facemediagroup.co.uk blog | case studies and other relevant print related stuff

79 EXAMPLES OF BUSINESS CARD DESIGN

2011-02-10T12:43:00.002Z

A great selection of double sided business cards...

Which one is your favourite?

Welcome CMYKilla - photoshop tutorial

2011-01-26T13:14:00.006Z

Adam in the studio came across this Photoshop Tutorial video, and thought you might enjoy it.

Presenting... CMYKilla

Enjoy

'Chap-Hop History' by Mr.B The Gentleman Rhymer

2010-12-21T12:05:00.000Z

This is AWESOME....

BRIGHTON... A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE

2010-12-03T11:47:00.001Z

This is doing the viral around Brighton... Watch it, it's very funny... Then see what else Matt got up to later that day...!

ITS SNOWING AT FMG HQ

2010-12-02T12:05:00.002Z

Down at facemediagroup HQ it's been snowing... maybe you've noticed.

Anyway, we popped out earlier for a snowball fight... and here's the vid we made.

Starring...
Matt Sweet (Design Monkey)
Rachel Dorman (Office Manager)
Emma Wright (Customer Services)
Matt Hunt (Chopper)
Santos DeLaSantos (Pimp)

Cat and everyone else refused to be featured - no idea why. (Shy I think).

MATT 'facemediagroup' SWEET ROCKS

2010-08-27T23:08:00.003+01:00

One of our designers, goes global...

Check out this incredible video. Facemediagroup's longest standing designer, Matt Sweet, and his band Sandweaver, have just released this awesome video.

The band have been working the circuit for a few years now, their music has recently been featured on Amercia's ABC family network, in a show called 'make it or break it' - this global exposure has generated quite a bit of interest in the band - Excellent for them, not so good for us. We don't want Matt to make it as a rock star... (coz we like him working for us) - Ok, if push comes to shove... go on then Matt, you go and live in a hilltop mansion, and drive 15 cars, hang out with movie stars, change your name, and shave your head ;)

Good luck boys - this is an incredible video, great song.

FANCY A NUMBER PLATE... JUST FOR YOU

2010-08-04T19:58:00.003+01:00

This came our way the other day.

Hi Flyerboy... Who ever reads this email, would you please pass on to the boss to see if he would be interested in buying the number plate 'FLY3R'... Thanks. The price is £17,995. Kind regards.

hmm... tempting ;P

BIG DAY IN THE FACEMEDIA CAMP

2010-06-19T08:13:00.002+01:00

Its a big day in the world of facemediagroup today. One of our crew is getting married.

Matt Sweet is getting married to his long term girlfriend Charlotte. Matt who has been with us since 2005, started as a junior graphic designer for print, is now our lead web designer. He's been knocking out corkers for years.

In the last few years, clients have been increasingly using our products for wedding stationery. Our ability to print high quality, short run (low quantity) greetings cards etc, can make for an excellent wedding package, which will stun and amaze the wedding guests.

Matt designed his own wedding invites, day invites, night invites, 'save the date' cards, and thank you cards. He also used his invitee's list, to make each of the above merge and become 'variable data'

We did his name place holders, and a set of stickers which Matt and Charlotte attached to a goodie bag full of classic candies for each guest. All the above, themed to 'ye olde sweet shop' - very very cool.

The wedding venue is a luxury barn in the sticks of Sussex, where Mat's band 'Sandweaver' will be 'headlining the gig'.

All the staff at facemediagroup and mistore are going today, some returning by coach, and some staying the night on a local campsite - that'll be a riot ;)

So... Bear with us on Monday, there may be some sore heads on the end of the phones.

You ain't gonna need it - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2010-06-03T15:28:00.000+01:00

You ain't gonna need it - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BUBBLEGUM BUSINESS CARDS

2010-03-31T22:19:00.000+01:00

Bubblegum Business Cards... using all the latest print and food design technologies, facemediagroup.co.uk are very proud to release, our bubblegum business cards. Available in 4 delicious flavours :- Strawberry, Banana, Cola and our personal favourite, Kiwi & Lime. Incredibly, the bubblegum business cards, look and feel like regular business cards, with a distinct smell of gum. When chewed, within 30 seconds, the gum takes the correct bubble blowing consistancy, at which point, you can blow a bubble (reaching over 3 feet diametre). And the magicest bit - your business card design is perfectly legible on the bubble. Incredible (see prices below) >>> CLICK HERE TO BUY

	front	back	100	250	500	1000
Strawberry			£45	£55	£65	£75
Banana			£45	£55	£65	£75
Cola			£45	£55	£65	£75
Kiwi & Lime			£45	£55	£65	£75

ADOBE CS5... ALREADY...

2010-03-23T22:44:00.006Z

Jeez...

And just the other day we were talking about kitting out the office with CS4. We've survived this long - and only now do files start to filter through in CS4 which we have issues with.

Bloody good job we didn't bother... Might as well jump a generation.

Makes you a bit sick doesn't it - it would have cost several grand to kit everyone at facemediagroup.co.uk out with CS4 - then what, a month later, spend another bucket load of money for CS5.

Come on Adobe - make these upgrades worth it - not just an annual money grab.

What do you think?

MENTION US AND GET PAID...:)

2010-03-23T12:54:00.006Z

Are you talking 'bout me...?

You might be aware, here at facemediagroup.co.uk, we are very aware of current web trends. Social media, people interaction and engagement is what the web is all about now days. It's great for customers and it's great for search engine optimisation.

This is were we'd like your help. Big us up, talk about us on your blog, or your website. Upload a photo of some recent work we have done for you, and link back to our website.

How to make a link

You might want to upload some photo's to flickr (example), maybe add a post to your blog or forum (example), or do a news article on you website - it's all good.

We're not asking you to do this for nothing. Let us know you've done it (leave a comment here below), we'll take a look, then it's reward time*.

