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Photo Forum / Digital Photography / Digital Photo / November 2005Are photographic business cards necessary?
Nearly all the business cards I see from photographers have a sample picture on them - many are printed on photographic paper. Has anyone tried a more conventional business card with a logo / name and contact details? If so, was there a detrimental effect on business? I'm thinking about dropping the photo-cards in favor of a more formal business card. Dave > Nearly all the business cards I see from photographers have a sample > picture on them - many are printed on photographic paper. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Dave Several ways of looking at this, regular business cards are dull, ho-hum things. If they make it into someones roladex what differentiates them from the other white cards there. A photo, a bright color background alerts the potential buyer to your card. Clients used to tell me that they would always go to my card because it was a bright color, or a drawing, or photograph, depending on what vintage card. But I'm back in a salary job now, so how effective was it? There is something to be said about a classy, printed standard card, but again it has to stand out, be the classiest ever. Just remember you are not the only photographer in their roladex. Either can work, but you just have, have a card that gets noticed. Tom Thanks for the input - I've put together a new logo and fairly vibrant business card, but it does not have a photograph on it, just a geometric design. I've run it by several people and they all picked it out as the best. I think I'm going to go with it, as there's a good chance it will stand out amongst photographs and plain white cards. > Nearly all the business cards I see from photographers have a sample > picture on them - many are printed on photographic paper. > > Has anyone tried a more conventional business card with a logo / name > and contact details? > If so, was there a detrimental effect on business? I never used photo cards. Mine were just a simple design using tasteful typography. I don't think the general public really cares. > I never used photo cards. Mine were just a simple design using tasteful > typography. I don't think the general public really cares. As a member of the GP, I agree. I keep only those cards which have some interest and don't much care what they look like. >> I never used photo cards. Mine were just a simple design using tasteful >> typography. I don't think the general public really cares. > > As a member of the GP, I agree. I keep only those cards which have some > interest and don't much care what they look like. One of our local engineering firms uses a frosted clear plastic for their cards, overprinted in their mid-green corporate colours. They service the local coal-mining industry (along with about 100 others...) so I guess that it works for them. Indestructible and different. RobG > >> I never used photo cards. Mine were just a simple design using tasteful > >> typography. I don't think the general public really cares. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > local coal-mining industry (along with about 100 others...) so I guess that > it works for them. Indestructible and different. A lot of woodworking types (hobbyists, cabinetmakers, furnituremakers, etc.) use real wood cards. These are far from indestructible and have limited art possibilities, but they sure do stand out, particularly when humidity levels change and the wood curls. I've been tempted, but the fragility and the curl have so far stopped me. I still haven't found a material or pattern that beats a plain, old layout on white or tan stock, with a good embossed logo or image, with good typography. Then again, I've got a friend who is a woodworker who uses a card that looks as if it came out of a typesetting machine about 20 years ago,a mchine run by someone who wasn't sure what went where.Simple black on white on cheap card stock. Looks awful. Tells people what he does, his name and how to get in touch. And it works. >I never used photo cards. Mine were just a simple design using tasteful >typography. I don't think the general public really cares. The general public may not care but you should. Put yourself in the position of someone with several 'cards' from the same sort of service supplier and wanting to choose one. Ask yourself "What will make him pick mine?" & "What will make my card stand out and stick in his mind!" A distinctive logo? - not too much verbiage. Use white space. Make sure that the print quality is high... > The general public may not care but you should. I did. As I said, they were on light tan stock with professional typography in a darker brown with an embossed Hasselblad. No thermographed cards here. >Nearly all the business cards I see from photographers have a sample >picture on them - many are printed on photographic paper. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >I'm thinking about dropping the photo-cards in favor of a more formal >business card. I've thought about for possible large and potential high end customers doing CD business cards with a small portfolio on it. It would be something to set one off for the competitors. > >Nearly all the business cards I see from photographers have a sample > >picture on them - many are printed on photographic paper. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > It would be something to set one off for the competitors. I've got that, but at about the time when I landed a full-time job and didn't really want to stir up more contract work, so I don't really know how they work. They're expensive and time-consuming to make, of course (mine are printed directly on the CD in an Epson R800). The CD has a promotional web-site on it for both web design and photography. I think, 20 years ago (when I first had a photo business card for photo work) it really made you stand out. Today it doesn't, though -- a *good* design not based on a photo would probably stand out more. But only a *good* design, which isn't the easiest thing to produce if design isn't your major skill-set! (The web site is also online, and there's an image of the business card CD on it at <http://dbpromo.dd-b.net/contact.html>).  SignatureDavid Dyer-Bennet, <mailto:dd-b@dd-b.net>, <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/> RKBA: <http://noguns-nomoney.com/> <http://www.dd-b.net/carry/> Pics: <http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/> <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/> Dragaera/Steven Brust: <http://dragaera.info/> > Nearly all the business cards I see from photographers have a sample > picture on them - many are printed on photographic paper. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Dave Another jo public, so it may of some help. Simple clean, and easy to read it good, as another post suggested. Cds, are great for company stuff, not realy for the home user, again KISS works best, BUT if trying to sell Wedding Photography possibly with Video then this may be a good idea for the Often seen WeddingBoot sales, a goody bag with YOUR disk in, and a free throwaway camera will get you noticed hopefully. As for picture cards, make sure you look nice. Some photographers are good, but look ugly, as with most of us, so make sure Your picture doesn't scare them away ;-) Hope this is of help All the best Vaughn > Cds, are great for company stuff, not realy for the home user, again > KISS works best, BUT if trying to sell Wedding Photography possibly with > Video then this may be a good idea for the Often seen WeddingBoot sales, > a goody bag with YOUR disk in, and a free throwaway camera will get you > noticed hopefully. The problem I can see with a little goofy-sized CD is that people will go home and put it into their slot-loading drive and then they're screwed. |
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