Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Business cards!



So I was on a forum this evening and ran across a discussion about business cards. And this can be a touchy subject, not because of any feelings involved but because of how important they can be. Sure, most of the time they aren't the persons first impression of you, but they are something you leave with them for later contact - so they carry on that impression. They also need to fit in with your website, marketing, logo, and any other public image of yourself. Along with fitting in and the above, they can't distract from your image, yourself, or your marketing, in other words they can't try and do too much.

A good example of this would be the scene in American Psycho where they talk about their new cards. We laugh and make fun of it for many reasons - how serious they are taking this, how little the cards actually differ, and how they get into every small detail. However, there is a point that can be taken, and it's that their cards are exactly what they need to be. Simple, to the point, no frills (other than the font/paper), and provide contact info.

Those elements are what a card needs to be, professional, an extension of your business and yourself, and something that's not distracting.

I posted a image of my card for this reason, although it's not a great example, it's to the point, has my info, I did include a image on one side but the image is a good example of what I do, and it's not trying to do too much. Some others I've come across try to be everything to everyone, almost a mini flyer, which in some cases work but a lot of the times they are just too much and may put people off.

So my advice to photographers and businesses is the following. Keep the card simple, make it an extension of your current marketing, and make it specific or tailored to your audience.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

This is why I ride a older pedal bike...

So this morning I was all ready to get to the day job, even on time for once in a while (or at least my usual time in). This was surprising, at least the on time part since I was up really late working on the motorbike, but that's another story. So I walk outside and notice my pedal bike was tipped over, ok, no big deal, it happens. Then I noticed that my tires were off, and the tubes were missing! Both rims were off the bike, I'm pretty sure all the nuts and stuff are there to put it on, but really... Who just takes tubes and not the whole thing? This is why I drive a cheap bike and keep my good ones locked up inside.