I posted this on its own, but I will post it here as well. Hopefully it will be seen and given CC! Thanks!!!
Front
Back
I really like the front image but wonder whether you;d be able to read the smaller text when printed at the smaller business card size, unless you're having them at that big size?
The back looks a little too somber to my eye, i.e. black isn't a good colour for the back, it's too much of a contrast wit the light front IMO, also you already have 'Alexa Photography' on te front , I'd question whether you need to repeat it on the back. On your website , the second image that comes up in te slideshow , of a baby's hand in a n adult hand, that would look brilliant on the back in B+W - just a thought...
Two comments
1. I have plowed through every page of the "Show Us Your Card" thread. Just about went blind. It's worth your time if you haven't.
2. I think the image on your obverse is very descriptive of what you like to photograph. I'd ditch the "Weddings, etc" because I think it's obvious. Less is more.
Oh #3 I guess . . . I really do not like the mixture of fonts in the "one moment at a time" line.
Then again . . . you're way ahead of me. I still don't have a card.
John :
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
1. I have plowed through every page of the "Show Us Your Card" thread. Just about went blind. It's worth your time if you haven't.
2. I think the image on your obverse is very descriptive of what you like to photograph. I'd ditch the "Weddings, etc" because I think it's obvious. Less is more.
Oh #3 I guess . . . I really do not like the mixture of fonts in the "one moment at a time" line.
Then again . . . you're way ahead of me. I still don't have a card.
Thanks for the ideas! I did actually go through the whole "Show Me" Thread! Great thread, lots of ideas!!
I also want to keep all that I do on the card, cause I want people to know that I do more than just weddings, which is what the picture indicates.
I took your advice on the font for the "motto". I went with the elegant. What do you think?
Thanks!!
I took a look - I like the slideshow, but I noticed that in Firefox your navbar is not centered. In IE7 it is not centered but looks closer to being centered.
I would consider some revising on your about me page. It is very thrid person and reads a little bit awkwardly (By the way mine isn't any better).
Ok so I know there is a thread for business cards but with it being 85 pages deep, I just want to make sure this gets seen.
think about it: the thread is long, filled, and POPULAR. There's a reason for that. Lots of people are used to seeing and posting here. And they subscribe to it.
NEW thread not necessary, and in fact, is actually detrimental in this case, since the valuable replies to your thread would not be seen or saved in the main thread.
think about it: the thread is long, filled, and POPULAR. There's a reason for that. Lots of people are used to seeing and posting here. And they subscribe to it.
NEW thread not necessary, and in fact, is actually detrimental in this case, since the valuable replies to your thread would not be seen or saved in the main thread.
Sorry Andy. Dont want to cause a rif
:cry
I actually did post it in here as well. I have gotten a few comments back. Thanks again. Sorry for breaking rules.
I took a look - I like the slideshow, but I noticed that in Firefox your navbar is not centered. In IE7 it is not centered but looks closer to being centered.
I would consider some revising on your about me page. It is very thrid person and reads a little bit awkwardly (By the way mine isn't any better).
Love the photos.
Thanks for the reply. Yeah it has been off center...I am not sure yet how to "adjust" it in FF. I need to work on that!
Thanks for the advice on the "about me" page. It was VERY difficult for me to write. I actually looked at a few, most talked in 3rd person. I will have to work on it. Thanks again!
Thanks for the reply. Yeah it has been off center...I am not sure yet how to "adjust" it in FF. I need to work on that!
Thanks for the advice on the "about me" page. It was VERY difficult for me to write. I actually looked at a few, most talked in 3rd person. I will have to work on it. Thanks again!
Alex -
Post it in the SM customization forum and you will have help very quickly centering it in all 3 browsers.:D
I also want to keep all that I do on the card, cause I want people to know that I do more than just weddings, which is what the picture indicates. I took your advice on the font for the "motto". I went with the elegant. What do you think?
I'm still not sure I like the mixed font styles on the back. It looks like you have the top line to match the front, second and third lines are the same font (but different sizes) and then the script at the bottom is another font altoghether.
Why not have the same font for lines #2 & #3 match the first line/front ?
And why the different italicized font for the bottom tagline?
"Don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to. Oh well."
-Fleetwood Mac
Simple, Cheap, and (I hope) Effective
Yet another business card in the fish bowl. Is there a drawing for a free lunch for a lucky winner?
