They don’t have to.

Thanks to the remarkable design software we have available today and the sheer limits of  imagination there is very little you can’t accomplish with a simple postcard design.

If you have a great idea, don’t write it off simply because it would cost too much money. Instead look for alternative design tricks to accomplish the same thing.  Let’s look at my favorite 3 approaches for ‘faking’ an expensive die-cut or 3-D design:

1. Layer. For that 3-D design you want to create but don’t have the budget, all you need is some creativity to create a 3-D design that will be looked at and then looked at again.

An example of this was a recent client that approached me about designing a  “invitation” for an upcoming event.   She wanted something that would be noticed and reminiscent of a traditional invitation. The catch? She wanted it to be a mail-ready postcard.

No problem? As you can see, I created a layered effect to simulate the the actual postcard was peeking out of an envelope.  The client loved it! And the campaign has been very well received.

2. Add Texture. This may seem like a no-brainer and it is indeed one of the oldest tricks in the book, but adding nice textures and grains to your design pieces will create the illusion of either a linen type of stock or perhaps something more earthy like these wood grained business cards for a woodworking shop I designed recently.  There are no ends to the types of textures you can use, to jumpstart your creativity, here are some ideas to get you started:

• Rust
• Metal
• Wood
• Fur
• Grunge
• Dirt
• Aged Paper

3.Think Outside the Proverbial Box. As we mentioned earlier, when your client approaches you with big ideas and a small budget help them think outside the box. Sometimes creating even “traditional” pieces with a twist can be huge attention grabbers. This happened with a project I worked on for some friends that were getting married. They wanted to be ‘different’ and sent out their ivitations as postcards.

So we did. After a photo shoot in a rose garden we had everything we needed to make a striking invitation that kept them under budget. Rather than the traditional light flowery colors, we went with bright and bold blacks, reds and whites.

The guests loved them. And these ‘wedding’ postcards received a lot of attention with other clients.

The bottom line is, regardless of your budget, a simple printed piece with the right design techniques can be astounding. Don’t be afraid to try something new (or something old!) and explore your options. Remember that you do not have to be confined to the 4 straight sides of a postcard, business card or other flat piece, you can use these sides as a platform  to boost your design to the next level.

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Sample Student Business Card

A reader recently asked me for advice on creating a business card as a student. Still in College and finishing up a degree, but ready to start the ever present process of networking she wanted tips and ideas for creating business cards and identity as a student that will be taken seriously in the workforce.

A specific question that came up was whether or not to use the University provided service of business cards with the University branding. While there may be some pros for the students, there are also some serious cons to this approach.
First of all, it doesn’t brand you as an individual, but rather as an extension of your University. Without knowing how your University may be perceived to your potential employer or networker this may be a negative thing. Let’s suppose for a moment that this employer recently had an employee that graduated from the same University and they were fired for poor job performance. Waltzing in as an extension of that same University can possibly backfire on you. On the upside, if a recent employee from that University was a star, it could help. However, by creating your OWN brand you eliminate this risk.

So, let’s discuss. If you’re a student, chances are you haven’t established a brand. So then what? How can you create a business card that will promote YOU and not some fictitious business or alter ego. What if you’ve not really “done” anything yet so to speak?

No problem. Keep in mind that the primary use of a business card is to CONTACT you. So all you HAVE to include is valid contact information. Let’s look at some ideas of things you CAN include on that card to give you credibility.

1. Your name. This may seem obvious, but as a student, with no “business” to be prevalent on a business card, Your NAME is the most important asset you have. Display your name predominantly on the business card to take the place of a business name.

2. Your field of expertise. Again, as a student you may not feel that you have yet established “expertise”. But what did you study for? If you are a PR/Ad major then that’s your field. If you’re a Journalism major then obviously you write. Determine what your niche is and claim it on your cards. If you’re still trying to find your exact niche, keep it broad. For instance, you might use “Communications” or “Marketing” as generic terms to avoid pinning yourself down too tightly.

3. Basic contact information. Be sure to include your city/state on the card as well as a current phone number. A word about phone numbers. Keep in mind that now that you are entering the employment pool you may need to change some of your previous habits. For instance, be very careful about your voicemail greeting on your phone. Screaming/singing into your voicemail message may have been cool in college, but once a potential employer tries to call you, it is an immediate turn off. Be sure to re-record your voicemaill message to something more professional. “Hello, you have reached So-N-So, I’m not available at the moment, but please leave your name and number and a brief message and I’ll return your call as soon as possible”.

