I scanned mine because the program that I used to make mine(before I knew the ins and outs of PS CS) does not do conversion to .jpg it will only save the file in its own format. So I just did a quick scan to share what it looked like. I plan to redo the card in PS CS soon though.
Tim
You could try the print screen button to copy the window, then go into ps, create a new document and paste.
Someone mentioned about not wanting to have 2 cards. One one side could be business A, and on the other side business B. You wont have any white space to write a note but you would reduce the number of different cards.
I'm still unclear with regard to what your having trouble with. Is it the key strokes in PS to put all this together or the creativity to get that wow factor?
Creativity needs to come from within, the key stokes I can help you with.
Sam
Thats the problem, I'm not sure what I want it to look like, if I want a picture or not. I'm just stuck
Thats the problem, I'm not sure what I want it to look like, if I want a picture or not. I'm just stuck
The only advice I can offer is to start looking at all the photography web sites, phone book adds, and magazines you can lay your hands on.
Don't wait for a stroke of lightning to hit. Start with what you know needs to be on the card. IE: name, phone, e-mail. web site, ect. size the card in PS. start typing, choose the font, size, think color. play with it. When you get tired, stop save what you have and try again tomorrow. Nobody I ever knew printed up the first try of thier business card.
Wow!
That's all I can say after viewing these great cards. After looking at your cards my orginal one started looking prety sad, so, with your modivation, I set out to improve on it.
Remember I don't have a business, so it's just an informal contact card.
It's clear that most, if not all, the cards discussed in this thread have been designed by amateurs. It's also clear that many of the cards are the products of well-intentioned folk with not the slightest knowledge or skill in the area of graphic design.
There's one design above which might best be described, with my tongue firmly in my cheek, as 'chaotic' (no offence intended), and when you go to the related web site, the same graphic design offences are repeated there! IMHO good graphic design is not assisted by having a multiplicity of colours (particularly garish ones), fonts for Africa, and uncoordinated and unnecessary design elements flung across the card, web page, or whatever.
I liken this situation to the reality of most camera owners having no concept nor intuitive understanding of what constitutes good image composition, and thus being totally incapable of creating any picture with any endearing quality whatsoever. We see more than our share of dog and child shots posted on this site which come into this category, accompanied by a plaintive plea to 'please give me some feedback'.
I'm not in business as a photographer nor do I buy services from photographers, but I ask myself regularly why I would want to deal on a commercial basis with any of the full- or part-time commercial photographers on Smugmug whose business card and/or web site looks like an unmade bed. Yuk! I'd prefer to deal with someone whose business image is professional and well organised - wouldn't you?
Flash or Dreamweaver can no more 'design' a web site, nor Photoshop 'design' a business card, than Photoshop can 'make' a good photograph if the underlying design or image doesn't already exist.
If you can't look yourself in the mirror and convince yourself you understand the principles of graphic design, then I highly recommend 'The Non-Designer's Design Book' by Robin Williams before you start to design your card or web site (or even customise a Smugmug site, for that matter). This book is succinct, and easy to understand and remember.
I do like the design idea which Angelo has been pursuing for his card. It's clean, crisp and professional. Design is, of course, always in the eye of the beholder, but I think Angelo's design might be further improved by selecting some stronger images which will reproduce better in such small sizes (a bit like designing a postage stamp - some images don't translate well to very small sizes). The colour and size of the bird, for example, just aren't suitable, and the overall colours of all three of the left-most images are too much the same.
I've also raised the suggestion previously of moving the block of text containing the contact details so as to simplify and strengthen the overall design, as attached below. And if there were only three photos, not four, the left margin of the text could be aligned to the left edge of the right-most photo to strengthen the design even more.
Angelo, I hope this is helpful as you finalise your design.
Ah gee, what's the matter?
Tired of seeing the same old, same old, cliché fonts?
Were you around when desktop publishing tried to take over graphic design?
And now with digital cameras ANYONE can be a photographer AND a designer?
Do you know that most excellent illustrators make lousy designers?
