Research Existing Business Cards

Existing Business Cards

The above design requires assistance from the user, to move the top layer and reveal the information below. The movement is radial which supports the type of business it is advertising-hypnotist. This technique creates a larger surface area the card, hence more overpowering as the user become more intrigued with the design and business, just like in a similar way hypnotism does with people. Through twisting and overlaying card more information can be applied to the card, hence the user becoming fully informed of what the business has to offer them. The mechanism is definitely worth considering in concepts as it can be applied to a three dimensional shape.

These examples do not achieve the three dimensional specification however folding is a technique which can develop this idea for the card. By folding paper in a specific way you can create shape, or decrease the size of the card. i.e. in the first example it resembles a road map which can be folded down to a manageable size or traveling but when required it can be unfolded revealing the true size of the paper and creating more space for information to be places. Therefore is a business has a large amount of information they want to present their potential customer, a folding method should be considered in the design so at first glance the design doesn't appear too overwhelming to the viewer.

The second example unfolds to a long rectangular shape, which uses the folds as a form of support to stand. This is the beginning of creating a three dimensional business card because it does not sit flat on a surface. However in order to satisfy the the specification the designs needs to be interesting from most angles. This design fails to achieve this because from the top it would appear as a zig-zag line, with no shape.

Business cards can be made of metal, if well suited to the business they are advertising. Here are two examples, the first are metal dogs tags therefore giving them the ability to be attached to chains and serving another purpose such as a key ring. This is effective advertisement as the person using it would be constantly reminded of the business, resulting in them returning to them for future projects. Using metal as the core construction material also means that the design is durable and reliable therefore the risk of breakage is minimal.

The second design must have bee constructed with a more solid metal as it has a multi-purpose feature as well, to be a cutter. This inspires a box concept as the card would be three dimensional with storage capability for later use by the customer. Personally the cutter idea would not be a successful design because it would only be able to cut non-edible items and generally they tend to be quite rigid and firm, due to hygiene reasons. It would be suitable for thin materials such as paper however there is very little control of how straight the cut would be.

These examples explore shape, in the first example uses text to create shape with it circular arrangement. The eye is drawn inwards with its radial quality that text arrangement creates which is also supported with the font size. Around the outside the font is largest and therefore the most important information; the business' name and what they do-Richard E. Smith, Photographer. As more details are added, the font size decreases allowing them to fit inside the circle made by previous text. Arranging the text in a circular formation may become an obstacle when trying to read it quickly. An interested customer does not want an intricate design otherwise they are more than likely to ignore the card and therefore the business as well. A business card is seen as a form of advertisement for the business and needs to draw positive attention to it.

The second example on the right hand side has arranged its text to mimic the shape of the card. This shape is only a segment of a circle, allowing the arrangement to portray a circular characteristic. This arrangement is more effective than the other as all the details on the card can be read from angle only-the viewer doesn't need to rotate the card in any way. Once again these do not meet the three dimensional specification of the brief however it is the shape which can be applied to concepts.

A three dimensional influence is beginning to appear in this concept design as lettering has been raised above the flat, rectangular surface. By raising the specific words it allows them to stand out more than others, creating a sense of dominance for them. Therefore the most important details should be raised such as the business' name or their specialities. The majority of the card has been produced with a translucent material allowing the opaque, raised text to stand out further to the viewer. This material also adds to the three dimensional appearance as it sits above the surface rather than sitting flush like the previous designs.

This is another dental clinic's business card which is fails to fit the three dimensional aspect of the brief however it has sill managed to present the correct ideas. the main feature of this design in the indentation of a bite mark. Biting is an action relevant to the dentist because it refers to the mouth/jaw movement and it is through eating in which can protect and damage our teeth. The backing colour, white, it very stereotypical of business card however it is a suitable choice for a dentistry, as it is their aim to give their clients clean, white teeth. White is also excellent for making shadow visible therefore this enables the bite mark to appear visible to the possible customer. If it was dark colour such as black or blue the imprint would not be visible because a shadow is dark as well and therefore canceling out the imprints effect and purpose.

A scrapbooking influence is apparent in this design with the teeth and dental floss featured at the bottom of the card. Very simple colouring has been applied; no shading is visible. A substitute for the green maybe a future improvement for the design as it does not compliment the idea or the business' aims. A dentist is known for its clean and pristine appearance however the green works against this as green can create a dirty appearance i.e. symbolic of the growth of bacteria. In addition a more complimentary colour could have been chosen for the green, such as a light blue, perhaps. This would still allow for a contrast with the skin colour along with the dark blue text.