Help with creating a business card

agw_01

agw_01

agw_01

Soldato
Joined
11 Apr 2004
Posts
19,920
Following on from the "What business did you set up?" thread I've been putting more thought into setting up by myself and have finally pulled my finger out by creating myself a business card.

Now, I've got the company name and a logo, but I'm just stuck on what else to put on.

Obviously my phone number, e-mail address and website address but should I list the services that I offer? Bearing in mind that what I don't know already, I'm keen to learn (teaching myself Photoshop CS2 as we speak actually).

Will me waffling on about network support, maintainance, repairs, building etc etc etc (basically, a bloody long list) put people off?

Cheers.
 
Pretty much! Normally you'd actually talk to the person before exchanging cards.

But it is a good idea to give a brief idea of what you do =)
 
People hand out thousands of business cards a day, and now every Tom, Dick and Harry has Microsoft Publisher the crappy templates with your name, logo and details won't cut it any more.

Don't be scared to go contemporary and to think outside the box. A business card needs to be remembered at the precise moment a potential client thinks, "I need such and such doing."

The one business card I was given was brilliant, I lost the card only a few days after I was given it, but I've never forgotten what it said. It was a red translucent card that said "we.create" on the front. And their number underneath. Nice and simple, but very different.
 
Cool, cheers guys.

SherberT*, a good friend who used to work for the company that I currently work for has his own security guard training company. He's forever being hounded by clients asking him if he knows anyone in IT who could take a look at their machines.

I want to give him a handful of business cards which he can give out to these people. I know it's smalltime, but it's a start and if I can get my name around, I'll be laughing.

Craig, that's an interesting thought. My proposed company name is very short and simple, so I guess I could have a play about with it and see what comes up. Was 'we.create' the company name or their slogan?
 
Best way to get noticed is to streak at a football game with your company name painted on your arse, back and chest.

Free advertisement to 10,000 people for just a night in the slammer. Bargain.
 
iCraig said:
I believe it was the company name. :)
Click to expand...

Interesting :)

iCraig said:
Best way to get noticed is to streak at a football game with your company name painted on your arse, back and chest.

Free advertisement to 10,000 people for just a night in the slammer. Bargain.
Click to expand...

:D I can do that. I'm small too, so can slip out of the clutches of security personnel.
 
"Less is more"
"Think outside the box"

What's all this nonsense?


On the front of the card all you need is your name, contact details and a clear title which explains what you do, the card needs to be quickly recognisable as being yours too.

I have used the backs of my cards for loads of different things though, experiment with lots of different things on the back.

EDIT- What I can tell you though Andy, don't get loads of cards printed. Despite how good you think they are to begin with after you have been up and running for a few months you will want to change them, you don't want to have loads of your "old" style cards left over.
 
Forget photoshop for business cards. It's all about illustrator. Choose nice colours and a nice font. Mat laminate is a lovely touch but not cheap.

Forgetr about services, that's overkill. It reminds me of those tacky cards you see in computer markets.

I can say all this but if the logo looks cack and the typography is bad then forget it.

make it simple.

For example as a 2 sided card.

Front: subtle logo with a nice colour (centered)

Back: name (slightly larger than the rest of the details)
Title:

Address

or a single sided card with the logo on the top left.

Good luck.
 
Chris, would you care to stick a copy of yours up? Or even better, email me a scan of one or something?

Tried&Tested, cheers for that. My laser printer doesn't really cut it for high quality prints. Will have a look at that site.
 
iCraig said:
Marketing.
Click to expand...
How come the cards which feature "less is more" and such "features" are the ones so hard to find in my business card folder and I often forget who the heck they even are?
 
Tesla said:
How come the cards which feature "less is more" and such "features" are the ones so hard to find in my business card folder and I often forget who the heck they even are?
Click to expand...

Poor memory. :p
 
agw_01 said:
Chris, would you care to stick a copy of yours up? Or even better, email me a scan of one or something?

Tried&Tested, cheers for that. My laser printer doesn't really cut it for high quality prints. Will have a look at that site.
Click to expand...
I will post you a few (email me your addy). Mine seem to be cropping up all over peoples homes now.

The reason I believe so is not because of the design but because I laminate them. Not cheap but people feel inclined to keep them and not throw them away. I also print in colour.

I also have B&W, non-laminated cards for less targeted approaches. If someone says "A couple of my mates are after some IT support" or "My brother needs his Plasma wall mounted" then I will dish out the nice, shiny cards as the friends/family will keep hold of them longer I find.

If a B&W card leads to a customer then I will leave a few colour cards with them.

I even put one through a polyester wash in the washing machine and it came out the same as it went in.
 
Last edited:
Excellent, thanks a bunch. Send it to <forumname>@yahoo.com would be best.

edit, I misread... oh you mean to my home address? That'd be awesome.

We have a laminator at work. I could accidentally slip and some of my cards could go through it.
 
agw_01 said:
Excellent, thanks a bunch. Send it to <forumname>@yahoo.com would be best.

edit, I misread... oh you mean to my home address? That'd be awesome.

We have a laminator at work. I could accidentally slip and some of my cards could go through it.
Click to expand...
I edited my post :)
 
agw_01 said:
Excellent, thanks a bunch. Send it to <forumname>@yahoo.com would be best.

edit, I misread... oh you mean to my home address? That'd be awesome.

We have a laminator at work. I could accidentally slip and some of my cards could go through it.
Click to expand...


You'll probably find its an encapsulator.

I also doubt laminated cards would survive a washing machine.
 
SherberT* said:
I also doubt laminated cards would survive a washing machine.
Click to expand...
Tried, tested and passed. I was pretty shocked tbh. I never intentionally tested them, just left in my pocket.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom