At Abbey Mecca, creativity is at the heart of everything we do. So when a print vendor shipped a job to us with six pieces of orange 8.5 x 11 paper included as divider sheets, we saw an opportunity for some creative fun. Rather than throwing the paper away, we decided to challenge the team to come up with a unique use for their orange sheet. The only rule? You must use the piece of orange paper in the final product. The results were both surprising and inspiring!
Here’s a look at the creative solutions our team came up with:
1. Liam’s Origami Business Card Holder
Liam’s creative project was a practical one: an origami business card holder. Not only did this serve as a great way for him to display his cards on his desk, but it was also something he could easily carry with him. Liam crafted the card holder entirely by folding the paper—no glue or tape was involved in the making of his project. It’s an excellent example of how something simple can be turned into a functional and stylish item.
2. Taylor’s Origami Flowers with a Twist
Taylor took a unique approach by transforming her piece of paper into four separate origami flowers. But the creativity didn’t stop there—Taylor added a special touch inside each flower: California poppy seeds, known for their vibrant orange blooms. The idea was simple yet thoughtful: each recipient could dig a small hole, plant the origami flower, and watch it grow into a beautiful California poppy. This is a perfect blend of art, creativity, and a living symbol of growth—allowing everyone to nurture something beautiful over time.
3. Paul’s “Heaven & Hell” Quilling Art
Paul’s creative use of the paper took the form of a quilling art piece, which is a technique where thin strips of paper are rolled, coiled, and shaped into intricate designs. Paul spray-painted the orange paper first and then created various shapes using construction paper. The result was a stunning 3D piece that depicted a “Heaven & Hell” theme. The beauty of this project lies in its meticulous craftsmanship and the striking visual effect that the quilled paper created.
4. Melissa’s Social Media Experiment
Melissa took a completely different route and used her orange paper for a social media experiment. She posted a plain black sheet of paper on her social media page with minimal explanation, where it received 85 impressions, 0 reactions, and just 2 likes. However, when she flipped the orange paper over to reveal a post of a dog image rendered on the paper, the results were vastly different: 114 impressions (a 34% increase), 4 reactions (a 400% increase), and 3 likes (a 50% increase). This fun experiment showed the power of content and how the presentation of a simple idea can dramatically shift its engagement.
5. Dan’s Banana Artwork: Advertising Meets Art
Dan decided to recreate a classic piece of banana artwork to demonstrate how advertising intersects with art and business. Using the orange paper, Dan cleverly blended artistic expression with a marketing twist, creating a visual commentary on the world of advertising. This project highlighted the importance of creativity in every aspect of advertising—from the initial idea to the final execution—and showcased how art can help make a lasting impact in the business world.
A Fun and Creative Team Exercise
What started as an opportunity to reuse some simple divider paper turned into a fun, imaginative exercise for the Abbey Mecca team. Everyone brought their own unique flair to the challenge, resulting in a range of projects that not only showcased individual creativity but also reinforced the importance of thinking outside the box.
This activity was a great reminder of how the simplest things—like a sheet of paper—can inspire innovation, spark creativity, and foster teamwork. It’s also a testament to the fact that at Abbey Mecca, we’re always looking for new ways to push boundaries and bring fresh ideas to the table, whether it’s for our clients or for ourselves.
After much deliberation, our intern Bryan was chosen to be the main judge for this creative challenge. He selected Taylor’s origami flowers as the winner, impressed by the thoughtfulness behind the seeds and the potential for the flowers to grow and evolve over time.
