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i thought of starting this thread would help aspiring magicians to become professionals. this thread will discuss business cards. (how to lay it out, styles, photos, e-mail v.s. phone #, webste info, etc.) I'm also making new cards as well.

I may be way off target, but it sounds like you need help with business card design. Post an introduction so we know who you are. Magic Chris looks like another identity crisis. Please work on proper grammar, i.e. capitalization.

All mine is, is a card. On it, is a small picture of me. Then, next to that is my home number, mobile number, e-mail address and website. Over on the other side of the card is my business' name, and logo.

I needed cards for editorial freelancing, not magic. Very happy with the ones I got from Vista Print. I used one of their own stock pictures and layouts, and fiddled with the fonts only slightly. Contains my business name, my name, job description, and contact details.

Speaking as someone who's studied layout design, here's some advice for business cards. Follow these guidelines and you should end up with something that looks professional.

The basic rule is to keep everything clear, simple, and easy to read. People won't take the trouble to puzzle out what they can't take in at a glance.

* Don't use funky fonts. Stick with simple, easy-to-read typefaces.

* Don't mix fonts. Decide on one and use it throughout the card. Choose the font for its feel and suitability for purpose, not just because you happen to like it. Each typeface has its own nuances, but in general, serif fonts give a sense of traditionality, sans-serif a sense of modernity.

* If you want a heading that stands out (such as your name), this can be made larger, bolder, or in a different colour, or some combination of these. This gives more than enough variety without using a second font.

* Use straight lines of text in predictable locations (all left-aligned, all right-aligned, or all centred). Don't scatter text all over the place, and don't even think about running text on curves.

* Make sure the type size is big enough to see and read easily.

* Make sure there's plenty of "air" (blank space) between letters, words, and lines. It is possible to have too much space, but most people tend to put in too little space -- usually a side effect of too much text.

* Decide what you need to say, then say it and no more. For a business card, this means your name and contact details, and perhaps a business name, title, or job description. You don't have much space on a card, so don't clutter it with slogans, lists, and detailed descriptions. If people want details of what you do, they can ask you.

* No more than one picture or graphic design. For instance, if you're using cardstock with a graphic border (even just a colour stripe), then don't add clip-art with your text. If you're using completely blank stock, you can add one picture.

* If using graphics, make sure they're right for the image you want to put across. Text by itself is better than text plus an amateurish picture. Graphics aren't there to be pretty or even eye-catching, they're part of the message you're communicating.

* Most people find mini-graphics (like a tiny phone icon by your phone number) annoying. If there's only one phone number on the card, it's obvious what it is. If you have both phone and fax, then label them in words ("Tel" and "Fax" have similar lengths and tend to look good together.) We all know what an e-mail address and a website address are; there's no need to label them.

* Stick with basic matt cardstock in white or cream. Glossy card shows creases and fingerprints, and you can't jot notes on it. Flashy stuff like coloured, metallic, or holographic cardstock annoys and puts off more people than it attracts.

Here is mine.

Thank you for adding your thoughts on the subject everyone. This helped me in figuring out my design. Ian the Mental-Ian you weren't off topic. It was late and I couldn't seep so my grammer was off. Yes I do need help with my cards. Magichris is just a forum name I use. My real name is Chris Berry.

Is your card supposed to look like it's glinting in the sun?

Ian the Mental-Ian wrote:Please work on proper grammar, i.e. capitalization.

Hehehehehe... Oh, no! I can't resist!!!

It made me chuckle because i.e. is actually grammatically incorrect in the sense you just used it, Mental-Ian. Your use of i.e. means you're telling him to work on his grammar but only work on capitalisation, whereas your intended meaning was that he should work on grammar in general, an example of which is capitalisation. Therefore you should more properly use e.g.

Nyer, nyer, nyer!

Theres a great business card effect on Daryl's first International Magic lecture. You need playing cards printed on the back, just two different cards on every other card and you show them to each of your spectators, press them together and when you peel them apart, they've merged and you have half of each card on the business card. They take it home and forever remember the trick!

If and when I ever get business cards made, I'll definately go for this technique.

Robbie wrote:* Don't mix fonts. Decide on one and use it throughout the card. Choose the font for its feel and suitability for purpose, not just because you happen to like it. Each typeface has its own nuances, but in general, serif fonts give a sense of traditionality, sans-serif a sense of modernity.
* If you want a heading that stands out (such as your name), this can be made larger, bolder, or in a different colour, or some combination of these. This gives more than enough variety without using a second font.

Can I respectfully disagree with these two points? (The others are great, tho). Using a second font for the header or such can work wonders, although you need to be careful the two work together. I usually find using a serif/sans-serif combination works nicely (sans header, serif text for print... it's the opposite for web. Don't ask, it just is)

queen of clubs wrote:

Ian the Mental-Ian wrote:Please work on proper grammar, i.e. capitalization.

Hehehehehe... Oh, no! I can't resist!!!

It made me chuckle because i.e. is actually grammatically incorrect in the sense you just used it, Mental-Ian. Your use of i.e. means you're telling him to work on his grammar but only work on capitalisation, whereas your intended meaning was that he should work on grammar in general, an example of which is capitalisation. Therefore you should more properly use e.g.

Nyer, nyer, nyer!

Oh I know

kolm wrote:

Robbie wrote:* Don't mix fonts. Decide on one and use it throughout the card. Choose the font for its feel and suitability for purpose, not just because you happen to like it. Each typeface has its own nuances, but in general, serif fonts give a sense of traditionality, sans-serif a sense of modernity.
* If you want a heading that stands out (such as your name), this can be made larger, bolder, or in a different colour, or some combination of these. This gives more than enough variety without using a second font.

Can I respectfully disagree with these two points? (The others are great, tho). Using a second font for the header or such can work wonders, although you need to be careful the two work together. I usually find using a serif/sans-serif combination works nicely (sans header, serif text for print... it's the opposite for web. Don't ask, it just is)

Absolutely right. If you know your fonts, you can find two that work well together. In documents, I often use a simple sans-serif for headers and serif for text. Still, for something as small as a card, it can be dodgy.

I was trying to put together a foolproof recipe for people who might not know much about typographical design. Following the suggestions should lead to something that looks decent, even though breaking them (with knowledge) might create something better.

Robbie wrote:I was trying to put together a foolproof recipe for people who might not know much about typographical design. Following the suggestions should lead to something that looks decent, even though breaking them (with knowledge) might create something better.

My bad, sorry

If anyone is interested on http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/ today there is a free business card program. Looks pretty good. Program is no longer free.

I don't need business cards myself though, I've never done any gigs and I probably won't do any sometime soon, considering my age and that I'm only a hobbyist.

To be honest as far as business cards go i have been quite happy with the ones from vistaprint that i has done recently the colours and styles work really well and people seem to tnjoy them if you stick to the matt option it makes it easier to perform prediction tricks and other little miricles with business cards also make handy souveniers aswell as getting them passed out. [/b]