We'll give you a set of 250 matt laminated business cards (worth £29) for absolutely nothing*.

So, get posting, and comment here on this page, with a link to where you mentioned us.

FEBRUARY NEWS LETTER

2010-02-25T09:59:00.013Z

Business Cards... now available in 6 exciting flavours.

Ever since the year dot, we have been offering excellent value business cards to you guys. We have recently added more choice to our business card selection. We have introduced a 350gsm silk card, which start from £12 a set, for when you need a card in a hurry. We have also introduced 'the photographers choice' : a 400gsm premium silk thicker business card , printed to the highest quality, technology can offer - which gives superb results when your design includes photographs. HERE

We've slashed our poster prices, they've never been so cheap!

We've been doing our homework, and can safely say, our poster prices are excellent. We have also introduced 'double sided' posters - specifically for window promotion (make the most of that double aspect promotional space). To give you an example of the new prices, previously 100 A3 posters were £100 - now, they are just £36. Our 'maxi promo' bundle of 5000 A6 flyers and 200 A3 posters is now just £150 - Bargain. HERE

Get Satisfaction.

Our customer service team, here at facemediagroup.co.uk are extremely serious about making you happy, in fact, we're committed ;) Which is why we have recently integrated 'get satisfaction' into the footer of our website. It's our 24/7 online help service, so if you have a question, ask it in the footer and you'll get a solution asap HERE

BUSINESS CARD BLANK PRINT TEMPLATES

2010-01-20T16:27:00.003Z

business card size blank template - landscape, originally uploaded by flyerboy_uk.

I've just finished uploading over 50 blank print templates for lots of our products. Business Card templates, flyers or all sizes, folded leaflets and even greetings cards. Download them from our flickr account, or visit facemediagroup.co.uk for templates

We hope you find them useful.

TEN GREAT CHRISTMAS CARD DESIGNS

2009-12-08T11:44:00.000Z

Here's ten bespoke Christmas Card designs for our customers.

This card for Tarmak Films is nice, simple and festive.

DataCardGroup used this design to affix one of their plastic cards.

This design for Stanmer House, signed by all the staff... This card also had a 10% off voucher printed within.

Anyone for 'SnowBoarding'. This card was designed Jem Robinson.

A original design by our friends @citizendan - a fellow twitterer. Card designs like this are what bespoke christmas cards are all about.

A family Christmas card for 'The Wafts' - excellent.

:

Our very own Christmas card design for Christmas 2009 - I just hope we can lick the stamps in time for last post.

Simon and Gill sent this design in, produced on 'Wordle' - a great little tool for creating 'tag clouds' and amazing word art using your blog, twitter tweets, or just your own collection of words.

A greetings card fro your driving instructor - what a nice touch. This card was for Steve at Highlands Drive.

And this is number ten. Taken from a series of 5 cards, design in a competition for the Brighton & Hove LGB Switchboard. 'Dress Me Up' Lady Santa, besigned by Neel Morley

A great selection of bespoke greetings card design, I'm sure you'll agree.

FIVE GAMES TO PLAY WITH BUSINESS CARDS

2009-12-01T11:40:00.011Z

Having fun with Business Cards

Five fun games for your stash of business cards

1, World Cup of Business Cards

Pick 16 or 32 business cards at random (depending on how much work you've got on) from your collection of business cards. They'll probably be in your desk's bottom drawer.

You can then choose your selection criteria whether it be the best designed business card or the nicest person or maybe the hardest person (good to know if you need someone beaten up) and then you do the draw like the World Cup selecting pairs to play against each other.

Using the criteria you have selected - you select the winner of the pair to go through to the next round.

Obviously you eventually get down to two business cards in the final. Now you may wish to contact these two people to see whether they may wish to add any weight to the selection process. You may also wish to bring in some of your colleagues to add comments to the debate.

You may also wish to film the final debate and then share this movie online. However you do need to select your winner and of course they must win a prize.

2, Shag Marry Avoid

Weed out all the business cards from the opposite sex and then place them into three piles

Those who you'd have sex with, those you'd want to marry and those you'd rather never see again.

If you find any cards you can't remember what they look like - you have to hunt down their picture on their website. However if you can't find their photo there is a penalty - you have to make contact with them and request an image.

Once you have your three piles you need to find your winners and place them on the top of the piles. It is also a good idea to track down photos of your pile leaders so you can share them with other members of your office.

If you are single without morals you have to ask out the top of the Shag pile (that's a carpet isn't it?) on a date.

You may also wish to produce certificates and send them through the post to each of the pile leaders - not sure how your boss would feel about that but hey it's only work right?

3, Down the pan

You go through your business card collection - find the worst business card design and then flush it down the toilet. Repeat daily until your business card collection reaches a more manageable size. Don't worry if it was your boss's card you ditched - it was their fault for having a rubbish business card.

4, Flick 'Em

Get a hat or a bin or something similar in size and shape and put it on the floor. Then sitting or standing some distance away (maybe 6-10 feet) try to flick the business cards into the target.

You may wish to challenge one of your colleagues to get their stash of business cards out of their bottom drawer. There definitely needs to be some clear rules, ie no overstepping the line, a limited number of business cards can be used, etc.

If you do manage to get someone's card into the hat or bin --> they can then go through to the final. Repeat until you have a winner.

5, Business Cards got Talent

Using an online music player like blip.fm, spotify, or last.fm select some form of random song selector. Take a group of business cards and shuffle them into some form of order.

This order is now linked to the songs played. You must then judge each song for its quality and you also need to imagine the person on the business card singing that song.

Once you have heard everyones business card sing one song - you select your least favourite 'singing business card' who gets ejected from the competition. You then start the process again until you have just one person remaining - this business card definitely has talent - you can then send the owner of that business card an email explaining their victory and the songs they sung along the way. Alternatively you produce a CD for them and send it in the post.

MENUS AND WINE LISTS

2009-12-01T09:35:00.002Z

We do a huge range of menus and wine lists.

