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cards here from '50 beautiful cards' DesignCove
I have always been really judgemental about a person's business card. It's not really fair because a lot of people that work for larger companies have nothing to do with their cards, don't design them, or write the copy on them but I still like to judge a company culture by their business card.
I generally like companies that allow the employee to have some kind of personality showing through on their cards. One agency in Chicago has some free association words describing the person on the back of the card like "twin", "photography", etc.
With online networking, LinkedIn, blogs, Twitter, and every other way to contact you online available I am starting to wonder if we even need business cards at all anymore? Honestly, I use them less and less in favor of "I'll find you online".
What are your thoughts, do you use them? Does your personality come through on them?
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Comments
01.15.10
Of course we need them! How else could we build these?
01.15.10
Scott - ha! Those are pretty cool!
01.15.10
I'm a huge supporter of the business card, especially at a personal brand level.
I think if you take the time to design and/or customize your own, it's a testament to how seriously you take yourself and the mark you can make in your niche.
Check out this article I wrote on business cards for more: http://www.brazencareerist.com/2009/10/19/is-the-business-card-still-rel...
:)
01.15.10
It's always nice to have a business card handy to give to someone. As a programmer who has been at my company for 20 years, I have a box of about 500 that I got years ago, and I'm not even a quarter of the way through them. But I still keep a few in my wallet.
As far as the 'company culture', well, non-creative companies are always going to be rather bland. And if you are simply a working drone like myself, not freelancing or anything, a simple card with your company contact information is going to suffice.
It's still nice to have them though.
01.15.10
Got a boring name?
Need a business card.
Got a name that's hard to spell?
Need a business card.
My name's unique. This is only ONE Benjamin Jancewicz.
Scott Smith? He's fresh outta luck. Even if he tried to be clever and did something like "www.scith.com"... wait, that's already taken.
So poor Scott needs a business card.
And so do I, because you'll never spell my last name right.
Keep an eye out for digital business cards, though. Super-tiny USB drives are really cheap right now, and so a hot business card would be one you can plug in.
01.15.10
I can see how business cards aren't as necessary as they used to be, but I still think they're a crucial staple for a lot of businesspeople and freelancers.
I would have to agree that getting creative with how you leave your information with people is becoming more popular than generic old cards. For example, my mom is a graphic designer and painter, so she has her paintings printed on cards with her contact info on the back. It's more like she's giving away a piece of artwork than just handing them a business card. I've also had a freelance traveling vet carry around magnets with their contact info and leave them on the fridges at homes they go into.
We have to remember that not everyone we meet is going to take the time (or remember) to look us up online. If we want them to remember us or connect, we should always be prepared to take the first step.
01.15.10
Business cards do indeed serve a purpose. They're more professional than jotting your info on a cocktail napkin. If someone plugs your number into their cell phone, there's no telling whether they'll remember it's there. And if you just hope to remember someone's name, you might not get the spelling right when you search online.
That being said, while I always carry business cards with me, I don't carry as many.
I just blogged about the importance of business cards and how to use them:
"New Uses for Business Cards" http://blog.psprint.com/marketing/new-uses-business-cards/
"6 Business Card Printing Tips" http://blog.psprint.com/marketing/business-card-printing-tips/
Carlee: I just heard of graphic artists posting thumbnails of their portfolio pieces on the back of their business cards -- brilliant!
01.15.10
Ah yes -- here's the link to the blog "Use your personal business cards to their full potential" about how graphic designers can market themselves with business cards.
01.15.10
I second Benjamin. I was at a professional conference over the weekend and several people asked me for a card. I assume that if they just want my phone number/email/website, they'll ask specifically for that. We who are plugged in assume that everyone is, but that leaves out a whole lot of people...
01.15.10
@Heather: You know what's terrible? When some mover-shaker person comes up to you, very impressed by what you do, excited about who you are, and asks you for your business card when you DON'T have one.
There is nothing worse than sheepishly replying that you need to get more made...
01.20.10
While it may seem like everyone is online- or anyone that you would want to communicate with anyway- but it's simply not the case. Following that line of thinking, a business card can be completely helpful. As baby boomers begin to exit the workforce and younger more tech savvy individuals begin to take their places, business cards may decline in relevance- but never die out completely. The internet is a great communication tool, but nothing beats pounding the pavement and face-to-face interaction. When you are at a networking function, you should always have something to offer someone with you contact information. I just think it's prudent.
01.21.10
When I think about business cards now my mind goes to this video.
That being said I have four business cards, one for each blog and one for my day job.
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