DSLR FILM NOOB card (1 of 2)-2

A question that comes in now and again is “What do you use for a business card?”. I’ll be heading off to NAB first thing in the morning and if you run into me, this is the card you’ll probably get. It took me a few tries and a number of experiments working with a graphic design artist to come up with something simple but classy. The design is oriented vertically with a simple splash of red to jazz things up. The text is embossed to add a little bit of shine and the rounded corners do a good job of bringing the focus inward.

I’ve seen a lot of cards lately that are covered front to back in photographs or a collage of images. At first I thought the looked good, but then I released that with all of that color coming at you it was actually hard to quickly find the information I was looking for. Simple designs tend to look better in my opinion.

DSLR FILM NOOB card (2 of 2)-2

On the back I went with a very limited, but easy to read set of information, e-mail address, youtube channel, and twitter handle. I know a lot of people feel that you should use your site address (@dslrfilmnoob.com) for your e-mail address, but I prefer a g-mail address because it’s a little more secure. If the site ever gets hacked I don’t have to worry about password changes going through my domain name provider. Also to me it feels a little more personal, with that in mind I am by no means a marketing expert, these are my choices but they might not be for everyone.

You’ll also notice I’ve left my phone number off of the card. To me e-mail is a good way to screen someone before providing a phone number. If a contact sends me a compelling e-mail, I’ll provide a phone number and arrange a time for a call. I travel quite a bit throughout the year and work all kinds of hours, I’d rather be able to plan for long phone calls if at all possible.

The only regret I have about my current card is the paper thickness. I miss ordered this batch at 10pt, but I normally use 17pt or 22pt to make the card feel a little more substantial.  They still feel nice, but you never know when you’ll need to use your business card to scrape a windshield or keep a motel door from locking you out.

There are a lot of strong opinions about business cards out there. Design choices are pretty subjective and I don’t think there is any one definitive answer to what a card should look like. Test your design out on a few people you trust and listen to their feedback. Think about how you are marketing yourself and don’t go crazy with the job title list.

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