New Business Card Design

What do you think? I'm very pleased with this one. It's simple and I think it says it all in a very digestable way.

Looking good John :) 2 little things I might change... Maybe add a bit more sand under the shoes (not a biggie though) and from a business standpoint while it's fine not to have a physical address on the card, I would definitely make sure to have your first and last name on it. Are you printing these yourself or do you send out for them?

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Originally Posted by Xia_Ke

Looking good John :) 2 little things I might change... Maybe add a bit more sand under the shoes (not a biggie though) and from a business standpoint while it's fine not to have a physical address on the card, I would definitely make sure to have your first and last name on it. Are you printing these yourself or do you send out for them?

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Great feedback! Thanks for taking the time.

The dirt in the photo is real. So I'm going to leave that as-is. It's already broken down and I'm not going to try to set up the shot again. But you're right about having my name on the card. A physical address isn't necessary since almost everything I do happens in the field or via the Web. But I should give my full name. I also should have made a version to post here that didn't have my phone number and private e-mail :rolleyes:

Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Photo-John

Great feedback! Thanks for taking the time.

The dirt in the photo is real. So I'm going to leave that as-is. It's already broken down and I'm not going to try to set up the shot again. But you're right about having my name on the card. A physical address isn't necessary since almost everything I do happens in the field or via the Web. But I should give my full name. I also should have made a version to post here that didn't have my phone number and private e-mail :rolleyes:

Thanks!

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John,

I'm not an expert when it comes to business cards, however I thought I'd chime in and tell you that I really like the card.....it's simple but it's the kind of simplicity that is an eye catcher.

I would suggest cloning out (or somehow blanking out) your personal info. It's the weekend so probably not too many have seen it yet.

Liz

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Originally Posted by Liz

John,

I'm not an expert when it comes to business cards, however I thought I'd chime in and tell you that I really like the card.....it's simple but it's the kind of simplicity that is an eye catcher.

I would suggest cloning out (or somehow blanking out) your personal info. It's the weekend so probably not too many have seen it yet.

Liz

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Thanks, Liz. I was being lazy about the personal info. But I made a new, safe version with my name added. Thanks for the prompt.

I haven't actually had a personal business card in years. I was having a hard time making one and have been sitting on some ideas for a couple of years. I wanted to show that I do outdoor/mountain bike and product stuff. The shoe idea was an epiphany a few days ago and it resonates well with me. I think it covers a lot of ground in a very simple way - like you said :-)

Thanks for the comments.

Looking again, the descenders on the p and y almost vanish where the blue fades.
I revise my earlier opinion, I think it might be an issue you want to look at.
Love the idea though.

John, you have a great idea here.

Just a few thoughts for you to consider:

1. Under Photo John you might wish to add "Photographic Services by"...and then your name should follow.
2. I don't feel the italic font (for the words action, outdoor...etc.) is working for you above, and you might wish to make it a dark grey.
3. I'm also not too sure the image should be touching the font as well.

I hope you don't mind, but I did a really quick revision using Depressionist Three font. You may or may not like it. Just thought I'd throw it your way.

Thanks, Ray. But you should ask before you edit anyone's images on this site. And you should also uncheck the "Upload to your gallery" box in the upload. I just deleted the image from your gallery. I don't want my images in other people's galleries. I know you meant well, though :-)

I'm not sure about that fint, either. I do like the white fading behind the shoes, though. That makes the shoes the absolute focus of the image. In your version the text and shoes are almost equal visual components. I will experiment with the font. I may also drop the word, "lifestyle." It's a trendy label right now. But I also think it's sort of redundant.

Thanks for the feedback!

I like the card but I feel that you may wish to do something about the Adidas trade mark, to prevent legal headaches. Also the, Action Outdoor Product Lifestyle, the fading blue needs to take a little longer to fade to white, maybe 10 or 20% more so the lettering also doesn't fade into the white. If you don't wish to change the length of the blue fade you could color the font. I also agree on adding a little more ground around the shoes.

Sorry about that John. You're right, I should have asked.

And, I thought I did uncheck the gallery box. My bad.

I am a little confused as to why you used that particular photo John?
I mean while product stuff is a part of what you do, it's just too narrow of focus and a little too static.
People, particularly those in action, are your main focus, so I would think that an mtb photo would be better.
If you are going to put a photograph on the back, I think the blue fade takes away from the photograph, but the words are necessary.
I am with Ray on a different font, I am not sure the one he suggested is ideal, but I think it is better than the one you used.
I like the fact that you are using both sides, and that you are using your avatar; I hope that you will be using it on your site. Using it on both is a good idea, I think there is a term for that, but it escapes me.

Is that new phone number? Maybe a land line here in SLC?
:rolleyes: :D :p

Brian

John,

The idea of the a photo (shoes or otherwise) is one of the most important features on a photographer's business card. Some might opt to go without it, and that might work, however, it also gives a taste of photography... which is always good!

The font, from my experience as a designer, is halfway there... since on the one hand, it works with your avatar.... but on the other hand, is not "photographic" per se. Experimenting with more fonts might be helpful. Try for simple fonts... since it is a very tricky element in design.

The blue is nice and refreshing which does indeed remind me of the outdoor aspect of your photography. Sometimes, in order to confirm the choice of colors, it is best to try out other colors that express the same theme! (i.e. a shade of brown)

The photo used.... here are a couple of suggestions that might or not work: just sand.... or dirt.... forming a certain shape maybe path-like. Items from outdoor objects (shoe laces w/ small wheel w/ tree etc)

Have you tried not using color in the side with the photo? there is no need to have continuance here!

Oh, regarding the font, i think choosing a font for the contact details will help in later on determining which to use for the other words. Start there and move on... try not to make them too playful (italic, rounded....) but rather a bit more "adult". This usually reminds clients you are a pro!

Hope this helps....

Marc

John,

The card looks great. The only thing I would do is blur out the ADIDAS logo on the shoes.

having designed a few business cards in my time i guess it all comes down to your market and i think you have hit the nail on the head. personally i don't like to use photos on business cards if i can avoid it. a graphic looking card is one thing but summing up your entire photographic style in one shot is always a gamble and more than one shot just looks cheap. that said, the shoe does work. i would loose the addidas logo though. personally i err on the side of not having them printed glossy (one of the reasons tend not to use photos) a suprisingly large number of people will use a business card to write on. either to jot down notes when you hand it to them or to remember a phone number or something. if they can do that then they are keeping your card and not chucking it away and that is always a good thing.

I love the card John and the colors, its easy to spot in a pile of other businesd cards in my opinion. This is a great thread too! I am needed cards but didnt want to limit myself to motorsports so I got some good ideas as far as a photo on them goes. I am now thinking of doing 2 sets :)

I would just suggest for your business cards just keep them as simple as possible and just have the important contact details, how you standout is by having a card that is made out of a unique material.

A simple business card with at least 3 color combination is a plus.

The card looks great.

Nice design!

It has been 11 years!
But, the logo looking nice actually! It's so clean and straight. :)

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