I am a professional designer. I'm not so sure I'd be brave enough to post my non-existent business card (on my list of things to do) here for you to look at
It's easy to be critical isn't it? :
Have you ever looked at what passes for business card design and logo design these days? Just do a search on the web for "business cards" and I'll probably feel your shudder all across the ocean
And with all these "make your own website" programs around web design is now feeling the pain that graphic designers felt when desktop publishing encouraged anyone with an interest in art to become a self publisher.
I suspect in a lot of cases, most photographers just want something to hand out, something they can change easily themselves, and they don't want to pay a designer $500 to design a card and another $500 to design a logo -- much less pay $1000 for a good offset printer to print their full color cards on industry standard business card stock. They'd rather buy some glass!
Probably a lot of photographers are too busy trying to perfect their skills, they don't want to have to study design also.
And -- have you seen what's coming out of some of these design schools?
Everyone designing the same way, with the same "designer" fonts and hopping on the latest design fad and color fad?
Sometimes I think photography is headed the same way. Everybody now, let's do IR (because we can) and selective color (because it's in)! My little rant -- oh yes, and make sure it's Black & White -- it's the new color.
oh yes, and make sure it's Black & White -- it's the new color.
Right on, Dee! Y'know what's funny? I've had to re-order cards like four times since first designing my card - I hand it to folks, and they ask for a few extras
Look at my doggie picture and let know what you think! OK! Please! Pretty Please!
First off, if your going to say it, say it. I have no problem with straight on hard criticism, but I do, and always have, hate the "no offence" tag. If you know your comments might offend and you don't want to, then don't say them. If you don't care, and trust me, I wasn't offended, say them without the tag. Own up to what you speak without having an escape route.
I definately am not a graphic artist, but that doesn't mean I don't know art, composition, and theory.
I will be changing how my site works, but like you said, dreamweaver won't do squat in building a site unless you know what you're doing in the first place. That's the issue. I will know, someday, but with work taking up 50+ hours a week, and wanting to have somewhat of a life, it's a long process.
The garish colors are on purpose. Yes, I said on purpose. I wanted to assualt the eyes. I wanted the eyes to see my card anywhere, on a bullentin board, on the ground, on a bar, anywhere and have it stick out like a sore thumb. I wanted the reaction of what the f%$K is that and have them look at it out of curosity just like rubber necking at a gory car wreck. When you hit my site I want it to jump at you. I want it to draw attention. People remember Khaos. They remmber pretty lines and great complimenting colors and beautiful professional looking sites, but too often forget the name. It will chnage and I want it more like an unmade bed. But I'll have the person not annoyed, but more wondering, who slept there and what did they do. I'll have them looking for clues and finding things.
In case you haven't guessed, I don't want the make my wedding day perfect crowd. I want the make my shots of what I want look different. And currently I'm working towards setting galleries for that. Something different, but until then, I'll show the generic stuff.
Now that I explained my crap, I'll comment on your site. To me it's boring. Not one thing when I see that page says, hey, look, this might show you something exciting, different or just damn good.
I agree professionals looking to be professional for professional work in the public should have a well designed, simple but elegant site, but not everybody is selling vanilla, some of us are gooing with the upside down tequila shot with a boiler maker chaser.
If you think my stuff looks non-professional now, wait until I learn more. It will probably make your eyes bleed. Which will mean I succeeded in my goal.
Hearing someone thinks my stuff is shit is fine. However, many aren't ready for that because THEY ARE AMATEURS. You come off as I'm really good at this and you guys suck so bad it's pitiful. That would be fine if everyone was actually asking for it. It would also be fine if they were paying you to teach them. They'll take the I know more than you approach as long as you show them what you know. So, can you teach, or do you just make someone buy a book, take a test, and move on to the next person who knopws less than you?
I do like the design idea which Angelo has been pursuing for his card. It's clean, crisp and professional. Design is, of course, always in the eye of the beholder, but I think Angelo's design might be further improved by selecting some stronger images which will reproduce better in such small sizes (a bit like designing a postage stamp - some images don't translate well to very small sizes). The colour and size of the bird, for example, just aren't suitable, and the overall colours of all three of the left-most images are too much the same.
Creator of Dgrin's "Last Photographer Standing" contest
"Failure is feedback. And feedback is the breakfast of champions." - fortune cookie
You know what ? I used to hire a lot of contractors to pump/clear sewage. Yep ...pull all those things out that everyone & their kids throw down there.
