Hello,
I'm currently thinking of designing my business card.
But I don't know what's the important point.
What should I be aware of?
Should I put my photos on it?
What should I mention on it?
Is it better to be simple or complicated?
Or can you provide me some good example?
Thank you very much.
YuYen

Go read some business books already.

Put your logo, catch phrase, performing name, telephone #, cell phone #, web site address, email address.

I assume you have a publishing program to design you business card in, take a look at their offerings in the program to get a feeling for placement.

A business card is not a promotion piece, it is a tool to use for interested parites to contact you. They should have already met you, so they just have to know how to reach you.

You could go to a print shop and take a look at there catalog of business cards you can order. Afterwords, tell them you will think about it. Things you cannot do is raised lettering, special card stock, etc.

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......um=44&16

Please read every word of every post on this thread...and then call a professional.

Thanks again Ade.

My new card only has 2 things on it

a QR code to my virtual contact info..

and a shortcode with keyword
with instructions to text the phrase to the number to get a special offer

this card does 2 things..
1. gets my contact info in their PHONE
2. gets them on my SMS list fot monthly offers

Thanks for all the advices here.
They are all great especially the link David Johnson provided.
Any advice is welcome.
Best,
YuYen

Not to sound mean or a jerk, but the number one advice I can give to you is this...

If you are not a professional designer, do NOT try and design your own card. Your image and brand is everything. The very first impression many folks ever get of you s from the promotional materials you send out to people. if they look poor, you are fighting an uphill battle from the start. You want your card and every promo piece to be 100% quality and top notch. Hire a professional graphic designer to design one for you. It is worth every penny.

Kyle

I designed my business card to match the look of my web site. That way everything is streamlined and has the look of having come from the same source. I took colors, fonts and a photo that I had incorporated into my site and basically made a simplified version of my home page that would work for the business card. I had mine printed by Vistaprint and I was very pleased with how they came out (and I think it's WELL worth the price to upgrade to things like a glossy finish...it makes it really stand out from those that were just printed on a home printer on regular card stock.)

Andrew

If anyone is printing their own cards at home on a home printer..they should be shot!

Could that be amended if the person resides in a Kinkos?

Lol Nope. Even a Kinkos person who prints their own cards on crappy stock and is not a professional designer should still be shot.

Kyle

Amen Kyle!

Thanks, Mike. Just call it a HUGE pet peeve of mine. lol =) I am a professional graphic designer and illustrator. It shames me to see folks spend money and time on their act, props and costuming. yet their business cards and promotional peices look like crud! In fact they look worse then crud.

What is a prospect supposed to think of you if the first thing you hand them or send to them looks like a 3rd grader did it in art class? Your image and branding are essential. Take the time to do it right and to hire someone who knows how to do it well.

It really DOES make a difference.

Kyle

Keep in mind that there are a FEW of us out there who aren't professional designers, but have still assembled our own materials and have had great success with them. Don't throw us all under the bus. I don't wanna butter my own muffin too much here but I'm very picky when it comes to design, and I'm quite pleased with what I've come up with for myself.

It is nothing personal at all. It really is not. I just feel strongly that unless you are an experienced designer, graphic designer or illustrator, you should not be designing your own cards. Handle that and leave it to a professional whose trade is in communication through design. Yopu will get much better results and acquire a quality design that not only looks good but communicates effectively.

Kyle

Kyle,

I agree with your statement "leave it to a professional whose trade is in communication through design". The problem I have encountered though is the designers I have dealt with don't know much about marketing. Branding yes, but communicating a call to action, not so much. I have found this is more true with designing websites than with business cards.

I'll admit I don't know the first thing about making a biz card or website "look" appealing. That's why I hire someone to do it. As an internet marketer, I *do* know copywriting, selling, and motivating people to take action. I'm still on a quest to find a designer who will incorporate my "marketing" expertise into their work, without them feeling like I'm telling them how to do their job. Very frustrating.

-Z

I'm with Tim

I would much rather talk with someone who knows about marketing/copywriting rather than a designer. They can make your card look cool but it doesn't do anything for you. Having a cool looking background with your name, contact info, etc does not create a response in the person receiving the card.

But if you have a card that shows social proof (via tesimonial) while at the same time communicating scarcity (by putting "for availability" rather than just contact info) then it will be much more effective than a designer who makes the card look good.

I also understand what Kyle is saying because most entertainers don't know anything about design OR marketing which means the card turns out crappy.

Overall, a business card should be effective, not pretty. If you can have both....perfect

I'm with Kyle and the rest.
I thought my own design was "pretty clever"!
And I was saving money by printing at home.
(You almost couldn't see the perforations!)

Then I got a professional design!!
And realized what other people thought when they saw mine!
THe professional one was beautiful!! (Thanks, Ade!!)

Still, I needed a couple of cards "right right now".
So I printed them at home.
Turned a great design to mush.
Beautiful mush, but mush nonetheless.

Ed
(Saving my pennies for a professional printing.)

Good stuff guys. Thanks for the feedback and kind words. Let me answer a few questions that have come up in hopes that it helps others.

You are correct in that some designers are not very good marketers. They should be, but some of them do not study graphic design as deeply as they should. A graphic designer really is much, much more then person who just makes something “look good”. A real graphic designer has the ability to design a piece that effectively communicates a message or need of the client. If the designer fails in doing this, then the designer did not do his or her job. It is as easy as that.

Graphic designer’s communicate a message through the medium of print and online sources. In order for any designer to do the right job, they must be able to ask the questions up front of the client. They have to really understand what makes that client's services or products unique and define the message and the problem that needs to be conveyed. ONLY when they do this, can they develop a design that communicates effectively to do what it needs to do in the intended markets.

I am very lucky and unique in that I am a designer who 1) takes what I do seriously 2) I am also a magician so I speak the language and 3) I have a passion for marketing and work for a marketing agency as my day job. To me, this is the ONLY way I can be able to have the ability to design effectively for clients and to really grasp what it is they are after and the solutions the design needs to create.

So if you yourself do not have these traits or abilities, then it does you no good to design something yourself. You will only end up creating something that looks unfinished or amateurish and doesn't communicate the way it needs to.

Spend the money and locate someone who really knows the trade. You will be grateful you did.

My 2 cents.

Kyle