Opinion On A Business Card

What about a blank back of card for people to write on, or at least a blank space.

I know the idea behind it, but I do double sided.

(They have my website and email, which is all the info I want them to have.)

JC, because I don't like shock art, I wouldn't use that for the back of a business card. Keep in mind that others may feel the same way. No snakes either. :)

I like a clean and simple background so your lettering, such as the front of your card, stands out.

Did you try it with the bottle on the beach image? That's a favorite.

I´m surprised, that you use a gmail email address. And sorry, but I don´t like your "touch of shock value".

Yupp, that is my current card along with this on the back.



People obviously like it as they run out WAY faster than my black and white card.

JC,

My two cents?

Better for the front, welcoming...



Better for the back....traveling....

Many people like, that I have a QR code on the back, leading to my website. And most of them try it out immediately and bookmark it.

JC I like the front a lot! The back...makes me think you are nuts! LOL shock value is ok...but it seems like you need something on the back people might want to buy...I wouldn't think too many people would want that scary face hanging on their walls :)

Well I should add...unless you have a lot of and a big fan base for that sort of stuff

QR code is nice idea. I think the scary doll with the "shock value" it is a strong image but not very good idea for business card. And it doesn't represents most of your portfolio.

I will say, I wouldn't leave the back side up on my fridge. LOL It would make me giggle when I first received it, though.

From a business perspective, I'm not sure it's as representative of your work as the other pieces you've shown, but it's definitely memorable. Scary, but memorable. :D

The doll has always been an interesting image, but to put out so quickly on a business card seems a bit too risky. Unless you're going to be selling exclusively in Salem or to goths.

On the front I would leave off the WWW. People get it that .com says internet.

I would also leave off "Local wall ready."

The backside? No.

I suppose it is one of those things that if I had to ask.......

SHOCK IMAGE --- It's a great creepy shot, much stronger due to the shock value than the really beautiful shot on the front, so that's the main image people are going to retain in memory and associate with you --- and it's not at all representative of the other 99.8% of your great wall art work.

JC & Jessica -- the following would work well for both of your collections:

THEMES SUGGESTON --- The front of the card is a great (card-sized) enlargement of one of your images for the recipient to view --- how about using the back side for six/seven thumbnail images with text immediately underneath educating the recipient about your top-selling themes:

-- Landscape -- Nature -- Beach & Coastal -- Florals

-- Major Cities -- Geographic Regions -- Military -- and more... (no image/text only for the "and more...")

VARY THE FRONT IMAGE --- Run a couple of images from each category for the front of the card (1 image per front) --- that way a recipient gets to choose which card they like best --- which already gets them making positive decisions about their favorite image...

No, don't do that on the back...it's over the top. Agree with Chuck, leave off local wall ready. Put another image on back, like this one...it's a nod to your military background.



JCFindley Photography
specializing in landscape and travel photography
www.jcfindley.com

How do I do a QR code?

on the first one, i don't like that font. too blocky. maybe something serifed. for the second one, i can't really read the red parts.

i would just say JCFindly.com and scrap the www.

on the first one i'd place the words on the lower right, it's distracting in the sky.

i think you should leave the doll out, until its a halloween show.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

http://www.barcodesinc.com/generator/qr/
i think there is also freeware as well.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

The back is hokey. Use an image that is more mainstream crowd pleasing. One option for the back would be to tell people what else you have. Urban and nature photography, Still life, regional fine art photography, etc. etc. Then they'd know the breadth of your portfolio easily.

Also make your website font slightly larger and bold. Put the slug line either in italics or in a different color to separate it from the rest of the info visually. Consider a font with a *little* more style. That looks like arial, Try futura or another san serif font that isn't a windows standard.

At the point someone takes your business card, they're interested in both you and your work. Tell them your name. Don't just be a website, be an interesting photographer who will help them choose hundreds of prints for their new office complex. I have my phone number on my card. Make it easy for people to reach you.

JC, you asked for opinions so I'm going to give it to you straight... I know you respect honesty.

Your idea sucks...the doll says crazy person - stay away and the front is unprofessional looking. What you need to do is create something that people will say wow, I want to look at this guys work, his card is so amazing...

Check out this link for wonderfully done creative cards....http://www.boredpanda.com/creative-business-card-designs/
I particularly like the frame idea or the eat me fruit roll up, although that one doesn't have a long shelf life....

The newest designs are clean, a great image on the front, no words...simple backing with only the bear minimum of words needed so it is absorbed into the brain... it's the same with a web address, the shorter the better.

have a look at these creative cards and then go back to the drawing table, you can do better.

Cheers, Barbara

My 2 cents - I would vary the front images as suggested by Ed and forget the shock on the back but put an image that sells well for you
Also I would put the text at the bottom which means you may have to not use that particular image if it doesn't fit well, although it is awesome, maybe on the back?

QR Code Generator: http://goqr.me/

Thank yall...

The seagull is my hands down best selling beach image and the card is designed for the tourist crowd.

I do always vary the images on my cards and there are usually a few choices to choose from.

I will add the name and loose the local wall ready art.

Thanks for the QR code thing,

I will add a military/travel type theme as well.

