Steve Laramie
Veteran
wanted to keep it simple. Customly designed on photoshop.
business card critique
- Thread starter Steve Laramie
- Start date
wanted to keep it simple. Customly designed on photoshop.
Steve Laramie
Veteran
Anybody?
Steve Laramie
Veteran
Thats what people have told me. Iv been looking around at other fonts. Any suggestions for what style.
grinner
Carbonite Member
A basic helvetica would do fine. Nothing with sarifs.
I see you avatar says panavision. Your card having film prefs, it will be assumed you specialize in film, not video. If you specialize in video, I'd stay with the title of videographer and lose the film prefs. If you specialize in film, I'd change your title to cinematographer.
If ya do both, just go with DP.
Nothing wrong with listing editor as well these days. I now have videographer/editor on my card. It use to be listing yourself as other than a specialist at one thing was a major salary cap. Today, multitasking is what makes us marketable.
I see you avatar says panavision. Your card having film prefs, it will be assumed you specialize in film, not video. If you specialize in video, I'd stay with the title of videographer and lose the film prefs. If you specialize in film, I'd change your title to cinematographer.
If ya do both, just go with DP.
Nothing wrong with listing editor as well these days. I now have videographer/editor on my card. It use to be listing yourself as other than a specialist at one thing was a major salary cap. Today, multitasking is what makes us marketable.
Steve Laramie
Veteran
Well I put in videographer because I do weddings and corporate stuff as well. Most people outside the film world don't know what a DP is.
JonathanLB
Carbonite Member
Very true, nobody knows what a DP is unless they are pretty into film, date someone in film, have friends in film, or are in film themselves. A lot of corporate clients wouldn't know what that means. Double Penetration? Double Play?
Cinematographer is an option to use instead. For filmmaking, I prefer Director of Photography, DP, it just sounds better, and have a huge pet peeve with people writing DoP because it's not DoP it's just DP. It just looks dumb otherwise.
utopeya
Member
it has serifs, but i'm a big fan of Arno Pro, if you can find it. it comes with the demo of photoshop CS3 (but not CS4 for some reason). just a thought.
http://www.adobe.com/type/browser/landing/arno/arno.html
http://www.adobe.com/type/browser/landing/arno/arno.html
Zephyrnoid
Veteran
wanted to keep it simple. Customly designed on photoshop.
Pros
- It's yours
- It's simple
- Its says ' Photographer'
- You saved a bundle of money
Cons
- It's cliché
- It's symytrical therefore, static
- Use of Serif faces are best left to pros
- Reverse type is a no-no for readabiliy and scanning
- It says nothing about Steve Laramie
- 1000 other people have this card
- Missing country code and country
Good start, needs work
Steve Laramie
Veteran
What do you mean use of serif faces is best left to pros? And from looking around at cards on this website and others mine is pretty original. I did want to keep it simple so I think static is fine. Remember this is for a wide variety of people. Super artsy people to stuck up rich people. So I didn't really get to artistic.
JonathanLB
Carbonite Member
It is like a million other cards, though. The whole, "Oh I do film so I'll use perforated film strips" thing has been done a million times, on Websites, on business cards, etc. It's a bit dated, for one, and it's really cliche. No offense intended, I've went that way before too, and eventually gotten something better designed.
My current business card I'm very happy with, just had it made and printed, cornered edges, hard paperstock so it's really durable, double-sided and full color, sleek and sexy looking but not too edgy so it still can work for the boring corporate types, but it takes a lot of tinkering to get the right card. I paid $68 for 2,500 of these printed!
My current business card I'm very happy with, just had it made and printed, cornered edges, hard paperstock so it's really durable, double-sided and full color, sleek and sexy looking but not too edgy so it still can work for the boring corporate types, but it takes a lot of tinkering to get the right card. I paid $68 for 2,500 of these printed!
MikeWilkinson
Veteran
Change your font. Your layout has simple info, but comes off a bit busy.
And yes, the filmstrip thing has been done many times over. Unless you can get custom cards that have actual filmstrip sprocket holes, or something else fairly innovative, move away from this look.
Your all caps are yelling at me. Calm down
Google search for interesting business card designs.
Also, your QT reel on your site took forever to load. And what music are you using on that?
And yes, the filmstrip thing has been done many times over. Unless you can get custom cards that have actual filmstrip sprocket holes, or something else fairly innovative, move away from this look.
Your all caps are yelling at me. Calm down
Google search for interesting business card designs.
Also, your QT reel on your site took forever to load. And what music are you using on that?
chris f
Veteran
I'd go with a different font, something small, thin, and elegant. Don't be afraid of blank space on the card.
Also, I'd ax the description and just use "Video Producer". When you put more than one description on your card it looks like a translation of "I'll do anything for money"
Also, I'd ax the description and just use "Video Producer". When you put more than one description on your card it looks like a translation of "I'll do anything for money"
Steve House
Veteran
IMHO there is nothing wrong with having more than one business card design depending on who you're giving it to. Video Producer for clients, Director of Photography for producers.
grinner
Carbonite Member
I do that. I have a stack per cause. Today, it's a good idea to do this. Dressed for every occasion, so to speak.
Still, if marketing to beef sales execs, I'd not promote myself as a beef salesman. If you look at much of who calls ya, it's most likely a freelance producer. He'll not call you if he thinks that is what you are becoming. He's the middle man and he knows it and does not want to be weeded out.
Still, if marketing to beef sales execs, I'd not promote myself as a beef salesman. If you look at much of who calls ya, it's most likely a freelance producer. He'll not call you if he thinks that is what you are becoming. He's the middle man and he knows it and does not want to be weeded out.
chris f
Veteran
I really like that card^
I'm sure it varies from who you're getting work from, but I always make my cards with the client in mind because quite frankly anyone on the production side of things that knows what they're doing doesn't care how your card looks or what it says. 9.5 times out of 10 they're hiring you because they've met you and you'ved talked in person. All they want in a card is your name, number, and a website where they can see some of your work.
The best people that I hire to work on my shoots have bad cards, and ugly websites, but I've met them, like them, and I know their work. All I need from this is a card with their contact info incase I lose my cell phone.
If you want to avoid going the "producer" route, I'd do the two different cards as suggested above, "producer" for clients and then "(fill in the blank technician)" for fellow producers.
I'm sure it varies from who you're getting work from, but I always make my cards with the client in mind because quite frankly anyone on the production side of things that knows what they're doing doesn't care how your card looks or what it says. 9.5 times out of 10 they're hiring you because they've met you and you'ved talked in person. All they want in a card is your name, number, and a website where they can see some of your work.
The best people that I hire to work on my shoots have bad cards, and ugly websites, but I've met them, like them, and I know their work. All I need from this is a card with their contact info incase I lose my cell phone.
If you want to avoid going the "producer" route, I'd do the two different cards as suggested above, "producer" for clients and then "(fill in the blank technician)" for fellow producers.
btownproductions
Well-known member
Mickey Munday
Well-known member
lol, perfect.
steve for what it's worth i think your card looks pretty cool minus the fonts. especially if it's printed on a nice stock of paper. i've seen way weaker business cards from people with larger businesses and revenue.
if you doubt your design, try some online free business card design templates for ideas. the websites that let you plug in your info and when you hit the button it shows you a sample of what the design would look like.
steve for what it's worth i think your card looks pretty cool minus the fonts. especially if it's printed on a nice stock of paper. i've seen way weaker business cards from people with larger businesses and revenue.
if you doubt your design, try some online free business card design templates for ideas. the websites that let you plug in your info and when you hit the button it shows you a sample of what the design would look like.