Well the time has come again -- I have apparently out of business cards. I loathe business cards.... well, not the cards themselves, but the process of figuring out how I want to commit to presenting myself on them. It shouldn't be so hard, yet every time I run out and it's time for a redesign, it sets me into first-panic-then-procrastination mode.
Truth is, I've needed new business cards for months now. But the eternal dilemma I run into is always the same -- how to create an all-inclusive business card without having it scream "kitchen sink"? I often resort to having separate cards for different creative interests. I know a lot of creative professionals also have their hands in many different things, so I know that my dilemma is not an isolated one. Instead of having separate business cards for each of the creative' hats' I wear, I'd really rather simplify my life and just have ONE card that works on ALL levels.
This sounds so easy, yet it's not so easy to pull off successfully. For one thing, you run the risk of being viewed as a "jack of all trades, king of none". The other thing is what I'll call the possibility of 'aesthetic clash'. Your different outlets may allow you to flex creative muscles that complement your process of each individual outlet. But visually, they just might not marry well together. This would not be a situation conducive to an all-inclusive b-card.
I'm a designer for crying out loud. I should be able to figure this out. Yet here I am again, faced with this dilemma again, unsure of the solution... again....
...Got any ideas?
Um....go with the ones you had before???
ReplyDeleteWell, the first cards I designed that were "all inclusive" were not the best. They needed improvement. (I didn't post them here.)
ReplyDeleteI probably should have explained the photo at the top. The top card is for Pet Portraits. The middle card is for children's illustration (I'm out of those now). The bottom one is for Art Licensing (I'm out of those too).
Another reason I can't just reuse older designs is because my own style evolves, and my cards have to represent my art's latest evolution... then, by the time I run out, it's usually time for another incarnation of the design and the art featured on it anyway!!