4. Email Address. Again, in lieu of something that used to get you by and have personal meaning such as “goodlookin236564@hotmail.com” trade in your address for a new professional one. I strongly suggest Gmail accounts for a professional email address. Try to get something specific and relevant to you. Avoid numbers and make it as easy to remember as possible. When possible, use your name: “johncsmith@gmail.com” or “john.c.smith@gmail.com”. Creating a separate professional account will also help you to separate your professional contacts from your personal buddies.

5. Social Media contact information. Chances are a potential employer is going to look you up online. By including your social profile information on your business card, you show them that you have no skeletons in your closet and are beating them to the punch. Include your Twitter name and direct links to your LinkedIn or Facebook accounts. However, be sure that your content is employer friendly. Never use a social media outlet to bad mouth a previous boss or coworker. Keep your accounts clean and wholesome, understanding that you WILL be judged by what you allow to associate with your name on the web.

6. Blogs or Websites. Did you create a blog or Web site as part of a class assignment? If you did, and it’s good, and you update it frequently, then feel free to add that to your card. However, if you don’t feel that it’s a good representation of your best work, or if you never update the blog, then you are better to leave it off. In order for it to be effective it must be current.

Printing and Distribution.

So now you have your information and a basic idea of your card. The next step is getting them printed.

My personal favorite for printing great, professional quality business card at a low price is OvernightPrints.com. Overnight includes a web based card designer, so if you’r NOT a designer, or don’t have the software, you can use their Web site to still create a top quality card. And their quanities and prices are small and very reasonable. Staring at just 25 cards for $2.98 plus shipping.

Another option is Vista Print. A word of warning however, Vista Print’s cards are “free” with the exception of shipping fees, but the backside of the card is Vista Print’s logo and contact information. And the card quality is much cheaper and does not inlcude a UV gloss finish, like Overnight does.

So now that you have your card printed and designed, who do you give them too? In short: Everybody! 90% of business success is networking. Never despise even the smallest connections that you might make. Stay especially alert at conferences, seminars and learning environments.

All in all, put your best foot forward and establish your own professional reputation and you’ll go far!

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There is no other single design piece I’ve found that offer’s so much flexibility. We’ve talked before about fake finishes design tricks and cheap ways to make a big difference, but let’s look at some ideas that you can use to display your text.

Text. We know that a business card HAS to contain information, and more often than not, it has to contain LOTS of information. Information that is ESSENTIAL to a strong business card. This alone, may sound like an overwhelming task, but what it REALLY is, is an overwhelming opportunity to do something great.

Let’s look at some inspiration for just such an occassion:

Orientation. Dare to be different. Change the orientation of your business card from horizontal to vertical. And don’t forget the front AND the back.

Right Alignment. Contact information right aligned is probably the most common of ANY alignment style for a business card. However, you can still pull it off with class:

Left Align. While the alignment may be common, this design is anything but. When you “create” a business card every detail is important.

Diagonal. These cards show a different kind of alignment– go DIAGONAL. Arrange the content and the text in such a way that it creates a design itself.

For more inspirational business cards visit Daily Poetics Flickr stream.

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Enjoy!

Splinters

SliceOThePie.com

Collipsis Web Solutions

Southern Ladies Showcases

Paige1Media

Jeff Bardel

Life Triumphant Church

ECommerce For Beginners

Paige1Publishing

Graphic Illustrator

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I squeezed and rearranged. I struggled and brainstormed. But in the end? The business card turned out very well and I was glad that I had one more card to add to my portfolio.

Never write off a client’s demands as an impossible task. Attack it! Conquer and you may just be pleased with the result. Let’s have a few more miracle working designers out there!

Wanna see some of MY business cards? The card I’m referring to is somewhere on this page! Happy hunting!

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Well, unfortunately I think there is truth in both. Our job is to amplify the innate purpose for each piece. Confused? Don’t stay that way, let’s examine the pieces we create on an everyday basis and the function they should serve.

The Business Card.

Part salesman, part reminder, part secretary. The business card created correctly can accomplish all these tasks in a single stroke. Often the most used piece of identity branding, too often businesses use a cookie cutter design and expect customers to take notice. Does it work? Maybe if your business is Office Depot. But if you’re a designer branding yourself or a client you want to think outside the box to make a business card that will really get the attention it deserves.

I like to think of the business card as a pocket sized billboard. It should scream at the consumer and burn a hole in their pocket!

