What Do You Think A Business Card Is For?
The use of business cards, or calling cards as they were more popularly known, is still widely prevalent today, even in this age of electronic communications. Technologies of instant communications such as Bluetooth and infrared connectivity are easier and much handier ways of sending and receiving data and information, including those contained in a business card. Yet people —and particularly businessmen— still carry around small stacks of business cards, giving them away at every chance they get and at the slightest provocation. Don’t ever tell a businessman you’ll call and he will give you his card, faster than you can say “Jack Robinson”, whoever he is, regardless of whether he has given you one earlier.
This only proves business cards still play a vital role in business or even everyday life, because even those not in business, such as students, have calling cards in their names. Why so? A number of reasons have been advanced as to the business card’s functions, and they range from as a source of personal pride to a business tool.
The functions of a business card
As a business advertising tool. A business card will normally contain the owner’s name, form or list of business or service rendered, phone or contact number/s, and some sort of catchphrase or slogan for the business. In this way the holder will immediately see in the card if the card owner is the appropriate solution to his immediate needs. So actually the card acts as a kind of ’sleeper’ or inactive advertising for the owner, accessed when needed.
As a social link. Many people accept other people’s business cards and promptly forget both the card and the person right afterwards. Then the card is remembered when the holder needs to contact the card owner socially, and so the card is dredged up from the dustbin of ‘where-did-I-place-it’ questions. Or, you may not care what the guy sells, but he is so hunky…
As a travelling reference. If you know a friend who requires his boat engine serviced and you bump into someone who does that, you may wish to request his card to pass to your friend, who might later pass it on to another with similar needs. Without the card, neither potential customer will remember the boat engine service provider when the service is required. With it, the card owner may well capture a whole boating association.
As a personal affectation. It is simply classy to give away business cards, even if the owner has no business. It gives the owner a feeling of ’superiority’ -for lack of a more appropriate term-over others. It is also a lot easier to just hand a receptionist, say, your business card instead of explaining who you are.
So, the card
Different people have different uses for a business card and if you think one reason is enough, then you’re wrong. A business card does all of the above, and often, more.
Don't do it free, people associate free with cheap (I still love Stallman, though). You are marketing yourself, you want to imply that you are worth hiring, business people associate worth with money, so you want to be about average here. If you go too high, you look like you're greedy, too low, you look like you're inexperienced.
You say you are inexperienced, and that is fine, that doesn't mean, though, that you will do a bad job, you still need to represent yourself as something worth having, so don't go too low.
Guy who spoke before is pretty right. Query design shops in your area, get a feel for that price, go a little under it. This says you are worth something, but you are not trying to take advantage. Essentially, a great deal
Plus, as you pointed out, you are doing work, and it should be worth your time.
On the other hand, if the shop owner is a communist, throw out everything I said ^^
Is the economy in your influence dude?
How can you listen to Jim Rohn and walk away with an attitude that blames the economy? Loans do not grow the economy. High debt is not a good thing. Ever heard of Living beyond your means through unmanageable debt? Work smart make money, live long and prosper. Or die young and poor blaming others for your own failures. Whether you believe you can or you believe you can’t. You are correct.
Try Vista Print. I just used them to print business cards for our new business. Great prices!
jim is great,
unfortanatly the banking elite have trashed the value of the money by creating billions and billions of credits out of thin air and takig back peoples real wealth ie the familys home when they cant pay back money that was created on a computer screen..
search “rothchilds” “rockafellas”
these are the criminals creating the credit crunch .
an economy is measured by how much money is in circulation.. more loans-economy grows. less loans-economy shrinks. the banks control
Would it be possible to win if you couldn’t lose?
Whatever you do, don't use Publisher. At the best its mediocre at allowing you to be creative, and it creates all sorts of problems when it comes time to setup the files properly to print at a commercial press.
Use whichever Adobe software you feel most comfortable working in: Photoshop, Illustrator or Indesign. They all have the capacity of creating great print pieces.
grandpaaaa you are right
"..of the companies on line that offer this, had graphic designers complete hundreds of custom made templates?
"
Of course, that's the case.
Not only business card designers, but also templates for web pages. There is a dedicated team that works for a period of time to generate templates. Part of the business is to have good templates and then, eventually, to adjust them to the needs of Any particular customer.
http://www.myezprinter.com
while they don't give out free business cards, their product quality blows vistaprint out of the water.
They are very big on helping the do-it-yourselfer be successful in creating effective materials. When you upload layouts you can ask for a personal marketing review on all of your layouts. Its free and unlimited.