Great seeing all of the great cards here. Here is mine...
I use the main box logo everywhere to infuse it in the brains of the clients and hypnotize them into using me . J/K. I went for clean, simple, and something that would print cheap on a business card.
There are some amazing cards to see here. I want to make one for myself
and was wondering where you guys get your design ideas from, is there sth.
like a "best pracices for designing a bussines card" reading?
“To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”
― Edward Weston
Yet another business card in the fish bowl. Is there a drawing for a free lunch for a lucky winner?
Great seeing all of the great cards here. Here is mine...
I use the main box logo everywhere to infuse it in the brains of the clients and hypnotize them into using me . J/K. I went for clean, simple, and something that would print cheap on a business card.
Kevin Helton
i like the left side of your card a lot... but something on the right isn't quite right... perhaps the justification of the text along the right? maybe the bleed off the right side? i'm not sure...it's just odd, IMO. doesn't match the left side.
i like the left side of your card a lot... but something on the right isn't quite right... perhaps the justification of the text along the right? maybe the bleed off the right side? i'm not sure...it's just odd, IMO. doesn't match the left side.
Yeah, I think I'm with you on that. I'll probably try to correct that next time. I've got a few hundred left to disperse before then . Thanks for the comment (and confirmation!)
There are some amazing cards to see here. I want to make one for myself and was wondering where you guys get your design ideas from, is there like a "best practices for designing a business card" reading?
There are books on the basics of identity design and desktop publishing. I'll try and get post links to the better ones. But first thing you should do is to look at lots of different cards and make notes about what you like and dislike. Somewhere in this thread there was a link to a website with TONS of examples, some pretty funky, but a lot of just very nice ones.
I would then try and find a graphic designer who does this type of work. Even a college student with a couple of years experience would work, or ask family and friends. Just to have someone go "No, you never do that". Like Bold Italicized Underlined words.
Some of the first things they will ask you is who is your target market, and what image (as in perception of your work) are you trying to suggest. Like my photography, I tried not to get overly committed to an idea. I asked a number of people whose opinions I respect for feedback.
I asked a friend you runs a photo archive and gallery for places to look - Lens Review, Aperature, etc. - for ideas. For instance most traditional gallery/collectors magazines have identities using a serif font, many are script serif. But there were some sans serif, block letters.
At a minimum, read the feedback on some of the posts here. Some key points are: less is more, multiple points of contact are important, make sure it works with other 'branding' elements (like a web page), take the feedback to heart.
Hope that helps!
"Don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to. Oh well."
-Fleetwood Mac
My information is in black on white, large print on the back. This gives me a clean canvas to showcase my work and easy to read, vital information on the back.
Tis sometimes better to be a big fish in a small pond than to be shark bait.
So I'm just in the beginning of my photography "career" (if you can even call it that yet- although I do have my first real client next week ) and started off with a rather blah card....I like it, but it just wasn't me.
Well, I found a logo that I really really like. If you knew me it fits perfectly. I actually have a tattoo very similar to the turtle on the card.
Let me know what you think. I'm doing mostly children and families and really like the fresh colors and keeping it super simple.
So I'm just in the beginning of my photography "career" (if you can even call it that yet- although I do have my first real client next week ) and started off with a rather blah card....I like it, but it just wasn't me.
Well, I found a logo that I really really like. If you knew me it fits perfectly. I actually have a tattoo very similar to the turtle on the card.
Let me know what you think. I'm doing mostly children and families and really like the fresh colors and keeping it super simple.
Front
Back
Thanks for looking!
I really like the colors and the simplicity of the design - what else do you need? As long as the light green prints well for the email and phone, I'd say you're good to go. And I'm really glad to see a card with just ONE font!
I decided to work over my business card this afternoon, let me know what you think....
It looks great! The only thing that bothers me is the location of the phone number. I'm not quite sure where to put it, but don't like it that close to the email address.
I'm not sure why the white edge on the left is showing up here. It's not there in the pdf I'm sending to my printer no matter how far I zoom in. Also this includes the bleed so the edges won't be as big as they are here.
edit: fixed the white edge, it was there after all.
