Business card critique

Personally, I find a white on black card a bit of a "downer" for a wedding business.

Your bride's smile looks a bit "forced" to me, and a bit "over the top". Do you have a shot where you can turn it down a notch?

And I'd lose the "landscapes" part on the back. It's not telling a portrait or event customer that you're "versatile", it's telling them that you're "distracted". They want a specialist, a surgeon, tuned in to weddings.

One last thought. Isn't it usually grouped as "weddings and events" and "portraits", not "weddings" and "portraits and events"?

Voicing my opinion only, I've always found white on black VERY fatiguing to look upon.

Remember; whatever design you ultimately go with,it will be your "brand". Branding is important; more important is all your marketing efforts should follow a cohesive look.

Color is used powerfully to evoke emotion; B&W I feel, does not evoke the emotion of weddings & portraits; at least not the styly you shoot.

The photos on the back would be too small to view, and the chances are the print will come out looking horrible which most certainly isn't good advertising for a photography business.

I don't really like white on black either. Hard to get it looking crisp and clear. If you have three different areas of business you're better off making three different cards than trying to combine all of the areas on one card. Business cards have such a small area that if you try to fit too much info on them it all comes out looking a bit crowded.

Black is not that nice imho. And the addition of the bride looks almost like an afterthought with the chopped off shoulder. I have several different images on my cards reflecting the various things I do, and I usually give people the card/image appropriate to their interest.

If I were you and going to the trouble and expense of printing both sides, I'd make the most of the front with only my name and a stunning image and have all the contact details on the reverse, but choosing a nice pastel or neutral background.

Hi,

Thanks for the great replies. I had my doubts about the back of the card and you have confirmed them. The back definitely goes! For the front, should it be a people shot or a details shot? I am not the most 'sensitive' and don't do pastel that well :-) so what am I aiming for?

Thanks again,

Anthony.....

so what am I aiming for?

The answer will depend on who you ask.
The real answer is found by asking yourself. I know that may sound like a cop out, but I think it's true.

For me, a business card is the cheapest form of advertising as well as the most prolific if used properly. I know many people who hold onto their cards as though they were gold plated.

Because you should be passing them out like water, the prime objective is to get people to hold onto them. Business cards get thrown away as fast as we pass them out; so perhaps a little creativity is in order; yes?
The business card may not be the most effective marketing tool, but it is after all still a tool that can be used more effectively than what you may think possible.

Just to get you thinking, have a look around on the net at designs. What do you like? What do you feel your prospective clients will like?
Does the card have to be rectangular?

Although the business card is primarily to provide contact info; it should be used as a marketing tool.

For instance, one of my business cards is actually a double sided post card with a image on both sides along with my contact information. Note I said (ONE) of my business cards. I have three different designs.

The card I hand out to people on the street is NOT the same card I use in my self promo to publishers.

I like the idea of post card sized business cards for a number of reasons.

1) Harder to throw away because it's just such a silly idea to so many.
When I talk with people and they ask "Hey, do you have a card?", it always gets a laugh when I say "sure", and then produce something they were not expecting. It, (the card) is remembered, if only briefly.
2) Even if it gets wadded up, the prospect still sees it stand out from all the rest. (isn't that the idea?)
3) More card "real estate" to get my marketing message across. (Graphics, photos etc)
4) They don't cost significantly more than business cards in the grand scheme of things.

I've generated more than one job/assignment because of my silly business card, one of the jobs was enough to pay for 50,000 more cards.

all the best and good luck.

I have never gone the black route though I have manufactured cards with model against seamless white and polished metal. I'd leave the back blank or reserve that space for contact info. I would not use a middle age bridal shot for any client other than middle age brides and if you are going to promote yourself in various photographic fields make sure the cards are appropriate for the prospective clients.
Though before online portfolios I used multi fold, multi image cards of varying sizes, now I give out single image, single sided 4x5 cards which average 80% B&W. I use many different images on the cards which I change regularly and if by chance hell were to freeze over where I happened to be scouting and I gave out multiple cards, each prospect would get a card with a different image.

For what it is worth, I have always suggested that an individual not use images on business cards. What if a person doesn't like the particular images you have chosen? In my opinion, a professional looking card with good graphics will be impressive enough to lead to a portfolio viewing opportunity. Once the potential client is with you in person, your odds of a successful sale are greatly increased.

Just for fun I looked back over the last ten business cards I've used. I change often and I wear many hats, each needing a specific card. Didn't use images on a single one of them.

Now granted, it can have something to do with what I shoot. Putting someone being arrested, some prison, or some crime scene on a business card probably wouldn't be the best way to promote me or my various business ventures. IMHO, cards that are too involved become hard to read so I try to keep tings as simple as possible.