these challenges one by one, I gradually gave it shape.

The storage section expands only when needed and returns to its original thinness when the number of cards decreases, so you can always use it in a clean, streamlined form with no waste.

From its interior functionality to its exterior beauty, I feel it has become an item that quietly enhances the gestures of the person using it.

I would be delighted if it serves you as a long-lasting companion in every business setting.