This job is for The Keys. It's a matt laminated, 4 page A4 folded menu.

Laminated menu, standing up.

Laminated Menu, outside spread

Inside spread of The Keys laminated menu.

For menus and wine lists, click the orange text to see our price matrix

FRANCHISE TEMPLATE GREETINGS CARDS

2009-11-30T14:42:00.001Z

Here's a Christmas Card design we prepared for one of our franchise clients. PetSitters have over 15 franchises - each with the same logo and branding (all but the 'town/city' where they are based.

Here's their 2009 Christmas Card design

A cute little 105mm square card

The outside design - note the 'branded' back - looks very impressive.

And even branded on the inside too.

Get in touch and ask about what templates we can set up for you and your business. (make your brands marketing simple).

TWENTY CHRISTMAS CARD DESIGNS - PART TWO

2009-11-23T12:46:00.005Z

As you know, we have a graphic design studio within, but we are more than happy to work with print ready artwork as well. Here are some great christmas card designs and illustrations, which we printed recently.

A great card which features 5 lanscape shots taken in the villages.

A series by Photographer Alice Hunter.

A family card for the House of Gleave.

This is 2nd in a series of little cards for 'South Down Cellars' - Lucy sourced 5 different images for this beautiful collection of Christmas voucher cards

Another Hycare Supplies Christmas card

And here's this years 'Sussex Cleaning & Care' design

This design is made up from snowflakes and trowels, quite apt for Archaeology South East

Greetings from Essex Scouts

One of our Christmas Card Template designs, in use by Lau Hairdressing

Great usage of the wordart app by wordle.net - love it.

Just passed your test, Merry Christmas from Santa in his little red racing car.

Cut out Missus Santa's clothing, and dress her - awesome

We recently printed a series of cards for Mr Jesus.

Also a series of 5 for Zipporah Designs

And a fantastic selection of illustrations for Amy Dyas.

Here's her branding to the reverse.

The quality of our greetings cards, is fantastic. Lots of clients print a series of cards with us, and resell them very successfully. Our standard greetings cards are printed using digital technology, which enables us to change the artwork to a run of 1000 cards, as we print. For instance, for the price of 1000 cards, you could have 10 sets of 100 cards. Perfect to get you started in the greetings card game.

TWELVE CHRISTMAS CARD DESIGNS - PART ONE

2009-11-23T09:20:00.003Z

The first of many case study posts. This one contains 12 Christmas card designs with have designed and printed for our customers over the last few years.

These are two designs for Core Surveys. utilising thier 'atom' logo and colours. Keeping very much within their brand guidelines.

We've been printing Hexa's Christmas stationary for a few years, this one is from 2008. Nice and simple.

This is a little 105mm sq greetings card for Incorpore - the national fitness network. Love this one.

Every year, Paul from PDP Electrical says... 'I don't know, make me laugh!'. Well, it's not hard to make an electrician laugh - stick a red hat on a plug, he's be rolling round the floor laughing.

Full on bespoke design for First Financial Ltd - They sent these out to all their customers.

Illustrated characters on this design for Help4IT

This was a series of little cards for 'South Down Cellars' - Lucy sourced 5 different images for this beautiful collection of Christmas voucher cards

Simple Christmas tree design for DWS

This client is a cleaning company (Sussex Cleaning & Care). This tree gives the appearance it's made from stacked sponges.

What better seasonal image for a computer company, a christmas customised keyboard

Classic bauble and lights design for Elite

Here's my favourite. It's the members from NMTS Excellence - from looking closely at the card, the client arranged a photoshoot, in a field, on some old haybails, had everyone dress up in WWI period dress, and shot in cepiatone. It's EXCELLENT.

WORDLE GRAPHIC CLOUD

2009-11-21T23:31:00.005Z

a 'wordle' cloud, created from the contents of this blog - the main subject jumps out at you, doesn't it.

HOW TO STORE YOUR BUSINESS CARDS

2009-11-20T10:47:00.011Z

Here's five ways to store your business cards

The Roladex

The classic Roladex adorned most office desks throughout the 1980s. The name is a combination of 'roller' ie rotation and 'dex' ie index.

In its heyday, your Roladex sat alongside those little boxes of index cards. We didn't have personal computers during the 80s so our desk were full of little bits of paper.

Some people even had a huge spike on their desks with random bits of paper until the health and safety freaks banned them because 'you might just have your eye out with one of those'.

Anyway your Roladex held the entire contents of your contact book and more. Even if you didn't have a business card for someone, you would put a little card in with their details on.

Roladex files were usually sorted alphabetically for easy searching. But could be split by different categories.

Roladex were so important to some people that you'd always find a few being carried outside when the fire alarm sounded.

The digital age ended the love affair with the Roladex. You'll occasionally see them at car boot sales - mostly blank new ones that someone stole from their office stationery cupboard in 1985 but if you see one with actual contents in you should definitely purchase and check out whats inside. All the London numbers will be '01' or even '0171' and '0181' - remember them!

The good old days when you could carry a piece of paper around your place of work all afternoon and not do any work also included a two-hour session getting your Roladex up-to-date. Bloody computers have put that little scam out to grass but there's always solitaire.

Apparently they still sell the classic Roladex. To buy one of these visit http://tinyurl.com/ye9qkb3

A4 business card folder

A ring binder with plastic A4 wallets to store business cards allowed you to keep your business contacts in a nice clean environment. You could even alphabetise them but the choice was always whether the choose the company name or the persons name.

You would usually choose the company name and then end up with dozens of company business cards for the same company. These business card wallets are a real hassle when you have to put a new card into a full file as it meant transfering the last card into a new wallet and then finding a hole for the new card. Boring!

The other problem was that you'd find people within an office all had the same business cards for the same people which was duplicating the work in filing all these business cards.

