Business Card

[04chargedvibe]

So I'm trying to do some design work on the side out here and I'm making a card to give out. I'm not quiet done with it but i have 3 different choices to go with and i thought id get anyone's advice or their opinion on them. And you guys can vote on which you like best. Hope you guys can see the difference in the 3 of them. Any advice is welcomed

[keithvibe]

Being a Printer by trade.. the only thing I will say is, the font you used is very difficult to read with the busy background. I like version 3's star, with version 1's color font*just make it bold.Your only limiting your services by listing just the four.I would suggest a catch line, something along the lines of:Professional work with the personal touchI made a very basic business card for myselfEDIT removed card, because this isn't about me LOL

[Water boy]

You asked......I don't like your card at all.Waaaaay to busy.Too hard to read. Is that CRD or CKD?Letters around the star means what?Need more space for what you do and less on the graphics.Need some kind of website to showcases your work.You may give your card to someone you met which means your card has meaning. When that card shows up somewhere else i.e. bars, fishbowls, job boards, ballpark, network meetings etc, it has to convey your 10 second message.I like Keith's card except that it says nothing about what he does. I shouldn't have to go the the internet to look him up.Most of my customers have dropped the WWW from the address. Also they have capitalized the first letter of the words. Makes it much easier to read.UltimateRetrofit.comBut then I'm old and have started 3 companies.

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by Water boy »I like Keith's card except that it says nothing about what he does. I shouldn't have to go the the internet to look him up.You are right, and I noticed this AFTER I sent it off to press... Usually though when I am talking to people about my business I'm standing at my car and can show them what I do.I have seen the www. dropped too, I personally hate that... that's just me.

[epcIII]

The star, to me, reminds me too much of a pentagram.

[04chargedvibe]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. Like i said im not done. I need opinions so i came here. Im taking everything you guys say into consideration. im going to work on it some more. Ill tone it back and change fonts ect. It was just one idea that i went with so its good for criticism

[star_deceiver]

It's not grabbing my attention. Re-think the logo, it needs to pop like Keith's!Quote, originally posted by epcIII »The star, to me, reminds me too much of a pentagram.meh, not really... But it could.... Some more colour contrast, maybe some red?

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by star_deceiver »Some more colour contrast, maybe some red?I agree

Attached files

[epcIII]

I really like your sig--could you do something along those lines?

[ponta2147]

I have to be honest... I don't like that it looks like "Hey let's throw Photoshop Filters Everywhere!" So much beveling and plastic filters and drop shadows and everything... it makes it look amateur. Also the text has no organization. The cell and email in the corner is nice, but your list of options are just kind of "placed there" with no rhyme or reason.I have no problem with using a star, but the name of the company is really hard to read.Also, it's not usually a good idea to combine two different "specialty" fonts like you did without a good reason/justification. Usually people would use one "specialty" font and one more traditional font (in this case, probably a sans serif for modernism/readability, maybe something like Gill Sans which is still a little funky?)Overall, I don't really think that these cards would convince people to use you to get design work done, because they don't look like they have had any design considerations put into them, and none of the basic rules of design have been followed.I'm sure you're very good at using whatever programs you are using (I am guessing Photoshop or something similar) but I would suggest reading up on some basic layout principles to learn about the importance of balance, alignment, readability, etc. It helps to learn the rules so that you know when you can break them!

[ponta2147]

Here are some sweet links to get you inspired on business card design... maybe you can get some ideas! A lot of them have crazy (read: expensive) diecuts or print techniques, but there are still lots of ideas to draw from:http://designrfix.com/inspirat...cardsh ... /3...cards

[epcIII]

Quote, originally posted by ponta2147 »Here are some sweet links to get you inspired on business card design... maybe you can get some ideas! A lot of them have crazy (read: expensive) diecuts or print techniques, but there are still lots of ideas to draw from:http://designrfix.com/inspirat...cardsh ... /3...cards Oh man, that cracks me up! I mean, divorce isn't funny, but it's a great card.