Yes, I agree with the lowercase change... it really brought importance to your name in caps. someone else mentioned the phone placement was bothering them (not sure if that was you or someone else).. but this is what my eyes see.... let your phone number stand alone on the right (more importance), and put your web information together (two lines, email and website) on the left.
But I just mostly wanted to say I think the design and colors and clean stylistic look of your card looks AWESOME!!!
I have changed my biz card about 3 times so far with photos and now without. I will try to post my new one again.
This is an old one.... or "What NOT to do". I have learned a lot since then, thanks to this forum. Too many fonts, too busy, yikes, what was I thinking? And I was trying to find a "brand" or logo design and this wasn't working. My biggest question was whether to include a photograph on my cards. But I was finding the photos I used on the card were too client-specific...in other words, I shoot weddings, location portraiture, studio portraiture, families, babies and events. And this card wouldn't 'speak' to a prospective wedding client.
Hence, the change to a non-photo business card with just my new logo/branding. I now use these tourqouise and brown colors for all my packaging and this name logo is my watermark etc etc.
Oh and as a side note... I create personalized client business cards for each of my clients with one of THEIR shots from their session on 8 'business cards" that I create on wallets using my business card design.. I just add their photo to the side and shrink my biz infor.to the left and add their name to their picture. They LOVE LOVE LOVE this 'gift' and share it with all their friends and KEEP my personalized-client business card in their wallet. I ran into a client I did a YEAR ago and he showed me the wallet-business card with my photo of his family was STILL in his wallet a year later... BEST AND CHEAPEST FORM OF ADVERTISING I EVER INVESTED IN!!! (similar to my card above, but with my new logo brand and more streamlined)
ok.. so here is my streamlined, information only business card. This is the front and the back lists what photography I do. So, how can I improve with this ? All help is appreciated. Thanks, Diane
I like your old card much (!) more. The warm colors,
the graphical elements on the left and the font used
show that you care for detail. The image on the right
shows that your photos are about emotions. What a
great way to present your bussines! The one on the
bottom however looks very cold and unprofessional
with its simple logo and boring text elements. It may
technicaly be more "correct" but as a photographer
you're not selling technical perfection you are really
selling memories. Thus I believe one shoudln't advertise
only the bussiness with a bussinescard but also the
product you are trying to sell to the client. I've mentioned
it above and the 1st card has it all.
“To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”
― Edward Weston
I like your old card much (!) more. I've mentioned
it above and the 1st card has it all.
Thanks so much for the positive on the 1st photo version business card. So, as a 'general' card to all clients inquiring for my services whether it be a bride, a bar mitzvah or a family portaiture session.. you feel the first photo card will still do the trick? I still have a ton of those cards as well, I just thought it limited my client base.... but glad to have your positive feedback. I have plenty of the newer graphic version, which can be used on my packaging etc. Waste not , want not. Or perhaps the graphic version can be the backside of a photo version front... just tossing ideas around.
Oh and as a side note... I create personalized client business cards for each of my clients with one of THEIR shots from their session on 8 'business cards" that I create on wallets using my business card design.. I just add their photo to the side and shrink my biz infor.to the left and add their name to their picture. They LOVE LOVE LOVE this 'gift' and share it with all their friends and KEEP my personalized-client business card in their wallet. I ran into a client I did a YEAR ago and he showed me the wallet-business card with my photo of his family was STILL in his wallet a year later... BEST AND CHEAPEST FORM OF ADVERTISING I EVER INVESTED IN!!! (similar to my card above, but with my new logo brand and more streamlined)
Just wanted to say that I love this idea! (And I also like the first card more...)
I'm not sure why the white edge on the left is showing up here. It's not there in the pdf I'm sending to my printer no matter how far I zoom in. Also this includes the bleed so the edges won't be as big as they are here.
edit: fixed the white edge, it was there after all.
I happen to agree with the comments made re: the font/caps. On the phone #, maybe you could center it on the same line. Then leave the web/e-mail inof in hte same place but drop them down 1/2 to a full line, still leaving a border.
"Don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to. Oh well."
-Fleetwood Mac
Comments
I really like the front image but wonder whether you;d be able to read the smaller text when printed at the smaller business card size, unless you're having them at that big size?