Business card wallets have now been sent to Coventry and filed under 'b' for bin. If you still use business card folder, please send us a picture so we can have a good laugh.

To buy one of these visit http://tinyurl.com/ybu7dd9

Business card scanner

Techy geeks will have invested in one of these machine. Basically you put your business cards in the slot, it whisks through the machine, scanning as it goes. The information is sorted by the software and information is stored on your PC or Mac.

The beauty of these machines is that you can through away your countless business cards which you have collected over many years.

These machines do not hold poor design against the original owner of the business card. They also do not go all weak at the knees for expensive thermographic printing or die-cutting.

To buy one of these visit http://tinyurl.com/yzbuj5x

Evernote

Evernote really is the ultimate in business card storage. Its a computer application that you download on to your machine. It links with your webcam. You simply hold up the latest business card in your collection to your webcam and It takes a snapshot your business card.

The clever comes when it reads the information from the snapshot and files it neatly within its various folders.

However its not just business cards you may wish to snapshot but drawings, doodles, notes, logos, etc.

On its website, Evernote says, "Use Evernote to save your ideas, things you see, and things you like. Then find them all on any computer or device you use. For free."

For more information visit www.evernote.com

Bottom desk drawer

So now we live in the digital age what do we do with the business cards we are given. Easy! We put them in the bottom drawer of our desk.

Other things you might find within your bottom desk drawer include an old mini-stapler without mini-staples, some post-it notes with fluff on one side, a plastic pencil sharpener and 23p in coppers.

To buy one of these visit http://tinyurl.com/4dkum

WHERE WAS SOCIAL MEDIA TWENTY YEARS AGO

2009-11-18T17:05:00.005Z

It struck me this morning, that all this social media, isn't really all that new. We have been doing it for years... just in different forms, with different technology.

I got a tweet this morning, to help organise a 'tweetup' (a meet up for twitterer's), and I got an almighty sense of 'YES'... and had the urge to raise my arm, and pull down on an imaginary chain (to honk an imaginery horn).

Then it came to me.

CONVOY.

Before twitter, there was CB radio. Ten Four good buddy. Roger that, Rubberducky.

Then I found lots of people had had the same vision. Ho hum.

10 CREATIVE IDEAS FOR YOUR BUSINESS CARDS

2009-10-27T21:22:00.004Z

1, Create a style in line with your business or your website

When you've spent money on creating a beautiful website or brand for your business, you need to follow that through with your business card. However if your styling is poor - stop and do things properly before creating your business cards. They'll only be out-of-date when you do decide to take the plunge.

2, Add a Photo of you and/or your team

Everyone has a stash of other people's business cards which sits in their desk's side drawer. Half of them are faceless people I can neither remember or find the energy to contact. However if they had a picture on their business cards, this would certainly ring a bell or two. If you do decide to reproduce a photo of yourself please make sure its professionally taken by someone who understands lighting, focus and composition.

3, Add different testimonials to your business cards

Your referrals from previous satisfied customers are your biggest asset when selling to new potential clients. So why would you leave them off your business cards, especially if they were personalised testimonials from someone high up in your sector. Warning - make sure the person giving you a testimonials is worth the effort and not someone with baggage. Also make sure your testimonials is not at the detrimony of the person your giving your business cards to.

4, Add your social media links including facebook, twitter and linkedin

Everyone is talking about social media and their twitter stream or their facebook fan page. But if you're not registered on linkedin.com how do you know what you're missing. There are many business opportunities created via these online socialising networks. You can spend hours and lots of money on breakfast networking events - do it online for free and see what happens. And then you can add the links on your business cards.

5, Used a raised font (also known as thermography)

If you were going to get a business card from HRH The Queen you imagine it would be a beautiful scripty font raised off the card with thermography (raised print created by using a special powder on wet ink). The Queen's business card would say something like 'The Queen, Buckingham Palace, London - Follow me on my facebook fan page and my twitter stream @hrhlizbuckhouse'

6, Add one or more rounded corners

Is your personality well rounded? If your business cards are, it says a lot about your attention to detail. It shows you've realised the benefits of a small bit of design and print work and have invested the resources to finish the look off. The technical term for creating rounded corners is die-cutting and you can cut all four corners or just one. The choice is yours but you'll definitely feel the love if you do.

7, Add some photos of the products or services you offer

If you sell beautiful venetian mirrors then put some of your business cards. Everyone will know what you do and they'll remember your business cards amongst the many other venetian mirror sales reps cards who have left off their products. Make sure the pics are good quality and relevant to your business. You'll need a decent designer to make sure your card can carry off the images.

8, Deliberately leave some white space on the reverse of your card for notes or other information

Plumbers, builders or other tradespeople who may have need to give someone a quote might like to have a small space on their business card to put down a price or a part that someone might request. Other people may also find that spaces for notes can be opportune at exhibitions or conferences when hundreds of business cards are exchanged.

9, Put one or more of your favourite recipes on the reverse of your business card/s

Just a bit of fun - but you never know it might come in handy one day. You could also switch a recipe for a inspirational quotation or something which might make the recipient think. Showing someone that you can trigger an emotion within them may lead to further conversations and possible business opportunities. Don't be afraid to show your own personality - its your own individual brand.

10, Record a short online video especially for your business card contacts then include a screengrab and web-link on your business card

This final idea might smack of arrogance but the online world is leading to more and more creative ways to engage with people. Converting people from your business card to your company website is a tough ask as it takes quite an effort to take your website address from your business card and then go to your laptop and look it up so if someone views your online video there's a good chance they might be warm lead for a sales opportunity.

Please note these are just ten creative ideas from facemediagroup.co.uk - we've gone dozens more please give us a call on 0333 8000 888.

