Promo Cards: Whose got ideas?

Hey All,

Im designing a new promo card for myself and was wondering if anyone wanted to

offer up examples of their own. Here's what I've been working on so far:

 

<img src="http://www.blarg.cc/~jamie/promo_jesse_5.jpg">

 

Thanks for the input!

 

-Jamie

It's hard to read the contact info. I am primarily a designer not a photographer so working photographers may do things differently but I don't like cards with images on them. Keep it simple. A nice logo and good design. Then use your website [which looks good] and if you have some money still a good self promo piece. Some kind of clever little brochure type thing that really shows some of your work nicely and more importantly has some kind of clever theme. If you were going to stick with this I would move everything down to a color strip on the bottom or maybe the top.

I'm not quite sure what you are saying with this image. Reading it as a consumer I don't see photography. The character might be you but I wouldn't know with the information given. To me this image says so many other things. The angle gives a condescending point of view, which paired up with the open car hood says car thief. I am also confused on how Marshall's fits in. I like the photo by itself but I don't think it sells you as a photographer. I wish I had an example to show you but unfortunately I have yet to make my own. Try to illustrate What you do best. Perhaps the scene of the photographer in the studio photographing the model/ product would better show your qualities. well, I hop that I was more of a help then a monster. congratulations on your success and good luck with your advertising......Diana

check out http://www.photocompcards.com

Is that you? That's what the card implies.

 

I'm using moo cards now, people really respond to them despite the size.

definitely do not get anything from photocompcards. Those things look terrible. If you are trying to do a promo it's all about the concept. Do lots of research [order the self promo annual back issue of HOW] maybe contact some of the big name photographers or if you are friendly with local design agencies and art directors ask them what they have seen and liked. Once you have a really great concept then shoot supporting photos to create your piece. Bob Stevens http://www.bobstevens.com/ had two of the best promo pieces I ever saw. They were both variations on a similar idea. One piece [under faces and scratch and sniff] showed an object on a white page. Then, and I don't remember exactly how it was set up, somehow you either turned the page or folded out a page or flipped it over or whatever but the next thing you saw was a funny image that corresponded to the object that you had originally seen on the previous page. You can check the website but an example is first you see one of those wintergreen air-fresheners that look like a tree then you see a plumber with a huge plumbers crack. The other promo he had which I actually think was stronger, and which isn't on his site, was a whole serious of environmental portraits. He placed an add and asked for people who wanted to model. Not professional models but just people who wanted a nice picture. He asked them to bring a container of some kind with an object that meant something to them in it and he asked them to pick a place that meant something to them to be photographed in. First he photographed the container and the object and he placed each object on one side of an otherwise white full spread [2 8.5x11 pages]. The spread opened in the center to a 4 page spread and in this space he had a portrait of the person with their object in the place they chose. Because the places and the items meant something to the people the images were very strong and had a lot of emotion. He used a really nice matte finish smooth bright white stock for both pieces and they were both great.

Actually I just found the second promo I talked about on Bob's site. It's under faces and case studies. It's a little different than I described but better. Check it out.

??????? Josh, the guy wants a card!

I can't tell if he wants a business card or a promo card since everyone is mixing terms like it makes no difference. Then when I saw the photocompcards link those are self promo pieces, really bad ones but still promo pieces. If it's a business card he is after keep it simple, nice stock, a good logo, and nice design. If it's a promo piece he can hand out to people then do something with a great concept that people will remember not some cheesy badly printed full gloss thing with a forgettable image on it. It's all in the concept and if you do a serious you can selectively target art directors over a period of time by giving them multiple pieces as time goes on. It will keep you fresh in their mind and increase the chance of getting business. It's also a way to show range and more truly represent yourself.

thanks for the replies.

 

I'm making a promo mailer card to send to editorial magazine editors, to give them an example of my work that corresponds to the type of imagery they buy and commission specifically for their magazine stories. The example I posted was to send to an editor looking to hire a photographer for editorial portraits.

 

What I was originally looking for from this post was to see what other people are creating to send to editors.

 

Does anyone out there want to post a Promo Mailer Card that they have been using or designed to compare? This is basically so that people can get ideas on what others are doing that may be successful so that they can in turn try to create a promo card for themselves that will be useful in helping their own commercial careers.

 

This was not meant to be a forum for a critique of my card that I posted that I know has problems. I posted it as an example of something that I had done, wanting to see what others had done. Basically I wanted people to be able to see the possibilities that are out there.

 

Anyone feel like sharing? Post up an image in this thread.

 

Thanks!

No one else has posted so I guess i could post another idea. Holiday cards are always a good idea. They [self promo magazines/book/articles] usually say go for offbeat holidays like groundhog day. This is so that you don't get lost in the shuffle of a main stream holiday. An agency I worked at did a New Years card one year that on the front was a women with her feet off of the ground leaning into a well and on the inside said "wishing you well in the New Year". As always concept is king images just support the concept.