There was one old guy that i got from the last page of the local rag one day because my usual contractors couldnt get to the job in time. I ended up using him almost always for the next 3 years & when i left i made sure the new chap knew whom to contact.
I could ring & get him on site at 3am sunday morning...i could ring him 4pm fri afternoon when he was having a beer at the pub. I could ring him in the middle of a bloody thunder storm & he would always help me out.
I always liked to see other peoples faces when they asked for his biz card & he would pull a bit of the silver paper from a cigarette packet & write his name & number on the white paper stuck on the back of it & hand it to them.
Give me him anyday over the half page yellow pages advert with the 20 plumbers on call 24 hours. Im amazed that some people really think that just because you paid some money for some flashy print job that the person that turns up for the job or is on the phone is somehow better or more worthy of a 1st contact than the person that did it on a budget ?
& write his number on the back of it & hand it to them.
Very cool, 'Gus. Do you notice a phone number on my card? :nah I always write my number on the back - Why? Becuase it allows me to have a moment or two more interaction with the person I'm giving my card to.
Wow! I'll tell you what's in the eye of the beholder, it's EGO!!!
How dare you presume to preach professionalism and impose your self-righteous opinions on others. And to do so publicly is simply abysmal.
I'm not interested in debating detail points with you on good or appropriate design but know this... I just happen to be the creative director for a multi-million dollar corporation with many a design industry award under my belt.
I also sit on the boards of three design schools in California.
dGrin is for the most part a forum of amateurs and is a very relaxed medium for sharing ideas. I am not going to make apologies but if I knew you were going to take a position so overheated with ego and opinion I would not have posted such an early draft of the card.
No one wants and certainly doesn't deserve to be hung out to dry by anyone with an attitude like yours.
That's all I can say after viewing these great cards. After looking at your cards my orginal one started looking prety sad, so, with your modivation, I set out to improve on it.
Remember I don't have a business, so it's just an informal contact card.
Critiques welcome.
Thanks,
Sam
Sam I love the two photos you chose. I have some suggestions about your use of fonts and balance but in the current air in the forum I refrain from stating them here. I'm happy to assist privately if you wish.
I highly recommend 'The Non-Designer's Design Book' by Robin Williams before you start to design your card or web site (or even customise a Smugmug site, for that matter). This book is succinct, and easy to understand and remember.
Give a man a meal and he eats for a day, teach the man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime.
man... i'm glad I didn't come to you when I was hungry... I would have had to read a book titled "Feed Yourself for Dummies"
Comments
Someone mentioned about not wanting to have 2 cards. One one side could be business A, and on the other side business B. You wont have any white space to write a note but you would reduce the number of different cards.
It makes for cheap quotes ...
Yep, Digital Elements. I'm not very accomplished at using it. Here's the first version, used for a slide header without the opacity tweaked.
Galleries here Upcoming Ranch/Horse Workshop
"Failure is feedback. And feedback is the breakfast of champions." - fortune cookie
delivery later, wouldn't that make Yosemite a business trip
Ian
TML Photography
tmlphoto.com
A business card I use for kart races (printed as a 4x6 glossy at CostCo):
A business card I use for motocross races (again, 4x6 glossy):
And my generic business card (normal sized):
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
.
Digital-eye being a bit smaller and more of my personal data
Michiel de Brieder
http://www.digital-eye.nl
Don't wait for a stroke of lightning to hit. Start with what you know needs to be on the card. IE: name, phone, e-mail. web site, ect. size the card in PS. start typing, choose the font, size, think color. play with it. When you get tired, stop save what you have and try again tomorrow. Nobody I ever knew printed up the first try of thier business card.
Sam
'Gus yours has me thinking you've spent too much time listening to the Crumpler song.
Bill, great work, really sells what you do. Uh, Shay, so does yours.
Galleries here Upcoming Ranch/Horse Workshop
Very vivid, I like the front/why do you need a back?
(oughta spell portrait right on the front, though!)
Galleries here Upcoming Ranch/Horse Workshop
www.morffed.com
finally got around to it...
