designing new business cards

[lil Details]

Working on a design for my business cards. Going to go full color and glossy. Saw a design with a crumpled paper background that I liked so I re-created that image and then the rest is what we are working on....

Wanted to get some opinions off here before I commit to anything...

 

[Kottwitz-Graphics]

First thing that I can see...er, well can't see, is legibility. Black outline around blue letters on a dark gray background?

You need to go back to the drawing board on this one.

 

[GoodPeopleFlags]

Ummm... I also recommend starting over. Try keeping it down to 2 legible fonts. The colors also make it tough to read. You'll need at least 1/8" of space all the way around, too.

 

[J Hill Designs]

yah hate to say it but extremely illegible

 

[hydo1]

Please don't take this personally but this is one of the worst business cards I've seen in a while. The colors are awful, the fonts are terrible. Even your business name is awful. It sounds like the name of a childrens boutique not a sign shop.

 

[m.hafenbrack]

I'd have to agree with everyone, it needs legibility.

When you have small text such as on a business cards its best to keep it a clean, simple font without the outlines and drop shadows (especially white). Like Bisset said, keep a 1/8th "safe zone" around the edge of the card

I like the idea of crumpled paper texture for the background though. Keep at it.

 

[mountainmang]

hi ryker, don't be offended by this but from one tint fella to another that card is pretty bad. it would be best if you reconsidered the direction you want to go and just start over

 

[luggnut]

you have a lot of things not working on this design..

the drop shadow on the name is wht on wht. the drop shadow on the list have the light source coming from a different direction than the name... too many different fonts. try to limit the fonts to 2 or 3 and not so many different casual type faces. i try to use only one casual type but sometimes break that rule when its called for (a kiddies daycare maybe?) and the colors (the wht on wht shadow) don't have enough contrast

start in blk and wht

 

[Deaton Design]

Everyone is giving you good advise here. The colors are too dark and muted, and the lettering doesnt pop out at you. The graphic you have on there doesnt seem to be important or adding anything to the layout. Business cards are very important to a business and gives the potential customer a small look see into what you might be capable of. I did one here to give you an idea of what I might do with your info for a card.
Im nowhere near perfect with my layouts either, but I do alot of looking around issues of Signcraft or on the web for ideas and good color combos when doing something of this nature to get my creativity going. Look all around you for ideas. It'll come.

 

[Pat Whatley]

No. That card is definately not going to give you the kind of image you're looking for. Bad colors, horrible fonts, and the crumpled background doesn't really look crumpled. You're really pushing your edges, too.

Print the one John just did. It's not "dark and edgy" which is a good thing because that's been so overdone in the tint/car stereo world its almost a punchline. John's is pretty slick.

(am I the only one noticing that John and Jillbeans styles seem to be getting closer and closer?)

 

[Joe Diaz]

My advice: Send Mr. Deaton a check, He'll send you the art, and you're all set to send to the printers. What he has looks perfect.

 

[Hambrospiper]

If you have not yet read - and by the looks of it, you have not, I suggest Mike Stevens "Mastering Layout On the Art of Eye Appeal."

Not only is there lack of contrasting colors with the exception of the white shadow/outline that makes the secondary copy impossible to read, there is no real contrast in letter size and weight. There is no focal point, foreground, middle ground or background making it confusing to the reader. Where's the emphasis? The phone number is competing with the business name and you're crowding the edges so tight the poor thing can't breathe.

If I were to try and salvage this, I'd drop the drop shade and outline on everything but the business name, change all the secondary copy to white and reduce the size of it using a more legible san serif letterstyle. Increase the name of the business and use a contrasting color for the shadow/outline.

Sorry I couldn't be more positive, although I hope this helps in some way.

 

[J Hill Designs]

uh yeah. ridiculously good

 

[Deaton Design]

About 30 minutes or so Pat. Ive been doing a fair amount of business cards lately, and really enjoy doing the layouts. Most of the time, I dont have time to do something like this and put it on here, but I had a few minutes at the shop and laid it out. I remember my earlier days, pre computer, when my layouts looked, well, lets just say bad was being nice. I studied Mike Stevens book, as mentioned by Hambrospiper, and wore one copy of it out. Also have a few friends who I look to for inspiration. People starting out need to do these same things, as layout is what holds it all together. I just wanted to post this to show lil details what somebody else might do with his info and business name.

 

[lil Details]

no offense here guys and gals.....I am looking towards a black and white sort of thing though. I do like the card Deaton did, but it is not what I am looking for/at.

I posted this here to get opinions from the sign and design world.

Here is my older window tinting card that I have used mostly before, and my last one I printed with the added business.

Want something a bit different more into the signage part now...

bear in mind this is a screen capture....

 

[Flame]

no offense here guys and gals.....I am looking towards a black and white sort of thing though. I do like the card Deaton did, but it is not what I am looking for/at.

No offense, but I could care less. Obviously what YOU are looking for is NOT a good design.

Now, I don't know you or what all you plan on doing with your business, but I'm going to approach this as if you were someone looking to be a better designer (meaning it's not going to sound nice).