TOP FIVE BUSINESS CARDS DO'S AND DON'TS

2009-10-26T10:06:00.002Z

DO'S

Do #1 - Plan, prepare, design, proof, redesign, fall in love with your business card

Your business card is your opportunity to promote yourself to your immediate business community and potential new clients, suppliers and even employers. You need to make sure that your business card is a true reflection of who you are and what you are about. If you want to appear a smooth suave operator then your business card needs to show similar characteristics. Remember that once printed you are stuck for the next few months with your business card so make sure you love them before they are printed.

Do #2 - Pick your most favourite ten business card designs

Most people have a big box of other people's business cards in a new drawer near to their desk or workstation. A great pre-design idea is to select the best 10 business cards in your collection and put them around your desk while you decide on your new business card. You'll find you save time on your project as others will have suffered the same pain as you but will also have solved the key problems with regards to wide range of different designs and those types of content that work and don't work. Is it plagiarism? Its hardly video piracy but make sure you won't end up giving someone your business card which is almost identical to their own. That would be a difficult scenario to get out of.

Do #3 - Make your business card as memorable as possible

Imagine someone else in six months time doing exactly what you've been doing ie selecting their favourite business cards from their collection of 100+ cards. How are you going to make yours remarkable and memorable. You can think of putting your photograph on your business card or maybe a relevant image like your key product, business headquarters or office pet. Alternatively you could use the reverse side of your business card as a tool for making a real difference. Keep picturing the person sitting at their desk and looking at your business card. What are they thinking? Also consider the various senses (ie sight, sound, smell, touch, etc) which could affect the reader. By the way, a nice rounded corner to your business card goes a long way.

Do #4 - Ensure there is a minimum of three forms of information on your business card

Are fax numbers still relevant? Does anyone actually use their facsimile transfer machine? Do you know anyone who says "I'll send you a fax"? These are questions you should consider when you're planning your business card design. You may also want to avoid putting your address on your business card, especially if you work from home. You may also want to avoid receiving annoying postal direct mail from someone who you've given your business card to. Research by business professionals suggest you should always include a minimum of three forms of information upon your business card. The minimum amount of information for any business card should be: name, telephone number and email address. Is this enough? This could be a very classy business card if you produced a three-line business card using a beautiful raised font printed on really high grade one-sided card. The other extreme is to ram as much information as you can on both sides of your business card in a tiny font - aaaarrrgh!

Do #5 - Print enough business cards so you're not too precious about them

There's an hour left of your key business exhibition. You have two business cards left and you know there are a minimum of three important people you will be seeing. Which two should you give your business cards to? If you've genuinely run out because you've had a brilliant business event and met loads of great business contacts then that's okay. However if you forgot to take enough business cards remember next time you re-print your business cards make sure you print double the number you need. You will notice this doesn't cost double the cost normally only a few pounds more for twice as many.

DON'TS

Don't #1 - Print your own business cards

Would you cut your own hair? Well you might do it once but then never again. You can always tell those people who have made their own business cards as they are produced on flimsy paper, with faded washed-out colours and are on odd sized paper which is never squarely cut. The other key Don't within this category is 'Never bake your own business card' for obvious reasons.

Don't #2 - Produce a business card which discourages your potential clients from dealing with you

We all know that first impressions count - your business card falls massively into this category. If you produce a business card which shows you as arrogant, self-obsessed or even unprofessional then the chances of you gaining business from your card are hugely diminished. Unless you are a model, you should avoid putting glamorous photos of yourself. You should also avoid putting small achievements like employee of the month. Other unprofessional conduct would include incorrect spelling, inaccurate information or some embellishment of the truth.

Don't #3 - Make your business card inappropriate, irrelevant or extremely dull

Controversy can often be very effective in getting yourself noticed (see item Do #3 above). However there is a time and place for everything and having a naked photo of your girlfriend on the back of your business card is probably not quite the right thing to promote your accountancy practice. There are certain issues you should not associate yourself with. Putting your Dora the Explorer fan club number on your business card might also appear a little strange.

Don't #4 - Keep distributing out-of-date business cards

Have you ever received a business card with hand-written changes on it. If you've moved address or switched mobile phone numbers but haven't changed your business card yet, get to it straight away. You need to understand the value of a new sale against the cost of a business card reprint. Its a no-brainer!

Don't #5 - Forget to take your business cards at all times

"Yes Sir Alan of course I'd like to work for you. Here's my... oh sorry I seem to have left them at home."
If you've got them, flaunt them! And possibly invest in a business card holder to ensure they remain in their original pristine condition. This shows you care about your own things and hence would also care about your potential new client. And always have at least five business cards on you at all times, except when swimming!

HOW TO MAKE YOUR BUSINESS CARD TELL A STORY

2009-10-24T20:01:00.005+01:00

When you get to that stage of a meeting when the exchange of cards comes around its great to have a little story to go along with your business cards.

This allows you to further engage with the person you're meeting with and to improve the personal bond you may have or have not yet established.

You can bet that if your business card has a really good story behind it then it'll be shown to other people when your business associate gets back to the office.

"Hey come and have a look at this business card - its made out of recycled pumpkins" that sort of thing.

But if you're fresh out of pumpkins to recycle what ideas are there to give your business card a story.

Well you could personalise your business card which makes it very unique to yourself - maybe with a humorous photo of yourself or a funny picture of your favourite pet - something which will endear people towards you.

Don't make your cards too personal ie putting your kids drawings on them as people may think thats a bit too intrusive. However if its relevant it might work. It's really up to you and what you think your business associates may enjoy.

You may wish to put a beautiful piece of artwork or photography on the back to show people more about the types of things you wish to be associated with.

Different inspirational people printed on the reverse of your business card works for me because you can often match up the characteristics of the person you're meeting with the famous person on your cards.

You do have to be careful about using copyright images and there are many sites where you can get copyright free pictures. Your designer or printer will know more about where to get them from.

Creative Commons is a method for you to use a huge range of images for free so long as you credit the creator.

However there are many other ways for you to bring your business card to life.

One client had a fantastic business card which revolved around the name of the business Fireball Sports which sells golf training aids online (www.fireballsports.com).

