Business Card Critique

[iasr]

Hey Guys.

I am working out a new design for my business cards.

I am going to have them silk screened by hand, so the ink will have a little bit of texture to it.

Thoughts?

[IAMTHEZTM]

I love the design. The simplicity is something I strive for. Question though, will they be intentionally cut on the right like you've got there? Interesting, but not quite my cup of tea. Like I said however, I love the design. Do you have any design tips you can share? I'm not sure what questions to ask, really.

[iasr]

Thanks.

Yeah, I want the logo to push the boundaries of the cut.

No real tips for you: When you feel compelled to center an object, try something else. It will take a bit longer, but try and make an interesting shape with negative space.

That's about all I got for yas.

[rapxic]

think ya can do a hell lot better than this, the star with the arrows don't say anything related to your business.

revisit your concepts man, get your customers/clients excited

[Arhaeus]

That cut from the right it looks too much like something is missing.

[millz]

I do hope you other people replying all realise that is 2 seperate images of the front and back? not just one image with a corner cut out.

Anyway, map out your entire brand before you even bother with a card, do some mood boarding with words shapes and colours and workout what you really are about, because people are going to look at this and make assumptions on what kind of work you do. You then need to think of how this brand is going to be applied across all of your self promoting work (resume, website, card, portfolio).

Also ask yourself if you really need a brandmark other than you name? i would suggest just finding a font the best represents your work and your personality and just using that and your name as your brand, with minmal adjustments to the font to make it unique to your brand.

My impression from your current card is that you favour a bold and simple style, but at the same time it also gives of an air of dullness and rigidity, which is not a good thing. You can keep the bold and simple meaning without going to over the top by making changes to the colours or editing the font to ad something a bit quirky but still tastefull to the text for example - pulling out a letter or word with a colour or dropping the 'cross bar' from the A in shawn.

[billakong]

I'm not liking the logo much, for purpose reasons more than execution.. but if you want to stick with the star and arrows, you should definitely make the arrows shorter and thicker.. but keep in mind, it's not a logo that says "I'm a designer". It looks more like a logo for a faction, or race in a video game/ movie.. or a team of some sorts (sports, video games, etc). So not ripping on it, it could definitely (with some minor adjustments) be used for something else.

Also, the "I DESIGN WEBSITES AND OTHER THINGS"..

I think you are trying to be comical and down to earth. Maybe not, but, it's just a very casual answer to the question "What does Shawn Rice do?". Now the clients next question is "Wtf is other things? Wooden statues?". I think for a business card, it should be a little more professional, and a little more creative (especially for a designer).

The layout is good. Simple and easy to read.

Hope this helps!

[PaleBluePixel]

I think that a symmetrical logo demands being centered. however, you could split it in two in the middle and only show half.

[TarryNot]

I think that a symmetrical logo demands being centered. however, you could split it in two in the middle and only show half.

I agree with this. That being said, I like the clean lines and simplicity. Those two things are not always found in a business card.

[SuperDashRendar]

I think the cards a bit bland. They don't stick out. Imagine if I saw this card on top of a pill of 50 other cards from people I met at a network mixer - how will this make me remember who you are?

[hala]

You need to track out the body copy on the back. The words are running into each other. It needs to be consistent as well. The kerning between "and other" is way smaller than "other things". The leading could also open up a bit.

These seem like minor things, but it is expected of a designer. So if you do not display these skills on your card, someone might question your validity.

[FastidiousFilly]

Why that shape for the card other than it's different?

I think the alignment is what is bothering me the most, the spacing from the edges is all different and it looks like something things are right aligned, some seem center justified, they just seem a little conflicting.

[MelanieT]

I actually think the “makes websites and other things” kind of gives it a little personality. However I’m not too big on the logo. It just doesn’t feel exciting and the cut off doesn’t feel like it was done on purpose, but like you made a mistake and didn’t measure right.

[bytheoak]

Some people are commenting on the shape of the card..but those are two separate files, front and back. If you select them you can see this. I don't mind the card but it's a little plain for my taste, I think it would be more interesting if it had some colour.

[Mudohori]

think ya can do a hell lot better than this, the star with the arrows don't say anything related to your business.

revisit your concepts man, get your customers/clients excited

I agree. Personal 2cents worth, its boring, all the fonts are yelling look at me all at once. I usually do my info in a finer type. Gives audience more time to asorb info and also ggives it a mysterious feeling , hence " im creative, yet serious about my work"
keeps em attracted to the design

[sazcha7]

What drew me to your card was the "Makes websites and other things." It has character.
Other than that, it doesn't say a whole lot. Hit up your visual diary and do some more concepts, I think you can do better.

The kerning and tracking is inconsistent - you will get pulled up by other graphic designers/mac operators for mistakes like this.

[grenogs]

Personally i would add some colour. Your a visual artist, so colour is a big part of you job description, so use it to your advantage. I like the idea of playing with texture, but you don't use actual texture in your work, so i think its a selling technique thats better suited for someone advertising themselves as a fine artist, or some other profession that deals with actual real life textures and not digital textures. I guess it also all depends on what type of websites you plan to build, basicly your business card should represent what your actually offering. So do you offer something that says"hmmm...., thats nice, but can i afford it" or do you offer something that says "WOW!! Thats amazing, I want that NOW, and i don't care how much it's going to cost me"