Business card thoughts

[Mitchell]

I finally got the nod as the photographer for an upcoming pro-am waterski tournament. Very exciting for me to be able to have a chance to capture high level skiers. I doubt the pros will be interested in photos, but there will be a lot of amateurs at this event. I suspect many of them have never had quality sportraits and will be interested in some photos. I was hoping to just hand out a business card with a QR link to my smugmug gallery containing the photos from the event. They can then either download the digital files or purchase photos through smugmug fullfillment.

Any thoughts or suggestions on this design for a small business card?

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[7006]

Just a thought on the email address.
Is there any chance you could get a professional one?
One that reflects the name of your business?
The picture is spot on with your target.
However I find it difficult to read, with the text in the wrong places for my eyes to land on.
May be the photo on the 2/3rd left and the text in a box on the last tier right.

 

[7006]

Also, you may want some red or bright yellow to make it easy to find in a stack or a bag.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Congratulations on the opportunity!

I was thinking that maybe changing Clearwater Photography to the red tone in her vest would make that stand out.

 

[Mitchell]

Just a thought on the email address.
Is there any chance you could get a professional one?
One that reflects the name of your business?
The picture is spot on with your target.
However I find it difficult to read, with the text in the wrong places for my eyes to land on.
May be the photo on the 2/3rd left and the text in a box on the last tier right.

I've pondered the email issue for years, but just never set up a photography based email address. Gmail is not very professional, but it is ubiquitous.

Good thought on trying the photo on the left with a blank text box on the right for information. I may play with that.

 

[Mitchell]

Congratulations on the opportunity!

I was thinking that maybe changing Clearwater Photography to the red tone in her vest would make that stand out.

Thanks, Mike. I'm excited about the event. I've tried to get into this market before with no success.

Not sure about the text in red. I need a color that will really stand out from the green trees. I'll have a play with it and see.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Not sure about the text in red.

For the record, I'm never sure about which color(s) to use until I see the change and evaluate it. I'm sure you'll find something that will work.

 

[Palouse]

I do believe your wife should demand half your earnings from the shoots!

 

[Commodorefirst]

Put ClearwaterPhotography with two caps on the email, helps with seeing the two words.

 

[pictureted]

I basically like what you have. I'd move the "Clearwater Photography" slightly down and to the right. I'd also get a better website name and just use that and a phone number, which I consider ubiquitous on a business card. The photo is terrific - you might just want you website on the front and then detailed contact info on other side, although for those who write on the back of cards (I do), I'd leave some white space.

BTW - well done and congratulations!

 

[ahinesdesign]

I finally got the nod as the photographer for an upcoming pro-am waterski tournament. Very exciting for me to be able to have a chance to capture high level skiers. I doubt the pros will be interested in photos, but there will be a lot of amateurs at this event. I suspect many of them have never had quality sportraits and will be interested in some photos. I was hoping to just hand out a business card with a QR link to my smugmug gallery containing the photos from the event. They can then either download the digital files or purchase photos through smugmug fullfillment.

Any thoughts or suggestions on this design for a small business card?

Here's what I would do as a professional graphic designer:

Move the QR code, email, and website address to the back. Make the QR code larger, close to 50% of the card height (in landscape orientation) centered near the top edge, with the business name (and perhaps your name), email and web address centered underneath the QR. I agree with the suggestion of trying to set up a business email address, especially if you obtain a URL for your business, something along the lines of info@clearwaterphotography.com. If that is not feasible, ClearwaterPhotography@gmail.com would be good, but what you already have will work fine for now.

On the front, leave the image as-is, but move your business name to the upper right where the background is dark green/dark brown. I would leave the text white, it stands out just fine. My preference would be to use a more bold font, but that's completely up to personal preference. If anything, give it a subtle "outer glow", such as black/dark brown (could be pulled from a dark area of the background) set at ~20% opacity, multiply blending mode, size set at 20–25 px (play around with the size to get the text to stand out a little more while remaining subtle). You did not say what software you are using to create the business card, so you may not have the option to use the outer glow effect; if not available, not a big deal.

If you need any additional help, please feel free to reach out, either in this thread or via PM!

 

[Replytoken]

My personal preference would be to get a domain name and use it for email and website URL. It is a nominal cost and can be quite easy to set up. Something to consider.