So these guys had a cut out made in the middle of the business card which looked like a fireball had just burst through the business card. The printer had done a brilliant job with scorch marks around the hole.

It went down really well at exhibitions including the huge PGA Golf conference in Orlando, USA. "You Brits are always so ahead of the game when it comes to marketing ideas" one American guy told my client.

So cut-outs might give you that wow factor - however it does need to be relevant and not just for the sake of it.

Another idea would be a food company have the corner cut out to look like a huge bite had been taken out of the business card. Is this expensive? Talk to your printer.

Your printer will tell you what's feasible and achievable for whatever budget you may have. But be realistic with both your ideas and your budgets.

I also like really contemporary business cards that take things from the current climate whether it be news, gossip, music. However you need to understand these cards will only have a short shelf life however if you're doing a huge exhibition then it would work really well.

An example of this may surround World Cup 2010 in South Africa. If you're exhibiting during this period you may put all the flags of countries in the football competition on the back telling everyone that if their country wins they'll get a bottle of wine but they have to get back in touch after the event - this will also create a business opportunity for you.

You may also wish to support a charity by promoting their work on your business card, especially if this charity is important in your particular sector of business. It will show others from your industry that you not only care but you're also happy to share.

If you're struggling for a story surrounding your business cards, discuss ideas with your friends and family and other work colleagues. Try to put yourself in the shoes of someone you may meet and who receives your card.

Try to understand what their thought processes will be on receiving your business card and the subsequent story that goes with it.

You may also wish to talk to your designer or printer who may experience or examples they can show you to help you with your decision making.

EMPTY SHOPS CAMPAIGN

2009-10-19T21:23:00.009+01:00

Familiar picture...?
Today I attended the 1st #emptyshops conference. Over 100 delegates attended, coming from all over the country. It was an excellent day, with lots of good contacts made, and lots of enthused delegates returning to their home towns, ready to put their knowledge into practice.

Empty shops in your town or city, is a massive problem. On average, 1 in 6 shops in high streets will be empty come January 2010.

This initiative is set to encourage local councils and landlords, to open their empty premise doors to temporary lets, to the arts, to temporary fillers for their shops (or popup shops), If a shop's going to sit empty and cost the landlord money, it may as well be put to some use, for the local community.

What I gathered from the day, was that it can be very hard to contact a shop's landlord - the easiest way is to apporach your local council and find what properties they own first - as councils all across the UK seem to be taking on the #emptyshops idea.

We printed the brochure for #emptyshops - download it HERE

If you run a community arts organisation and fancy looking into taking on #emptyshops in your town, then talk to 'economic developement' or 'cultural officers' at the council, or approach the actual councillor responsible for those council functions (the council website should list these by the councillors names)

MEMORY LIKE A SIEVE

2009-10-17T13:42:00.009+01:00

If you're anything like me, then this app could be extremely useful for you.
I'm always brimming with ideas, loads of things 'to do' and never enough time to actually get it all done.

I'd heard of this app... EVERNOTE. The word on the street was that it's great for collecting and archiving business cards... so I looked it up, and d/l'd it to my blackberry. When I got home, I checked it out properly... It sounds great. Tag whatever interests you, attach it to EVERNOTE, and it will archive it, and make it totally searchable. IT EVEN READS TEXT WITHIN PICTURES... hence the archiving of business cards.

So... I'm gonna check it out... I'll let you know how it goes, 3 months from now.

I still have a business card fetish, so it's not going to replace that, but if I can remember to take a pic of every card I collect, then I wont have to spend hours thumbing through them to find the contact I want to call.

TEN TIPS ON PUBLICITY DESIGN - for student unions

2009-10-16T22:46:00.003+01:00

some starting points to help you create some effective publicity print

Whether you’re running a weekly club night, promoting a gig, selling a drinks promotion or marketing a radio station, at some point you’re probably going to want to produce some printed publicity material.

Some unions benefit from full time design staff, others can call on students studying a graphic design course. However, it is not all that uncommon for a new publicity or ents officer to find themselves with an empty piece of paper and a major project to promote.

If that’s you, these tips should provide some starting points to help you create some effective publicity print.

TIP 1 :
Your publicity print has two main dimensions

When planning your publicity print you have two main things to think about - ‘creative concept’ and ‘mechanics’. That is to say, what images and words you will use to sell your event (that’s the creative concept) and the kinds of publicity (flyer, poster, badges etc) you will print (that’s the mechanic).

TIP 2 :
Come up with your 'creative concept' first

The 'creative concept' is what your whole publicity campaign will be based around. Once you have come up with it, it can be manipulated into all sorts of publicity material - whether that be a flyer, postcard, sticker, magazine advert or whatever. Your creative concept needs to do two things - catch the eye and sell the show.

TIP 3 :
Make sure your 'creative concept' is eye-catching

At People are so used to having advertising thrust at them - on TV, in magazines, on buses, on notice boards, everywhere - they have developed the skill of ignoring adverts – some people call this ‘poster blindness’. This is particularly true in most colleges where noticeboards are packed full of posters and notices.

If you are promoting an event which features a recognizable band, DJ, comedian or actor then a simple photo of that person can be very effective. If you are promoting a club a montage of pictures of artists you promote can also be effective.

Some people use familiar images, or a parody of another advertising campaign, as a way of attracting attention. These can work, though don't forget that if you use someone else’s imagery in this kind of publicity technically you need to get permission from whoever owns the images.

Other people sometimes produce a series of cryptic posters which are obviously linked, but which only make sense when you have seen them all. These can be effective and get people talking - though they may have less immediate impact.

A useful device when thinking about poster design is to glance at crowded notice boards and see what you focus on first. What you are looking at is eye-catching. Is your design going to compete with it?

TIP 4 :
Identify the selling points of your event

As well as being eye-catching, your design needs to sell your event. The image itself might do this (if it includes a well known band for example), but more often the selling comes in the use of words.