[Blanco_Diablo]

Quote, originally posted by ponta2147 »I have to be honest... I don't like that it looks like "Hey let's throw Photoshop Filters Everywhere!" So much beveling and plastic filters and drop shadows and everything... it makes it look amateur.+ 100, and please, never use the lens flare.Another tip... logos, business cards, most design work cannot solely be done in photoshop, or at least probably shouldn't be.Especially logos, as this would make them raster files and very dependent on resolution for reproduction. Are you familiar with any other design programs? If not, Adobe Illustrator should be next on your list of importance. It's vector-based meaning the resolution is only limited by your output device so scaling the mark will never be an issue.Not sure how you plan to output client work or if you are just strictly creating designs. If a design like your card was printed for a client on an offset press this would be a 3 color job with halftones. Not exactly cheap. Now if digital is the way you are going, then... just know the final product will not be like the examples ponta has linked to. You need to be well versed on how these cards will be executed so you can design efficiently. As a business card, yours is definitely way too busy, tough to read, and kind of random. Does the star mean something? Is it your logo? If it is a logo, simplicity is your friend... however subtle cues to your design style, mission statement, etc could be coded into the aesthetic. Design is always more impactful when it has meaning.Good luck to you, and please share any updates you make with us. It will be interesting to see how your current design evolves. Also, a portfolio is a must! Do you have one?

[drunkenmaxx]

get out of photoshop, text is not best represented using that program. like said before, your art needs to be vector. i went to graphic design school, the first thing you'll learn is photoshop is fun to work with, but in a realistic printing environment, text looks like crap in photoshop. until i was laid off in early november, i actually worked for a print shop that specialized in business cards for multimillion dollar companies. keithvibe pointed out that these would be very expensive to print. they would actually have to be printed 4 color, most likely cmyk, which is way to expensive/not typical of a business card to be taken seriously. there are white holes in the text in the bottom right corner that frankly look horrible.p.s. im drunk, happy newyear!

[A Psycho Martyr]

the divorce card is hilarious!And my input on the business card has already been said, but I'd like to add (and this is just personal preference) that the outline of the star should be black IMO. And again, it's been said, but the name of your business shouldn't be broken up like that. I'm ok with the fonts, but we all know I like crazy fonts And then I also noticed the grey lines coming out of the star (the sun? not sure) look cool, but I did notice that they're all feathered except for one side of one in the middle of the right side...was this intentional?Good luck with the remake

[djkeev]

I know nothing about actually printing cards so I'll just state what I read upon first glance (and you will not get more time devoted to this than just a glance)I read and thought as follows..........First thought... Odd design, what's the letters around the giant star?? Star is stupid, Haven't a clue of your company name. What's YOUR name? What State or town are you in? No Address?!?! (I don't give companies without an address any of my money) Cell phone only?!?! How transient! You've no permanent brick and mortar location!?! hmmmm a fly by night who probably won't be here tomorrow!Then I read as follows.... Personal Business Invitations Cards Design Logos Work ........(removed)?!?! makes no sense!eMail @ Yahoo?? Any "yahoo" can get a yahoo email. Get a real email with a provider that doesn't scream JUNK MAIL EMAIL ACCOUNT!!No Web site?? YOU CAN'T DO BUSINESS IN 2011 WITHOUT A GOOD WEB SITE. I want to see what you do.......NOW!!!! also a basic price schedule. I'm not contacting you not knowing a basic price frame that you work in.Make a web site, link your email into that web site. For example...... http://www.CDKdesign.com / email would be... kevin@CDKdesign.com or something similar.Oh, did I mention that a web site needs to be GOOD especially for a graphic artist. Multiple pages that WORK, galleries, tell me a little about YOU as well. Will I like you or will you mug me and take my wallet?You Asked....Dave

[Dave532]

That pentagram looking star would be enough to turn off just about anyone with any type of religious background. Unless your only looking for business from pagans or wiccans I would lose the star.