The back looks a little too somber to my eye, i.e. black isn't a good colour for the back, it's too much of a contrast wit the light front IMO, also you already have 'Alexa Photography' on te front , I'd question whether you need to repeat it on the back. On your website , the second image that comes up in te slideshow , of a baby's hand in a n adult hand, that would look brilliant on the back in B+W - just a thought...
...pics..
1. I have plowed through every page of the "Show Us Your Card" thread. Just about went blind. It's worth your time if you haven't.
2. I think the image on your obverse is very descriptive of what you like to photograph. I'd ditch the "Weddings, etc" because I think it's obvious. Less is more.
Oh #3 I guess . . . I really do not like the mixture of fonts in the "one moment at a time" line.
Then again . . . you're way ahead of me. I still don't have a card.
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
Thanks for the ideas! I did actually go through the whole "Show Me" Thread! Great thread, lots of ideas!!
I also want to keep all that I do on the card, cause I want people to know that I do more than just weddings, which is what the picture indicates.
I took your advice on the font for the "motto". I went with the elegant. What do you think?
Thanks!!
as in Al-ex :wink
www.alexaphotos.com
"Capturing Life...One Moment at a Time"
Alex -
I took a look - I like the slideshow, but I noticed that in Firefox your navbar is not centered. In IE7 it is not centered but looks closer to being centered.
I would consider some revising on your about me page. It is very thrid person and reads a little bit awkwardly (By the way mine isn't any better).
Love the photos.
Brian
http://photos.katzclix.com
blog - http://blog.katzclix.com
think about it: the thread is long, filled, and POPULAR. There's a reason for that. Lots of people are used to seeing and posting here. And they subscribe to it.
NEW thread not necessary, and in fact, is actually detrimental in this case, since the valuable replies to your thread would not be seen or saved in the main thread.
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
Sorry Andy. Dont want to cause a rif
:cry
I actually did post it in here as well. I have gotten a few comments back. Thanks again. Sorry for breaking rules.
as in Al-ex :wink
www.alexaphotos.com
"Capturing Life...One Moment at a Time"
Thanks for the reply. Yeah it has been off center...I am not sure yet how to "adjust" it in FF. I need to work on that!
Thanks for the advice on the "about me" page. It was VERY difficult for me to write. I actually looked at a few, most talked in 3rd person. I will have to work on it. Thanks again!
as in Al-ex :wink
www.alexaphotos.com
"Capturing Life...One Moment at a Time"
Alex -
Post it in the SM customization forum and you will have help very quickly centering it in all 3 browsers.:D
Brian
http://photos.katzclix.com
blog - http://blog.katzclix.com
I'm still not sure I like the mixed font styles on the back. It looks like you have the top line to match the front, second and third lines are the same font (but different sizes) and then the script at the bottom is another font altoghether.
Why not have the same font for lines #2 & #3 match the first line/front
And why the different italicized font for the bottom tagline?
-Fleetwood Mac
Yet another business card in the fish bowl. Is there a drawing for a free lunch for a lucky winner?
Great seeing all of the great cards here. Here is mine...
I use the main box logo everywhere to infuse it in the brains of the clients and hypnotize them into using me
Kevin Helton
Kevin Helton Photography
www.kevinhelton.com
and was wondering where you guys get your design ideas from, is there sth.
like a "best pracices for designing a bussines card" reading?
― Edward Weston
i like the left side of your card a lot... but something on the right isn't quite right... perhaps the justification of the text along the right? maybe the bleed off the right side? i'm not sure...it's just odd, IMO. doesn't match the left side.
Yeah, I think I'm with you on that. I'll probably try to correct that next time. I've got a few hundred left to disperse before then
Kevin
Kevin Helton Photography
www.kevinhelton.com
There are books on the basics of identity design and desktop publishing. I'll try and get post links to the better ones. But first thing you should do is to look at lots of different cards and make notes about what you like and dislike. Somewhere in this thread there was a link to a website with TONS of examples, some pretty funky, but a lot of just very nice ones.
I would then try and find a graphic designer who does this type of work. Even a college student with a couple of years experience would work, or ask family and friends. Just to have someone go "No, you never do that". Like Bold Italicized Underlined words.
Some of the first things they will ask you is who is your target market, and what image (as in perception of your work) are you trying to suggest. Like my photography, I tried not to get overly committed to an idea. I asked a number of people whose opinions I respect for feedback.
