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mOzerian Loyal user Sydney, Global 230 Posts |
I'm in the process of creating my Business card. I was after any thoughts from working Pro's on how you developed your business cards.
As the card you handout is essentially the identity that your future client will refer to, it is vitally important to get it right. I also would like to include an effect on my card, more of a mental feat Me thinks. |
Powermagic Inner circle 1437 Posts |
Here is the problem. Business cards are a necessary throw-away.
I just know most never get kept out of the thousands handed out. BUT they are expected and it is assumed if you don't have one, you might not be dedicated to your career (not good enough). Very few people can put a handed card in a safe place to get it home. AND if your card is not the only card they may forget who you are or why they have your card. Yes, it helps to make the card a keepsake. Splurge and put a DIFFERENT force card on the backs. Oh heck, skip the common card on the back and put something creative. But when you do, do not make up a thousand of the same card. This way if people cross paths they will have a different revelation. My mentor put optical illusion puzzles on the back. This is great, since it is something they can show their friends or play with if they are bored. Something like the Jesus illusion where you stare at the card then at the wall to see the image. Or one of the cube illusions where as you stare the cube changes if you are looking on the top or on the side, etc. etc. I know Rocco at one time put a rhinestone in the corner of his card, but for Ivonna Trump put a real Diamond. But just know most put them in a pocket or purse and they get ruined before they get home. |
naturalturn Regular user 154 Posts |
Oh, FYI I started a thread a couple of months ago on "designing a business card" in the promo section of the forum in http://www.performers.net/forums/
A number of them were very helpful. naturalturn (Ray)
www.facebook.com/RayWongMagic
When Magic Went WONG! |
Andini Special user Columbus, OH 685 Posts |
I'm thinking about making my card longer than the average card and put a puzzle or optical illusion on the back. This way, it could also be used as a bookmark. Only an idea, though.
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Neale Bacon Inner circle Burnaby BC Canada 1775 Posts |
Just remember that if people do keep your card, it is generally in some sort of card file.
I used to have a larger than normal card and was told it wasn't keep by folks because they couldn't file it with the others. Just something to think about.
Neale Bacon and his Crazy Critters
Burnaby BC Canada's Favourite Family Ventriloquist www.baconandfriends.com |
naturalturn Regular user 154 Posts |
Agree with you there Neale.
Cheers, Ray (naturalturn)
www.facebook.com/RayWongMagic
When Magic Went WONG! |
RBerteig Regular user Monrovia, California 146 Posts |
An easy way to get a larger card that still fits card files is a fold. I have tripped over double-sized folded cards a number of times over the years. They should cost a bit more than twice what a normal card costs to produce. (Well, more than that if you print both faces of the card stock before folding.) The fold also give an opportunity to engage in pop-up art, althogh that significantly increases the cost of the cards...
I have a few treasured cards I made for my day job at Cheshire Engineering Corp., (named for the Cheshire Cat, of course). They are three-piece construction that use the fold to separate two drawing layers so that the cat vanishes as you pull open the top layer. I showed my first prototype to a print shop, and they declined to quote a firm price, but thought it would be prohibitive due to three different materials, precise alignment requirements, and glue-up in addition to several folds. Much cheaper to make would be a simple one-piece folded card. Your printer should be able to quote you a price on the folding, or at least score them for you at the location of the fold.
Ross Berteig
Wizards in my Parlor |
TheTopBanana New user 47 Posts |
from electronic art :
1000 3 1/2* 4 1/2 Coated varnished and scored: 4/1 $158 4/4 $242 |
Jizmagic New user 85 Posts |
The other option I have found to be effective is placing a business card magnet on your card. For some reason people love magnets to put on their refrigerator, etc. You can buy a whole stack of magnets that are made to go on business cards at Office Depot, Office Max, and/or Staples.
May the magic be with you!
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Being both a magician and graphic designer, I will try to comment a little bit about business cards and give a few insights based upon years of designing them and using them. I hope they are of help to you.
Keep in mind that your business card is often times one of the very first impressions you can give to a suspect or prospect. With this in mind, you want it to be an extention of your own image and identity. Do not skimp out on your materials. Make them top quality and spend the time to have them professionally done. Too much clip art not only looks unprofessional, but you end up having a card that looks like every other magicians. You want to be unique and original and to stand out from all the rest. Another point to make is that business cards are not just cool things to hand to your friends or fellow magicians just to look cool. Business cards should be a tool in your marketing tool box and they should be USED. How many people do you know who order 1000 cards and still have plenty of them in a years time? If this is the case, then your doing something wrong and not using the cards effectively. You should have cards on you at all times and should get in the habit of having them everywhere. You can have them in your breifcase, in your car, at work and every place that you usually travel to. Get in the habit of giving out your card anytime you can. The hardest part about this is just simply getting into the habit of doing it. When you talk with someone at the register, mention about your hobby and hand them a card. If your at a party store, see if they can place some on the counter. The worst thing they can say is no. If people are throwing your cards away, then your not doing a good enough job for making them WANT to keep your card. Your card needs to work for you and not against you. Stick with standard business card size of 3.5 by 2 inches. If you have a longer or oblong card, chances are the person will have a hard time filing it away. If this is the case, they tend to throw your card out and it works against you. This does not mean that you can't be creative with your card. You can be creative in the design, logo or even create a card that folds. As long as the folded size ends up at the standard size, you will be ok. I hope this helps. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
Jaz Inner circle NJ, U.S. 6111 Posts |
You can check out this site and see what other magician's biz cards look like.
http://home.insightbb.com/~m.clegg/ I don't particularly care for most of these but nowadays adding a web site address should bring those who are truly interested to a more informative web site. I have seen a couple of pro's cards. Those were quite simple. One had contact info and the words "Sleight of Hand Artist" and another "Prestidigitator".(sic?) The design for one who does adult shows would appear more corporate than one that does bizarre or kid shows. The idea of using the card for an effect appeals to me too. |
magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Just be careful. Just because the site has a lot of cards there. Keep in mind that 90% of them are terrible and just plain falling into bad design and marketing habits.
This is not to pick on the site by any means or to pick on anyone's cards. It is just a fact that a majority of magicians try and design their own cards and really have no idea how to go about it the right way or how to really design the card so that it is a part of a identity system that works best for you and your magic business. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
Jaz Inner circle NJ, U.S. 6111 Posts |
Kyle,
I wholly agree that most of the biz cards on the site I linked to are terrible and said in my post, "I don't particularly care for most of these". One reason I referred to this site was not so people could copy or use them as templates for designing their own cards but so that others could see bad examples and do as you suggested. "be unique and original and to stand out from all the rest." Many of the site's cards are very similar, terrible quality and definitely NOT unique in any way. For over thirty years I was in the printing industry and have seen the good, the bad and the downright ugly. I've also done some graphic and web design over many years. I agree with what you say about first impressions, establishing an identity and the use and over use of graphics. By the way. Whoever made the site is simply proud to have this collection of magician's biz cards. The cards are not there for their artistic value. |
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