BUSINESS CARD IDEA, PART 1:
There are countless creative freelancers out there trying to get attention, I had to stand out and carve an individual space for myself in a cluttered industry. Basically, the same problem many of my clients face. “Doctor heal thyself!”
To get some inspiration I began to sort through the hundreds of business cards I’ve accumulated over the years. If the eyes are the window into your the soul, then business cards are the window into your business.
I sifted through the piles of generic looking cards - many of which were from leading global ad and media companies. Dreadfully unimaginative - why would I trust any of these people to develop game changing ideas for my business?
At the end of my session I had three piles: great cards, good cards and forgettable cards.
The great cards had strong personalities, communicated the service offering and were of high quality.
Ultimately, it’s a physical thing and has to feel right in the hand as well as look the part.
I kept going back to Olson’s cards, an agency I met while working on Unilever business in Chicago. Their cards were simple, well produced, smaller than normal and a lovely weight. They just had a certain “something.”
I knew if I could get the card right, the rest of my “brand” and business spiel would follow on naturally.
Early drafts
I wanted something minimal.
My industry suffers from a glut of over blown, blow hard job titles. In the USA every one is a VP, I’d imagine this is a vain attempt to impress clients.
I always liked my Cunning NYC job title: Head Creative Bloke. It communicated what I offered, my seniority and gave a cheeky nod to our British origins and irreverent agency culture. Clients seemed to enjoy it and it was a good ice breaker.
For my own gig, I wasn’t keen on having a title but I did need communicate the following:
My name What I do for clients Where to reach me Where to find more info / case studies etc
Here is a picture of the first draft. Email on one side, on the other, the word, “Ideas.”
The blue was taken using an app that extracts RGB from photos. I took a photo of the sky and this is the deep blue of a past summer in the Catskills.
The minimal vibe was working but it was boring with it. No story, forgettable.
I chucked the whole run in the recycle and went back to the drawing board…












