New Business Card

I felt it was time to update my previous business card from 2007. My first impulse was to again include a photograph in the background. A college friend recommended I ditch the photo, which I was debating about doing. I ended up agreeing with her because it took away from the card, downplaying the informational text. To me, it's kind of like saying "Hi, you just met me when I gave you this card. But here's my face again, just in case I'm forgettable." It lacked confidence and came off with a hint of desperation. That isn't exactly inspiring. Besides, am I trying to sell my physical image or my skills here? And if I'm asking that question, certainly those looking at the card might share that very same confusion.

After removing the face I needed to include my website which complicated the composition more than I expected. Two narrow lines of text above DAVE looked solid, almost aerodynamic in it's movement. It looked slick. When I added the third line (with the web site address) it lost that feeling, becoming more crowded and less purposeful. The third line looked like it was an after-thought which, in truth, it was. But I was set on having all the text in the lower right half of the card with the rest being a solid black. It's a business card composition and I haven't personally seen before. In an age where everything is a revamp of a previous creation, I definitely wanted to retain the uniqueness.

So I went outside my usual style and expanded the spacing between the lines. Giving it that room to breathe slowed down the movement while allowing the image to remain bold tho less uncomfortably "in-your-face". There's a restraining quality that I'm not used to adhering, since I like to design with extremes rather than subtly. I might make a minor adjustment, but this is more or less the final version. It's certainly a massive departure from my old card which was incredibly colorful. It worked at the time, but in hindsight it was a little goofy and the text didn't look delicately composed (the text in the thought balloon is horrific!). It wasn't professional.

I'll be placing an order soon for the new cards. If anyone has an interest in having one designed (or redesigned) let me know.