Business card critique

[gerry_braatz]

<p>Please let me know what you think my card will be double sided. I concidered leaving the back blank but I like the design.(I know the back isnt photo related but I like it)<img src="http://gerrybraatz.smugmug.com/Client-login/Photo-Contest-Pics/frontTiger/1119435221_Lw7eZ-M.jpg" alt="" /><img src="http://gerrybraatz.smugmug.com/Client-login/Photo-Contest-Pics/backTree/1119435334_KNkSH-M.jpg" alt="" /></p>

[gerry_braatz]

<p>Im affraid the text might be to hard to read on the back(tree)<br>

I was just trying to make all the font match.<br>

Oh the C wont be their my site adds it right away</p>

[steve_solomon2]

Nice image, but 2-sided cards are harder to scan. My preference is "keep it simple". I show a small image on a

"portrait" card with all contact info beneath it (1-side). To each his own, I suppose. Good luck!

[ianivey]

<p>The complex background image on the front, combined with the complex color treatment in the font, actually makes it hard to read the font <em>on the front</em> <em>side.</em> Perhaps consider a 30% opaque black rectangle on a layer between the font and the image, and consider killing the font's color treatment and just using a solid color with perhaps a drop shadow?</p>

<p>As for the purpose of the card, I don't know what kind of photography you do, just from looking at this card. The front image seems to be a shot you took at a zoo? If so, why do you have a card? Is there a big market for zoo photographers? :) A business card is most valuable if it clearly defines the value proposition of hiring you. [William will add that it needs a space for you to hand-write a personal note, which I think is good advice.]</p>

[enlightened-images]

<p>I too am a bit curious as to what type of photographer you're trying to sell yourself as, and to whom, i.e. what type of person will you be handing these cards out to, e.g. photo editors, art galleries, retail customers, etc.? For me, they don't "read" very well. If the card is your one shot at a first impression, what is the impression you want to send?</p>

[mariosforsos]

<p>forgive me for being candid, but I simply do not like the card at all. To my mind it projects a "cheap" approach, like the cards you can print at train stations for $10... It' too busy, the font is way too antiquated and the colours are...well, not that good.</p>

<p>Keep it simple, preferably keep it more focused on the kind of clientelle you're looking to attract, PUT YOUR NAME there (seriously, do you expect people to call asking for "Gerry"?) and a contact e-mail...</p>

<p>I would suggest you go back to the drawing board...</p>

[mike dixon]

I have to echo some of the previous comments: it's difficult to read, the font is cheesy, and it doesn't indicate what kind of business you're looking for.

[justin_thyme2]

<p>Photographers seem to fall into the trap of thinking they need a PHOTO on their business cards, but that's not what business cards are for.</p>

<p>Your business card is primarily a CONTACT tool, not a portfolio-in-miniature. Because of this, you need to think "Do I provide all the contact info a client or prospect needs to reach me?"In your case, all they have is your FIRST name, and a phone number. A lot of people won't feel comfortable calling a stranger by only his first name, and they will consider it unprofessional if you don't provide your last name. A handyman might go by only his first name, but a photographer can't. (Unless you go by some artsy name like "Cristo", or "Yervant".)</p>

<p>Since you're asking for critiques, I'll be brutally honest; if I saw this card, and all I knew about you was only what I saw on the card, I would think you were a rank amateur.</p>

<p>In today's business climate, you need a better name than "Photography By Gerry". Something as straightforward as "Martin Wildlife Images" conveys more professionalism, and also tells your specialty. But the days of "Photography By ________" are long gone.</p>

<p>Build your card one step at a time, and if you feel compelled to add an image, add it LAST.... after you have added all the most pertinent information. At minimum you need your first and last name, your business name, your telephone number(s), and most importantly, your website address. Only after you have added this information should you even remotely consider adding an image. And once the contact info is there, you may decide that adding an image would only serve to clutter an already loaded card.</p>

<p>Even then, if you add an image, consider cropping it so that perhaps only the most vital part is visible -- such as the eye of an eagle. Remember, your goal is to help them get to your website. THAT'S where your images can do the selling. A typical business card is just too small to ask so much from it. In your case, you chose the image over info... and that's a mistake.</p>

<p>Secondly, unless design is your strong suit, I'd simply use a business card template. There's no need to reinvent the wheel, when talented people have already designed lovely AND effective cards that convey everything they are supposed to.</p>

<p>Right now, your card just isn't easy on the eye, and you actually have to look on BOTH sides in order to see your website and phone number. Don't fall prey to the outdated notion that a photographer has to have a picture on their card. Any tasteful graphic will do. (But try to steer clear of overused graphics like a camera or a lens... especially since most photo-related clip art is cheesey and dated.)</p>

<p>To be perfectly honest, if someone handed me a card like yours, I would toss it in the trash moments after they left, without ever looking at the website, simply because I would assume that anyone who had an amateurish card is not someone I'd want to hire.</p>

<p>You probably already have software on your computer which contains pre-designed templates for business cards, and you should at least check them out. Or, a quck Google search of the term "Business Card Templates" will bring you to a number of free sites to download far more effective graphics.</p>

<p>It would be a shame for you to sabotage your photography by using a busy or cluttered card with a font that screams "80's!", when a simpler design will be much more likely to get people to your webpage.</p>

<p>And after viewing your site, you actually have a number of very cool images. But your present design doesn't do justice to those images, and it probably won't attract nearly as much traffic as it ought to.</p>

<p>I've learned to stick to what I do best, and even though I'm halfway decent at computer design, I realize that other people can do it a lot better than me. I don't want "halfway decent" business card design to keep me from getting clients. So I paid a pro to create something very effective, and it has paid for itself hundreds of times over.</p>

[gerry_braatz]

<p>I want to thank everyone for your advice & a big thank you to Justin. Some of what you said hurt & that's only because it was all true. I will take everything you guys said & work on the changes I feel necessary. Im very thankful to be a part of this great community :)</p>