The Business of Business Cards

It just seemed the right time to have a business card. Yes, I’ve had them before, when I was working for “The Man”. Now, is different.

Now, I was able to design my own and leave the corporate image as a distant memory of the past.

What I had to learn, was the art and technique of putting together a, 85mm X 55mm piece of thin cardboard. But, thanks again to Uncle and Auntie Google, I was able to learn the do’s and don’ts.

Some of the helpful hints from the professionals were common sense, however there were a few points that I hadn’t thought of.

My education on business card continued with etiquette. And, to top it off I leant the street talk side of it…you know – throw away all the rules and get out there! Talking to the real-deal men and women from different cultures. It seemed that the only real rule to remember was, that there are no rules!

However, before I was to have my very own piece of cardboard there were decisions to be made…

Colour – There is no denying that I am a pink person, so there was very little debate on the background colour.

Text – Less is more seemed to be the best way to go. More flexible!

Logo – Hmmm! Did I need one as a writer? No, I’m not selling a product or service as such. Sure, selling some books would validate the hours spent in research, writing and formatting, but, at the end of the day I write because I love it.

But, hey, I’m into warm fuzzies, so I went on the search to find, not a logo, but a picture/image that would express who I am.

If you have been following my blog, you’ll know that my life doesn’t stray too far from visual art. Overall, I love all art, but there is no getting away from the fact, that anything earlier than early 19^th Century is where you’ll find me.

I knew that I was after a painting that expressed writing. Clearly, it needed to be a woman and It had to have colours, and styling of a by-gone era. It had to look friendly but serious. It needed to be edgy, but I didn’t know what that meant.

What I did know was – when I saw it, I would know it!

I jumped on line and searched through public domain to see what was up for grabs (an avenue not suggested by the professionals and an avenue I didn’t use for my side-business, business card – more on that for another blog!)

I downloaded quite a few paintings of women writing. The thing was, however, that most of them looked as if they were writing a letter or poem and I wanted more serious effort displayed.