As the designer it’s up to you to decide which information should be included and HOW it can be included to best represent your client and provide as the Heath brother’s (Author’s of "Made To Stick") would phrase it, "Stick-Ability" in the mind. (You want the customer to remember it!).

Chuck Green lists a Business Card Checklist that you might find useful to help you determine WHICH of the following bits of information is most vital to your client. Remember, you can’t possible include EVERYTHING. So you’ll have to pick and choose:

Business card checklist

Here are some of the many details you might include on your next business card.

PEOPLE
Name of person
(Nickname)
Title
Affiliations
Professional/academic designations

PLACE
Pronunciation of unusual names
Department/division name
Organization street address
Floor/suite/mail stop
Alternate P.O. box address
City/state/state abbreviation
Zip+four/postal code
Country
Home street address

COMMUNICATION
Voice phone/extension number
Toll-free phone number
Mobile phone number
Pager number
Fax phone number
Home phone number
E-mail address
Web site address

DETAILS
Office hours
Time zone
Appointment fill-in
Map/directions

ORIENTATION
Name of organization
Mission statement/business description
Product/service categories
Resource info
Special offer
Invitation
Illustration/photo
Logo
Organizational affiliations
Sponsorships

Once you’ve determined WHAT you’re going to include, try to think about ways to include it that will make a statement!

Have you designed business cards you’re proud of? Email them to me, and I’ll showcase them in an upcoming post with links back to your site!
 

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Here are some of the winners in the individual categories!

Yakez Wilson

Bethany Shearer

Betsy Baehrer

Elizabeth Fouke

Faith Dunbar

Julie Snowden

Faith Dunbar

Ryan Johanningmeir

Kristin Threadgill

Natalie Sullivan

Ramond Walker

Rachel McGoldrick

Ramond Walker

Sarah Blodgett

Sherman Merchant

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Wrong.

A "bigger" business card (one that is larger than the standard 3.5" x 2" dimensions) makes for a poor business experience. A larger card doesn’t adequately fit into standard business card holders, will not work in wallets well and ultimately will end up in the trash much faster than their standard-sized counterpart.

If your client is bound and determined to include the history of their business, 10 forms of contact information and all their pricing chances are you’re gonna need something a little bigger. If the client can afford it, create a card that neatly folds down into 3.5" x 2" so that you can achieve the best possible solution.

Again, as I’ve mentioned SO MANY times on this blog, don’t forget you can be just as creative and eye catching within the boundaries of a traditional business card, as always here’s a little eye candy for inspiration!

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My opinion? It’s up to the designer and the client. While there are definitely budget constraints that should be taken into effect I do believe that money spent on designing a dynamic business card is well invested.

Unfortunately for many clients and designers, spending a large amount of money for a small business card isn’t practical. What can you do then?

Let the design ‘fake’ it !

1.    Create visual interest: So what if you can’t afford to have a die-cut? By using geometic or assymetrical shapes in a bold an vibrant way, even  a “square” card can come alive!

2.    Round off: Use rounded lines of text along with graphics to create a “warped” feel to the card.

3.    Cut them yourself: If you create a design that will allow it, make your business cards works of art. If the budget is tight, cutting the edges of your business cards a little crooked with an appropriate design is great way to get noticed! (Be sure the design makes it obvious that this intentional and not a mistake!)

4.    Have an assortment of designs. This is incredibly valuable if they are designed in such a way that people want to “collect them all”. You might also try this with a double-sided card and allow the back of all the cards to create a different image when layed out together!

5.    Go vertical: Who says a business card should be horizontal? Try out some vertical designs. They don’t cost any extra but allow a great opportunity to stand out.

6.    Choose Excellent Photography:  They say a picture is worth a thousand words. That is definitely the case when you choose a photo with a clear texture feel to it. Changes are the card will be picked up and “touched” repeatedly.

7.    Create an illusion: With a few simple tricks up your sleeve with the design you can create a simple illusion of one corner being die cut or embossed.

8.    Create an antique look: With some simple edging  and burning techniques you can create a realistic, rustic look.

9.    Create cool angles: By tilting your company name and contact information, you can create a simple yet effective and memorable card.

10.     Make it a piece of art: Adding a sketch, a watercolor painting or a simple drawing can make your business card completely unique.

Hope you were inspired! Thanks to Daily Poetics for these great business card finds!

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Below are some incredible stationary packages, that I found in a Flickr pool. Enjoy!

I trust these have served as an inspiration to you! Happy designing!

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