Moderator of: Location, Location, Location , Mind Your Own Business & Other Cool Shots
That's all I can say after viewing these great cards. After looking at your cards my orginal one started looking prety sad, so, with your modivation, I set out to improve on it.
Remember I don't have a business, so it's just an informal contact card.
Critiques welcome.
Thanks,
Sam
Here's mine..simple like me.
There's one design above which might best be described, with my tongue firmly in my cheek, as 'chaotic' (no offence intended), and when you go to the related web site, the same graphic design offences are repeated there! IMHO good graphic design is not assisted by having a multiplicity of colours (particularly garish ones), fonts for Africa, and uncoordinated and unnecessary design elements flung across the card, web page, or whatever.
I liken this situation to the reality of most camera owners having no concept nor intuitive understanding of what constitutes good image composition, and thus being totally incapable of creating any picture with any endearing quality whatsoever. We see more than our share of dog and child shots posted on this site which come into this category, accompanied by a plaintive plea to 'please give me some feedback'.
I'm not in business as a photographer nor do I buy services from photographers, but I ask myself regularly why I would want to deal on a commercial basis with any of the full- or part-time commercial photographers on Smugmug whose business card and/or web site looks like an unmade bed. Yuk! I'd prefer to deal with someone whose business image is professional and well organised - wouldn't you?
Flash or Dreamweaver can no more 'design' a web site, nor Photoshop 'design' a business card, than Photoshop can 'make' a good photograph if the underlying design or image doesn't already exist.
If you can't look yourself in the mirror and convince yourself you understand the principles of graphic design, then I highly recommend 'The Non-Designer's Design Book' by Robin Williams before you start to design your card or web site (or even customise a Smugmug site, for that matter). This book is succinct, and easy to understand and remember.
I do like the design idea which Angelo has been pursuing for his card. It's clean, crisp and professional. Design is, of course, always in the eye of the beholder, but I think Angelo's design might be further improved by selecting some stronger images which will reproduce better in such small sizes (a bit like designing a postage stamp - some images don't translate well to very small sizes). The colour and size of the bird, for example, just aren't suitable, and the overall colours of all three of the left-most images are too much the same.
I've also raised the suggestion previously of moving the block of text containing the contact details so as to simplify and strengthen the overall design, as attached below. And if there were only three photos, not four, the left margin of the text could be aligned to the left edge of the right-most photo to strengthen the design even more.
Angelo, I hope this is helpful as you finalise your design.
Tired of seeing the same old, same old, cliché fonts?
Were you around when desktop publishing tried to take over graphic design?
And now with digital cameras ANYONE can be a photographer AND a designer?
Do you know that most excellent illustrators make lousy designers?
I am a professional designer. I'm not so sure I'd be brave enough to post my non-existent business card (on my list of things to do) here for you to look at
It's easy to be critical isn't it?
Have you ever looked at what passes for business card design and logo design these days? Just do a search on the web for "business cards" and I'll probably feel your shudder all across the ocean
And with all these "make your own website" programs around web design is now feeling the pain that graphic designers felt when desktop publishing encouraged anyone with an interest in art to become a self publisher.
I suspect in a lot of cases, most photographers just want something to hand out, something they can change easily themselves, and they don't want to pay a designer $500 to design a card and another $500 to design a logo -- much less pay $1000 for a good offset printer to print their full color cards on industry standard business card stock. They'd rather buy some glass!
Probably a lot of photographers are too busy trying to perfect their skills, they don't want to have to study design also.
And -- have you seen what's coming out of some of these design schools?
Everyone designing the same way, with the same "designer" fonts and hopping on the latest design fad and color fad?
Sometimes I think photography is headed the same way. Everybody now, let's do IR (because we can) and selective color (because it's in)! My little rant -- oh yes, and make sure it's Black & White -- it's the new color.
http://www.twitter.com/deegolden
Right on, Dee!
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
First off, if your going to say it, say it. I have no problem with straight on hard criticism, but I do, and always have, hate the "no offence" tag. If you know your comments might offend and you don't want to, then don't say them. If you don't care, and trust me, I wasn't offended, say them without the tag. Own up to what you speak without having an escape route.
I definately am not a graphic artist, but that doesn't mean I don't know art, composition, and theory.
