For my last design I decided that I wanted to make myself a business card. I’ve always wanted to get business cards, but I’ve never had the time to design one. When I went down to Austin for part of SXSW there were a bunch of designers and artists that handed out their business cards. I think that if I do any sort of freelancing work, it is important to have a business card to hand out that look professional.
For my business card design I decided that I wanted to have the card tie into my website and resume that I designed. I wanted to create a consistent brand throughout by using similar colors. I even took the background picture from my website to place on the card. I then erased part of the image to make it look as if the image was ripped and placed onto the card. After that I organized the text to fit inside the ripped spaced to create a new form of alignment.
The thought of the design behind my business card was that it would be printed on plastic. At first, I decided that I wanted to print it on a clear card, but later decided that my design would go better on a frosted plastic card. I felt like the picture fading and text would create a better contrast against a frosted card than just a clear one. I also wouldn’t want my card to fade too much into its surroundings, but rather blend with a frosted appearance while still standing out.
The reason I would want to print a business card on plastic would be to stand out from other freelancers or candidates for a job. When you hand someone a business card they automatically feel it before they even look at the card. As far as rhetoric goes, the card made of plastic makes a statement in itself. The card makes an impression of being able to last longer than an ordinary business card. If it were printed on plastic, it would be a sturdier card compared to others.
If my business card were to get coffee spilled on it, the hot java would be easily wiped off. No matter if the card were to land on an organized or unorganized desk, it would retain the same quality it contained when it was first handed to the potential client or employer.
Eventually, I want to redesign my website, resume, and business card, but at this point I want everything to be consistent and don’t have the time to redesign my website. I also want to be able to use it for a while, and get all the time and effort that I spent creating it out of it. I would actually like to design a horizontal scrolling flash website, and be able to pick new colors again. Then I would want to create a new resume, and business card to match. I think the second time around I might want to have a slightly bolder main color than pink.