The back reminds me of Chucky

I would leave it off, it does kill the image which is terrific btw

I missed the Chucky image.....

I like the two beach photos with the one black and white on the back.

I just did two business cards, one is two of my architectural shots and the other are two macro shots. I like both of them. It's hard to choose....good luck JC. You'll get 100 opinions here.

Mary, it was creepy... I'm glad he's thinking of doing something else. The rest of his photography is so beautiful...

I think I found it in his gallery, Cheryl. JC, if it was the black and white doll with the blue eye, I'm with everyone else here. Chuck the Chucky LOL.

It is memorable.

Are you sending it to a place that uses a spot gloss? If so, you put a dab over the eyes to add a glossy spookiness to the whole deal. But those might work better on Halloween…

I am not going with her at all.

She really doesn't represent what I do.

Was just a brief idea.

Yeah, you're right. Should have left well enough alone. But spot gloss is a great tool for highlighting and it could bring out some of those rich colors.

What Colin above said. I use a QR code. I've heard that recommended by a few art marketing people. If you use a photo of your art, some people might not like your style, or that image. QR codes are wonderful when posted on a bulletin board...saves you a card when one goes directly to your website...and they don't lose or mis-place your card. You could do both, cards are so dang inexpensive today.

... just for fun, .... I just can't help having fun here you know, ... here is a much bolder redo of my first blunder:







The reason I have strong feelings about noting exactly what your service or product is stems from a personal experience where someone had my business card with only my name and phone number on it. One day, I got a phone call, and the woman on the other end asked me, "What do you do; I had this card with your name and number, but I forgot where I got it and what you do."

Avoid too small fonts. I made this mistake myself. The writing looked good on screen, but when I got back the printed cards, it looked much smaller.

So, if you think your card looks good on screen, make the font at least 2 pts bigger.

Here are my business cards:

http://www.conorobrienart.com/new-business-cards-london-exhibition/

Originally I wanted to have one of my images on the card but I just couldn't get the right image that worked well with the text. Mine has a bit more information compared to your minimalist approach, but it's all of the details I wanted to include to give the reader an idea of what I do and where I can be found, without having to go online and find out.

--------------------------------

Conor O'Brien
www.ConorOBrienArt.com

You can just make the card the correct size on the monitor by holding up a business card and matching the size. Stay at arm's length and if you can read what it says, you're good to go.

Yep, ... you are right, Colin U.,

The "ready to hang" and "local artist" blurbs on my last mock up are too small of a font.

Now, as for a REALLY bad idea, here is something that you might not want to do:



Louise R., great suggestion about the monitor-preview size adjustment. I tried it with my example of JC's card, and the smaller type is barely readable, and I could have gone bigger on all the fonts too. Such a simple idea to check the size. I feel sort of dumb not to have thought of this myself.

Really liked that last rendering Robert. Both you version of my card and your die for card.

I went minimalist.

These are for the most part going in matted and bagged work in the gallery so they will have already have either bought my work or got it as a gift. They just need to know where to buy more.

I learned some things here, by parasitizing your images a bit for educational purposes.

That "die for" card is NOT supposed to imply that this is what you might look like in years to come. (^_^) I did it as a parody on bad business card design, of course. Really, it is tasteless on so many levels. (delightfully so)

From personal experience.... you need somewhere to write on the card. I had my last ones done in glossy black with content on both sides. Very, very bad idea. lol

Thanks Lowry

Its called Silver Sharpie's Lowry!

Personally I'd recommend hiring a designer....even if its just on fiverr.com or something like that.

There is very little design put into these cards....design work is good marketing, good marketing sells images.

If I ever find a designer that can come up with something as beautiful as my images, I may do that..... (Hubbley said of course.) I think great art sells great art way more than a design. I could be wrong and often am.

Lowry, keep in mind these are for my gallery display and specifically to go in bagged art thus they have already seen my work and maybe bought it. I am not there so they won't be writing anything from me and every time I write something on a car my wife finds the number and I get in trouble anyway.

I like the front JC and your signature.

Fair enough, however I would recommend the design include your artwork......but text over art doesn't stand you out from the crowd much. That may not be your goal, but its mine normally when I am meeting people face to face I am trying to be remembered, my cards help that happen.

@Thomas and others, what's your cards look like? Here's mine...it's the world's smallest portfolio but when I hand it out people really do look at all the images.

I think it needs to say "JC Findley Photography". As it is, it's hard to know what the card is advertising. (Nice image, BTW).

JL, It used to say that at one time but then people think I shoot weddings and such.

Here is my thought process behind the images. One is always one of my signature images. Specifically, for the gallery cards, that means one is hanging in the gallery and hanging large. That image varies with the hung image. (Yes, I add cards when I change the image.) That same image on the card should remind them of what they liked in theory. The other image is something that works well with text and I feel is a strong image.

This order has long since been ordered and packaged for bin art BTW.

Now I am working on THIS.

only snake owners would know what that is. others may think herpes...

usually i add - fine art photography. this will still raise questions, but they won't assume wedding or portrait.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

See my new thread as to why that card even exists.