I asked a friend you runs a photo archive and gallery for places to look - Lens Review, Aperature, etc. - for ideas. For instance most traditional gallery/collectors magazines have identities using a serif font, many are script serif. But there were some sans serif, block letters.
At a minimum, read the feedback on some of the posts here. Some key points are: less is more, multiple points of contact are important, make sure it works with other 'branding' elements (like a web page), take the feedback to heart.
Hope that helps!
-Fleetwood Mac
My information is in black on white, large print on the back. This gives me a clean canvas to showcase my work and easy to read, vital information on the back.
http://jburtphotos.com
http://jburtphotos.smugmug.com
Basic but makin' changes
Well, I found a logo that I really really like. If you knew me it fits perfectly. I actually have a tattoo very similar to the turtle on the card.
Let me know what you think. I'm doing mostly children and families and really like the fresh colors and keeping it super simple.
Front
Back
Thanks for looking!
katherinelynn.com
I really like the colors and the simplicity of the design - what else do you need? As long as the light green prints well for the email and phone, I'd say you're good to go. And I'm really glad to see a card with just ONE font!
I decided to work over my business card this afternoon, let me know what you think....
Its very good, but looks more like a designers card than a photographers
...pics..
I like it very much. Great design elements, clean, easy to read.
-Fleetwood Mac
here's another revision...
I'm not sure why the white edge on the left is showing up here. It's not there in the pdf I'm sending to my printer no matter how far I zoom in. Also this includes the bleed so the edges won't be as big as they are here.
edit: fixed the white edge, it was there after all.
But I just mostly wanted to say I think the design and colors and clean stylistic look of your card looks AWESOME!!!
I have changed my biz card about 3 times so far with photos and now without. I will try to post my new one again.
http://www.dianeschafer.com
This is an old one.... or "What NOT to do". I have learned a lot since then, thanks to this forum. Too many fonts, too busy, yikes, what was I thinking? And I was trying to find a "brand" or logo design and this wasn't working. My biggest question was whether to include a photograph on my cards. But I was finding the photos I used on the card were too client-specific...in other words, I shoot weddings, location portraiture, studio portraiture, families, babies and events. And this card wouldn't 'speak' to a prospective wedding client.
Hence, the change to a non-photo business card with just my new logo/branding. I now use these tourqouise and brown colors for all my packaging and this name logo is my watermark etc etc.
Oh and as a side note... I create personalized client business cards for each of my clients with one of THEIR shots from their session on 8 'business cards" that I create on wallets using my business card design.. I just add their photo to the side and shrink my biz infor.to the left and add their name to their picture. They LOVE LOVE LOVE this 'gift' and share it with all their friends and KEEP my personalized-client business card in their wallet. I ran into a client I did a YEAR ago and he showed me the wallet-business card with my photo of his family was STILL in his wallet a year later... BEST AND CHEAPEST FORM OF ADVERTISING I EVER INVESTED IN!!! (similar to my card above, but with my new logo brand and more streamlined)
ok.. so here is my streamlined, information only business card. This is the front and the back lists what photography I do. So, how can I improve with this ? All help is appreciated. Thanks, Diane
http://www.dianeschafer.com
I like your old card much (!) more. The warm colors,
the graphical elements on the left and the font used
show that you care for detail. The image on the right
shows that your photos are about emotions. What a
great way to present your bussines! The one on the
bottom however looks very cold and unprofessional
with its simple logo and boring text elements. It may
technicaly be more "correct" but as a photographer
you're not selling technical perfection you are really
selling memories. Thus I believe one shoudln't advertise
only the bussiness with a bussinescard but also the
product you are trying to sell to the client. I've mentioned
it above and the 1st card has it all.
― Edward Weston
Thanks so much for the positive
http://www.dianeschafer.com
Just wanted to say that I love this idea!
I vote for your latest card. Mostly because I prefer simplicity. And the colors are great.
I also struggle with putting a picture on my cards or not and I guess I haven't figured out the right mixture yet.
I really like your idea about client business cards. Do you have an example you could share?? It's just a BRILLIANT idea!
katherinelynn.com
I happen to agree with the comments made re: the font/caps. On the phone #, maybe you could center it on the same line. Then leave the web/e-mail inof in hte same place but drop them down 1/2 to a full line, still leaving a border.
-Fleetwood Mac