Think about what it is about your event that will actually make people want to come? What are the unique selling points of your event? What does it have that no competing event offers?

Do think carefully about what aspects of your event really are the selling points. That is what should dominate your poster. Other stuff can be left in the small print, or left off completely. A common mistake is to put too much information on a poster putting people off from ever reading it in the first place.

TIP 5 :
Spend time on wording

When it comes to expressing your selling points, spend time over the actual wording you use.

Snappy, exciting - but not cliche - phrases can really sell an event. A little linguistic imagination can turn all aspects of your production into big selling points, even negative ones! A ridiculously small venue can offer "an exclusively intimate performance', while an event with a one night run can be "your one and only chance to catch this'.

Remember ‘less is more’ in advertising. Be very strict on word count. Get all the important information in, but in as few words as possible. People have very short attention spans and often won’t read past the first line or so.

People like to have assurance that an event will be good before they spend their time or money on it. Quotes from respected media or people about your event can help with this, as can honest statements about an events past successes – eg ‘from the people who brought you’ or ‘now in its fifth sell out year’.

TIP 6:
Avoid common design errors

People will also take some assurance about your event if your poster look’s ‘professional’. That’s not to say you need to go all corporate looking, but there are certain rule the vast majority of designers use, and if you break those rules your design ends up looking a bit unprofessional (some cutting edge designers break those rules of purpose and get away with it, but they’re very clever!).

Those rules include: - Only use one or may be two fonts throughout all your publicity print. - Only using unusual fonts for headlines (and using more conventional fonts for nitty gritty information). - Not putting text too close to the edge of the paper, or to close to the edges of boxes. - Being careful with use of logos – not having too many large logos all over your design.

TIP 7:
Think about what publicity mechanics you want to use

Don't forget the basics, but be imaginative too

Once you have decided on your creative concept you then need to decide what actual ‘mechanics’ you are going to use to publicise your event. There are numerous ideas to choose from, you are only limited by time and budget. (Though do think about distribution – how are you going to distribute your print? There’s not point printing up a million badges and then having no where, or no one, to distribute them.

But assuming money, time and distribution aren’t a problem, then there’s dozens of mechanics open to you. Here just a handful: posters, flyers, stickers, pens, beer mats, glasses, carrier bags, matches, lighters, t-shirts, do not disturb signs etc etc.

Most people will develop their ‘creative concept’ with a particular mechanic in mind (for most shows the starting point is the flyer or poster) and then develop it accordingly for other mechanics. This is probably the best way to go, although do bear in mind the possibility of using other mechanics when putting together your original demands.

TIP 8:
Allow yourself enough time

Predictable thing to say, but try and make sure you have enough time to prepare your publicity print. Firstly, you’ll be surprised how long designing your publicity takes. Secondly, bear in mind anything that is likely to delay the production of your publicity, like getting ‘sign-off’ from people who have to approve your publicity before it can go to print. And thirdly, make sure you have allowed plenty of time for printing and distribution. Which brings us to...

TIP 9:
Choose your suppliers well

Make sure you pick your suppliers well when planning your publicity print. Your main supplier will be your printer. When you get a quote make sure your quote includes all possible costs (checking files, making plates, print, delivery). And make sure you are clear on how artwork is to be delivered and what the turn round times are.

http://facemediagroup.co.uk are definitely your first point of call for flyer printing. They offer a really user-friendly service providing high quality print on 300gsm card.

If you are planning on outsourcing your design, then make sure you are comfortable with your chosen designer. Remember, how happy you are with what your designer produces depends completely on how well your brief him or her. If you are not sure what you want, find a designer who is willing to work with you in developing your design, and make sure you allow time and budget for having your designer tweak their artwork for you a few times.

TIP 10:
You can't proof too many times

When you are sending your publicity to print, make sure several people proof read it first, even it if its just a couple of lines of text. Make sure your triple check every date, price, phone number etc etc. You cannot underestimate how easy it is to make costly mistakes when you’re sending something to print.

TEACHING THE FMG RAP

2009-10-01T19:56:00.001+01:00

An impromptu visit to a BNI breakfast in Hassocks, I took the opportunity to teach a room full of business men and women, the FMG rap.

Twitter - The 2000 follower rule

2009-05-08T00:59:00.000+01:00

Does this look familiar to you....

There's a rule... you can't follow more than 2000 people, unless your following 2000 people.

I read that this is a fallacy. @foreclosuredata shows that he broke 2000 when his followers were just 1845...

Well I'm at 1817 - and I can't get up there... So I'm gonna do a little tweet to ask my followers for some help... just tipping me up slightly... and we'll see where the breakeven sits.

I'll let you know how it goes.

10 mins later... Ok, we crept up to 1820... and I was able to add 2 more (2003) - then I got the NO bar... just waiting for a couple more followers... see what happens.

Well... I've tried... tried to resist a blog... but the pressure is just tooo much.

2009-04-07T01:27:00.000+01:00

So here it is... My first post.

Will I ever actually get time to ever come back in here again... in between Twitter, LinkedIn, Smarta, FaceBook, Ecademy... and then there's the forums.

Oh geez... well lets see what happens.

WHAT IS DIGITAL PRINTING

2009-03-20T20:37:00.000Z

The Digital Printing Revolution... Since the computer revolution changed the way we live and work I am sure that most of us are aware of its effects, but how many people realise how computers are revolutionising the printing industry? This revolution is called Digital Printing.

The History of Printing...
In the 1400’s when Gutenberg developed the first printing press it was slow and expensive to print anything. Even then people were clamoring for a way to quickly and inexpensively produce short-run printed material. The ability to print four-color short-run material was next to impossible to do before the merging of old technology, the printing press, and new technology, computers. This marriage created a new and exciting area of printing, Digital Printing Technology.