--Ken

 

[bmell]

Have you thought about two sided? Photo on one side with the name address, QR code etc. on the back. That's how I've done my work cards for years. I have three different choice of card images and let them pick their favorite image to keep.

 

[Mitchell]

Here's what I would do as a professional graphic designer:

Move the QR code, email, and website address to the back. Make the QR code larger, close to 50% of the card height (in landscape orientation) centered near the top edge, with the business name (and perhaps your name), email and web address centered underneath the QR. I agree with the suggestion of trying to set up a business email address, especially if you obtain a URL for your business, something along the lines of info@clearwaterphotography.com. If that is not feasible, ClearwaterPhotography@gmail.com would be good, but what you already have will work fine for now.

On the front, leave the image as-is, but move your business name to the upper right where the background is dark green/dark brown. I would leave the text white, it stands out just fine. My preference would be to use a more bold font, but that's completely up to personal preference. If anything, give it a subtle "outer glow", such as black/dark brown (could be pulled from a dark area of the background) set at ~20% opacity, multiply blending mode, size set at 20–25 px (play around with the size to get the text to stand out a little more while remaining subtle). You did not say what software you are using to create the business card, so you may not have the option to use the outer glow effect; if not available, not a big deal.

If you need any additional help, please feel free to reach out, either in this thread or via PM!

Aaron thanks for the great tips and detailed reply!

 

[Mitchell]

My personal preference would be to get a domain name and use it for email and website URL. It is a nominal cost and can be quite easy to set up. Something to consider.

--Ken

I've considered the domain name, but I'm reluctant to hassle with this.

I suspect most folks just scan the QR code with their phone which takes them directly to the folder with the photos. Who types in URLs these days?

 

[Mitchell]

Have you thought about two sided? Photo on one side with the name address, QR code etc. on the back. That's how I've done my work cards for years. I have three different choice of card images and let them pick their favorite image to keep.

Good thought, Brad. I often thought folks like the back of the card blank to be able to write their own notes or musings.

I'm amazed at how small the QR codes can be and still function.

 

[Butlerkid]

I've considered the domain name, but I'm reluctant to hassle with this.

I suspect most folks just scan the QR code with their phone which takes them directly to the folder with the photos. Who types in URLs these days?

It really isn't a hassle! I got my personal domain name (PleasantTravelsPhotography.com ....yeah too long but it matches my website. I also have kspleasant.com) many years ago. I use GoDaddy.com to maintain it. I recently decided to buy my hubby a personal domain for his birthday on Nov 13. It took about 10 minutes on GoDaddy. It was about $40........ piece of cake!

You can then link it to your SM website. That is how mine works. Pleasant Travels Photography

 

[Replytoken]

I've considered the domain name, but I'm reluctant to hassle with this.

I suspect most folks just scan the QR code with their phone which takes them directly to the folder with the photos. Who types in URLs these days?

I don't disagree with the convenience of the QR code, but I guess I am a believer of the old adage about not getting a second chance to make a first impression. Since you are not selling anything at the moment, it is not as critical, but you never know where your information will end up and who will see it. I shot PAC-10 college football about 8-10 years ago for an online magazine, and I know that I would not have been able to get credentialed the following year on my own without some web presence under my own name. It has also allowed me to use labs that used to restrict their services to commercial accounts. Nothing make or break, but it is nice to have a bit more access at times.

--Ken

 

[Randy]

Looks good except for the URLname

 

[Deleted member 4116]

I don't disagree with the convenience of the QR code, but I guess I am a believer of the old adage about not getting a second chance to make a first impression. Since you are not selling anything at the moment, it is not as critical, but you never know where your information will end up and who will see it. I shot PAC-10 college football about 8-10 years ago for an online magazine, and I know that I would not have been able to get credentialed the following year on my own without some web presence under my own name. It has also allowed me to use labs that used to restrict their services to commercial accounts. Nothing make or break, but it is nice to have a bit more access at times.

--Ken

Agreed. Seeing a smugmug link and a gmail address will always tell me you're just a hobbyist. A domain is $5-18 a year and even without hosting, you can easily point www.clearwaterphotography.com to your smugmug page as well as mitchell@clearwaterphotography.com to your gmail address. Hosting will be a little more, but then you can host your photos yourself without photo degradation and have a lot more flexibility in how you interact with clients.

I was doing this with 5 domains, full hosting and a main full time job about 10 years ago making less than $15/hour. It's not out of scope.