What you have put up, is horrid. That is literally worse looking than black helvetica on a white card. You may have a certain look in your mind... but I have to say, erase it. What Deaton put up is GREAT. Forget your ideas, they aren't working. His is.

And now as to WHY Deaton's design was better than yours.

First off, comic sans. Delete it from your computer, and don't even use it again.

Use less fonts, you have just a hodge podge of them, cut them down....

Also, use QUALITY fonts. Not stuff that comes with your computer, but commercial fonts, quality... and sorry, once in a while expensive fonts and make sure they work together.

And don't use the crumpled paper background here... it just doesn't work.

Read the mastering layout book, as has been suggested. Your layout doesn't work, and this book will be very helpful in helping you understand how to use air space, etc.

Um... ok, what's up with the shadows? I wouldn't outline a shadow, and a shadow is just that... a shadow. it's an absence of light behind a particular object... and on one side of your card there are shadows going one way, and on another part, shadows going the OTHER way! How are there 2 light sources? Keep it to ONE light source, keep all of the shadows going the same way, and... the biggest part here. Don't make them a lighter color. Absence of light means... darker! For example, on light blue background, make the shadow a dark blue. Or on a yellow, make it a redder/darker yellow... or you can usually universally get away with a black shadow too.

Just a start on some suggestions, but please trust us here and let's keep working on this.

 

[Pat Whatley]

no offense here guys and gals.....I am looking towards a black and white sort of thing though. I do like the card Deaton did, but it is not what I am looking for/at.

Well, no offense (really) but the card you did looks, at best, amateurish. The two other cards you posted are typical of "did it at home using Microsoft Word" business cards. None of the three has any usable style or flow, the font selections have gone from bad to worse, and the color choices make me think you really need a new monitor.

The point of that is honestly not to belittle your efforts, I'm just trying to get across to you that what you posted is not something you want to use. Trust me, I can show you atrocities I had printed years ago that I'm ashamed of today. You really need to study the font and color choices of business cards that you admire. Don't copy the style, just focus on the flow and feel color and letterstyle make. You're not just putting words on a card, you're creating an image. You've been given some really good advice previously but you followed it up by showing even worse examples of your cards? Pay attention to the advice, keep working with the layout and posting it, and you'll get an unbelievable amount of help from people who've been there. Tap into the knowledge man, it's there for the taking.

 

[lil Details]

Flame,
I was stating that I was not taking any offense! Not saying that I thought I was being offensive.....

Thank you for the comments...I WILL take them to my use.

No offense, but I could care less. Obviously what YOU are looking for is NOT a good design.

Now, I don't know you or what all you plan on doing with your business, but I'm going to approach this as if you were someone looking to be a better designer (meaning it's not going to sound nice).

What you have put up, is horrid. That is literally worse looking than black helvetica on a white card. You may have a certain look in your mind... but I have to say, erase it. What Deaton put up is GREAT. Forget your ideas, they aren't working. His is.

And now as to WHY Deaton's design was better than yours.

First off, comic sans. Delete it from your computer, and don't even use it again.

Use less fonts, you have just a hodge podge of them, cut them down....

Also, use QUALITY fonts. Not stuff that comes with your computer, but commercial fonts, quality... and sorry, once in a while expensive fonts and make sure they work together.

And don't use the crumpled paper background here... it just doesn't work.

Read the mastering layout book, as has been suggested. Your layout doesn't work, and this book will be very helpful in helping you understand how to use air space, etc.

Um... ok, what's up with the shadows? I wouldn't outline a shadow, and a shadow is just that... a shadow. it's an absence of light behind a particular object... and on one side of your card there are shadows going one way, and on another part, shadows going the OTHER way! How are there 2 light sources? Keep it to ONE light source, keep all of the shadows going the same way, and... the biggest part here. Don't make them a lighter color. Absence of light means... darker! For example, on light blue background, make the shadow a dark blue. Or on a yellow, make it a redder/darker yellow... or you can usually universally get away with a black shadow too.

Just a start on some suggestions, but please trust us here and let's keep working on this.

 

[Sticker Dude]

What are you creating that in? Microsoft word? Have someone design the cards for you
look at Deaton Designs work just awesome

 

[Flame]

Cool, just take it with a grain of salt and hope it helps you improve!

 

[lil Details]

Previously I was doing anything I had in Printmaster Gold....been good to me over the years for a DIY sort of thing.

The newer and rejected card is layed out in Lxi.

I like the idea of a black card with white lettering....maybe I am just crazy...

What are you creating that in? Microsoft word? Have someone design the cards for you
look at Deaton Designs work just awesome

 

[RebeckaR]

Working on a design for my business cards. Going to go full color and glossy.

This is what you said in your first post, so this is what everyone is trying to help you with.

Rather than black and white, why not try something that's a little more subtle combination of colors?
If you're working in Lxi, you need to expand your color pallet beyond the limited standard colors that they give you.
Might even want to look into picking up Corel or Illustrator. It will change your life. (And suck up all your time learning it.)