I will be changing how my site works, but like you said, dreamweaver won't do squat in building a site unless you know what you're doing in the first place. That's the issue. I will know, someday, but with work taking up 50+ hours a week, and wanting to have somewhat of a life, it's a long process.
The garish colors are on purpose. Yes, I said on purpose. I wanted to assualt the eyes. I wanted the eyes to see my card anywhere, on a bullentin board, on the ground, on a bar, anywhere and have it stick out like a sore thumb. I wanted the reaction of what the f%$K is that and have them look at it out of curosity just like rubber necking at a gory car wreck. When you hit my site I want it to jump at you. I want it to draw attention. People remember Khaos. They remmber pretty lines and great complimenting colors and beautiful professional looking sites, but too often forget the name. It will chnage and I want it more like an unmade bed. But I'll have the person not annoyed, but more wondering, who slept there and what did they do. I'll have them looking for clues and finding things.
In case you haven't guessed, I don't want the make my wedding day perfect crowd. I want the make my shots of what I want look different. And currently I'm working towards setting galleries for that. Something different, but until then, I'll show the generic stuff.
Now that I explained my crap, I'll comment on your site. To me it's boring. Not one thing when I see that page says, hey, look, this might show you something exciting, different or just damn good.
I agree professionals looking to be professional for professional work in the public should have a well designed, simple but elegant site, but not everybody is selling vanilla, some of us are gooing with the upside down tequila shot with a boiler maker chaser.
If you think my stuff looks non-professional now, wait until I learn more. It will probably make your eyes bleed. Which will mean I succeeded in my goal.
Hearing someone thinks my stuff is shit is fine. However, many aren't ready for that because THEY ARE AMATEURS. You come off as I'm really good at this and you guys suck so bad it's pitiful. That would be fine if everyone was actually asking for it. It would also be fine if they were paying you to teach them. They'll take the I know more than you approach as long as you show them what you know. So, can you teach, or do you just make someone buy a book, take a test, and move on to the next person who knopws less than you?
"Failure is feedback. And feedback is the breakfast of champions." - fortune cookie
There was one old guy that i got from the last page of the local rag one day because my usual contractors couldnt get to the job in time. I ended up using him almost always for the next 3 years & when i left i made sure the new chap knew whom to contact.
I could ring & get him on site at 3am sunday morning...i could ring him 4pm fri afternoon when he was having a beer at the pub. I could ring him in the middle of a bloody thunder storm & he would always help me out.
I always liked to see other peoples faces when they asked for his biz card & he would pull a bit of the silver paper from a cigarette packet & write his name & number on the white paper stuck on the back of it & hand it to them.
Give me him anyday over the half page yellow pages advert with the 20 plumbers on call 24 hours. Im amazed that some people really think that just because you paid some money for some flashy print job that the person that turns up for the job or is on the phone is somehow better or more worthy of a 1st contact than the person that did it on a budget ?
Very cool, 'Gus. Do you notice a phone number on my card? :nah I always write my number on the back - Why? Becuase it allows me to have a moment or two more interaction with the person I'm giving my card to.
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
How dare you presume to preach professionalism and impose your self-righteous opinions on others. And to do so publicly is simply abysmal.
I'm not interested in debating detail points with you on good or appropriate design but know this... I just happen to be the creative director for a multi-million dollar corporation with many a design industry award under my belt.
I also sit on the boards of three design schools in California.
dGrin is for the most part a forum of amateurs and is a very relaxed medium for sharing ideas. I am not going to make apologies but if I knew you were going to take a position so overheated with ego and opinion I would not have posted such an early draft of the card.
No one wants and certainly doesn't deserve to be hung out to dry by anyone with an attitude like yours.
Moderator of: Location, Location, Location , Mind Your Own Business & Other Cool Shots
Moderator of: Location, Location, Location , Mind Your Own Business & Other Cool Shots
Moderator of: Location, Location, Location , Mind Your Own Business & Other Cool Shots
man... i'm glad I didn't come to you when I was hungry... I would have had to read a book titled "Feed Yourself for Dummies"
MM Portfolio
Canon 30D | Canon 50mm f/1.8 | Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 | Canon Speedlite 580ex