A New Era...
Digital printing has caused a paradigm shift in the printing world; making the impossible, possible. It brought with it the exact solution that many print customers needed and offered a viable printing option that now the industry wouldn’t dream of doing without.

Analogue Printing
Before we delve into what digital printing is lets take a moment to look at Analog printing technology to better help us understand the differences. Traditional printing is an analog technology. Analog is defined as a continuously varying event such as sound or pressure, while a digital signal is either on or off, thus making it a more predictable. Analog printing methods reproduce images by creating a copy or an “analogous” image.

Lithography uses analogous images on plates to transfer ink to print substrates. Screen printing employs film positives and negative stencils which resemble the original image to create prints. Gravure, Flexography, etching, and other analog print methods utilize other forms of analogous image transfer. All of these methods reproduce images from a primary image.

How Digital Printing Works
Digital Printing takes a different approach assembling each image from a complex set numbers and mathematical formulas. These images are captured from a matrix of dots, generally called pixels, this process is called digitizing. The digitized image is then used to digitally controlled deposition of ink, toner or exposure to electromagnetic energy, such as light, to reproduce images. The mathematical formulas also allow for algorithms to compress the data. It also give a method of Calibration or Color Management Systems which helps to keep images looking the same color despite where they are view or printed. One important function that the mathematical formulas allowed was the development of a common language for digital printing it is called PostScript and was developed by Adobe. To see what PostScript looks like open a PDF or EPS in a text editor, the code seems very intricate but to a computer it just a simple code of instructions.

One of the most important advantages that Digital printing offers is a quicker response time due to its minimal press setup and it’s built in multicolor registration system. This eliminates many of the upfront, time consuming processes that can cause analog printing methods to have a slower turn-around time. Another advantage of Digital printing is the ability of offer variable printing; this means that each printed piece can have different information on it providing personalization and customization unmatched by analog processes.

The Advantages of Digital Printing
Digital printing technologies give the designer more options of substrates to print on due to its non-contact printing. This eliminates the distortion of images that occurs in analog process, like screen printing. It also requires less harsh methods of holding the substrate in the press, thereby giving more options of substrates. This means that substrates such as fabrics, very thin paper, and even ceramics can be safely printed on offering the customer more choices in designing.

The market is driving the desire for digital printing and therefore pushing it’s development and adoption. Print buyers want to eliminate the risks and expenses of maintaining inventory. Mass and Batch printing runs are giving way to the digital printer’s ability to have shorter print runs, mass customization, and less turn-around time.

Digital printing best serves the demand for: variable data printing, personalization, customization, less spoilage, faster proof cycle, smaller archival storage, quick response, just-in-time delivery, and short to medium print runs. While printers are still employing analog print methods they have the ability, with digital printing, to offer their customers more options and provide better service.

LITHO PRINTING EXPLAINED

2009-02-12T20:15:00.000Z

If you are a designer, printer, or just want to print your company newsletter there are a few terms you need to know. One of them is Lithography. The name lithography comes from lithos, stone, and graphia and was invented in Prague by Alois Senefelder around 1796. Lithography is best described as a planographic process; this is nothing more than a process for printing from a smooth surface, called a plate, to a substrate, generally paper.

In Mr. Senefelder's day lithography transferred the ink directly from the stone or plate to the substrate. Today lithography is generally called Offset or Offset Lithography; both of these terms refer to the same process. In this printing process, offset lithography, the image to be printed is rendered or etched onto a flat surface, (the plane) such as a sheet of aluminum, plastic, or zinc. Next the image is transferred to a rubber roller, and then finally to the substrate.
How does Lithographic printing work?

How does this work you may be wondering. Well the process is simple and it is based on the elementary principle that oil and water do not mix. There are a few steps in converting your image/text into a printed page so let us discuss the plates first.

In lithography the plates have a roughened texture and are coated with a photosensitive (light sensitive) emulsion. This emulsion is a suspension of two chemicals that cannot be mixed together, a common household example of an emulsion is butter or margarine.

Plates are made one of two ways: Exposure from light source with film on top of the plate, or using a machine that exposes the plate, using lasers directly from the computer. Either way creates a photographic negative of the desired image, releases the emulsion, and transfers a positive image to the emulsion. The emulsion is then chemically treated to remove the unexposed portions of the emulsion. This final step is similar to developing film at a photo lab.

When the printing plate is made, the printing image is rendered grease receptive and hydrophobic, or water repelling. The non-printing areas are rendered hydrophilic, or water attracting, and ink repelling. On the press the plate is mounted on the plate cylinder which as it rotates, comes into contact first with the rollers wet by a dampening solution or water, which adheres to the rough, or negative portions of the image. Then the plate comes in contact with the roller coated with ink, which adheres to the smooth, or positive portions of the image.

If this image were directly transferred to paper, it would create a positive image, but the paper would be moistened. Instead, a cylinder covered with a rubber surface, called a blanket, is rolled over the plate. The blanket squeezes away the water, and picks up the ink. The cylinder is then rolled over the paper, transferring the ink. Because the image is first transferred to the blanket cylinder, we call this process “offset lithography” because the image is offset to the drum before being applied to the paper.

The Advantages of Lithographic Printing
One major advantage of the lithography is that the soft rubber surface of the blanket creates a clear impression on a wide variety of paper surfaces and materials. Lithography printing is easily recognized by its smooth print, as well as by the lack on any impression or ring of ink or serrated edges that are characteristic of letterpress or gravure printing.

Lithography has equipment for short, medium, and long press runs. Sheet-fed and web presses are both used in lithography. Sheet-fed lithography is used for printing advertising, books, catalogs, greeting cards, posters, packaging, direct mail inserts, coupons, and art reproduction.
Many sheet-fed lithography presses can ‘perfect’, print on both sides of the paper, in one pass through the press. Web lithography is used for newspapers, preprinted newspaper inserts, advertising literature, catalogs, books, and magazines.