Requesting Business Card Critique
 

So people have been telling me that I really should let my photography do something for me (and maybe even pay for all that gear in the process).

I have no idea how I'm going to do that, but I decided to make a business card to start with.

http://www.deja-fu.com/stuff/business-card.gif

The back will be plain white, maybe with the black border around the edges.

Any tips, suggestions, or constructive criticism would be extremely helpful and welcome :)

Thanks in advance!

It looks really good here, but how would it look on the actual business card? It would most likely lose it's vivedness, but you should have some made up just to see. I like the overall design and the photo itself. Good luck!

Thanks!

The above image is actually only 32 colors, but yea, I know what you mean. There may be color bleed too. I guess it all depends on the quality of printing...

I am considering using glossy paper to print it, which may help preserve the "punch", but the bad thing about glossy paper is - it sucks for writing on!

Being able to write on a business card may be actually of a higher priority than vivid colors, though I'm not completely certain yet...

I like it. It looks good to me. :)
Consider though, that you want to give these things out like candy, to attract business, and for the amount of detail in something to look like that, it will run you mucho dinero to a batch.

good balance, nice design.

nice photo, but for a business card, maybe you should go for something a little more upbeat and/or flashy? Of course it all depends on your intended clientelle.

Make sure the original is 3.5" x 2" and is 300dpi
I used to work at a print shop.. too many people thought we could take a computer graphic that they got off the internet and produce it into a 8x5.. yikes

Der, actually, I've always done them the same size as a credit card. Is that what Halx is saying? I can't find a ruler with inches on here.

You can get single-sided glossy cards like Astralux (it may be something else where you are). Could even try printing it on a pearl effect. That would make it lift a bit.

I think it's really good. It speaks a lot of your abilities without being flashy.

Thanks for the tips, folks!

(whew, thank god nobody noticed the "digitial photography" typo :D)

The original is in fact exactly 3.5" x 2.0" x 300dpi, so there should be no problems with that.

I found a place that will print anywhere between 250 (for $35) and 5000 (for $100) glossy front cards with a custom design. That seems ok to me...

The problem is - I don't yet know who my clientelle should be yet. I was thinking of just handing out these cards to people who are interested, and word might get around. Once I start getting responses, if any, I'll have a better idea of what services I can offer and to whom.

just don't let any typos arise....i got my business cards, letterheads, and envelopes printed and once it was done i realized i put my dads zip code on my moms address...so that was 500 bucks wasted just because of one little thing....

my crit on this card is that it's boring...it doesn't really catch my attention, maybe if you used a picture that occupied more of a stronger design element like space, size, or color...because cutting down colors cuts down cost, and makes things more interesting...just some things to think about....

Care to share who that is? That sounds like a good price.

A place called VistaPrint (http://www.vistaprint.com). Here's a link directly to their pricing chart for custom business cards: wheeeee!

I'll try to come up with a few more variations using different images as a base. I think I have a few lying around that may fit this description, but if not I'll make some.

not bad at all ... but what does it look like if you grey the image out slightly? i think white cards (white background, white border) look nicer personally

just tried in GIMP and i can't do it ... dammit :( maybe cos it's 32 colour?

Here's a more-or-less grayscale version (after some channel mixing).
http://www.deja-fu.com/stuff/business-card2.gif

Here's one with a more stark mix:
http://www.deja-fu.com/stuff/business-card3.gif