# After some thought: Business Cards



## DGMPhotography (Sep 7, 2012)

Okay, after talking to my friend who is studying graphic design, and a graduated business major who offered great advice, this is the current design for my business card. My graphic designer friend is going to do some stuff himself this weekend, but this is what I've come up with. The logo is a rough design, so don't complain about the jaggedness of the 7 within it. Also, please do not post irrelevant comments such as "get better at photography before making cards." I already know this, just don't comment if you can't say anything nice at all. Also, I know nothing about it says "photography," or maybe even "design," but I'm still working on it. For those who saw my last card, IN COMPARISON, what do you think?

Thanks


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## 412 Burgh (Sep 7, 2012)

black and white...? too boring for my opinion. I'm a graphic designer student (sophomore) just getting into some classes (took all gen eds first year) and this is without any classes. Just a little idea what color does.


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## KmH (Sep 7, 2012)

I always left the back of my cards blank, and not coated, so I could write on them.

That is a much better looking card. But, IMO the logo doesn't work.

The reason for the 7 is not apparent, and is kind of a discordant element.

Mine used 101, but that was my studio's street number, so it had relevance.


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## Designer (Sep 7, 2012)

I agree with Kieth's comments.  The back could have a form with blanks for date, time, location, etc. of your appointment with the client.

I didnt' think there was a whole lot wrong with your first design.

The face of the card I find that the horizontal line is distracting.  Probably too bold, and maybe you don't need a line there anyway.

I also wonder about the "7".  To begin with, it doesn't really stand out as the numeral 7 anyway, unless someone expends some time in trying to decipher it.  Are you going to explain it to each and every prospect to whom you have handed your card?  I wouldn't want to do that. since I'm on the subject of the logo, I see the "D", but not the G or M.  Also, the positive space (black in this case) stands our far more prominently than the negative space "7".  

And I have to agree that the one-color (black) is boring.  Now if your style of photography is rather traditional, then the B&W card fits with that style.  412 Burgh's card design is very good, but I wouldn't expect his art to be very traditional.


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## orljustin (Sep 7, 2012)

DGMPhotography said:


> just don't comment if you can't say anything nice at all.



It's a nice rectangular shape?

It's better, but it looks like you have 4 distinct areas on the card with nothing to tie them together.  I don't know where to look.

Business cards weren't invented yesterday.  I'm sure there's some sites out there with good tips and examples.


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## Jaemie (Sep 7, 2012)

^^  What they said. 

Also, I'm getting more Pac-Man than "7" from your logo. And what does the "7" mean, anyway? Was DGM6 already taken? It just doesn't seem to relate to photography or anything else.


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## tirediron (Sep 7, 2012)

As stated, MUCH improved; I would contract "Virginia" to its USPS approved abbreviation (VA?) and consider using a term such as "Photographic and Graphic Design Services" rather than enumerating all the individual aspects.


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## DGMPhotography (Sep 7, 2012)

Thanks for the comments, friends. Maybe I could put a quote on the card of what the 7 stands for? And yeah, I don't like B&W much either :/


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## tirediron (Sep 7, 2012)

DGMPhotography said:


> ...Maybe I could put a quote on the card of what the 7 stands for?


If you need to explain it, don't!


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## Jaemie (Sep 7, 2012)

tirediron said:


> DGMPhotography said:
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> > ...Maybe I could put a quote on the card of what the 7 stands for?
> ...



I agree. It should be either obvious and germane, or not included.


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## Tamgerine (Sep 7, 2012)

DGMPhotography said:


> Thanks for the comments, friends. Maybe I could put a quote on the card of what the 7 stands for? And yeah, I don't like B&W much either :/



Imagine saying this to someone in real life. "Hi I'm DGM7 photography, the 7 stands for..." Say it out loud. It sounds awkward, doesn't it? One rule I always follow is to not write anything you wouldn't literally say to someone face to face. 

It's the same with a website biography. I wouldn't go up to someone to introduce myself and say in third person, "Tammy was born with a camera in her hand and has a unique eye for the beautiful and artistic in every day things." It sounds dumb. So I'm definitely not going to put it on my website or promotional materials. 

Unless the 7 stands for something amazingly clever, either let it speak for itself or remove it. Try...

"Hi, I'm DGM7 photography, the 7 stands for 700 free dollars for you!" And then throw money at them. I'd hire you.


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## Derrel (Sep 7, 2012)

Not sure why your name and city are so SMALL on the card front...

This card design just does not make much sense....DGM7...Dee-Gee-Em-Seven Photography....what does the seven stand for?


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## Majeed Badizadegan (Sep 7, 2012)

Ditch the 7


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## Jaemie (Sep 7, 2012)

Here:


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## 412 Burgh (Sep 7, 2012)

Jaemie said:


> Here:


Quality input! :thumbup:


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## DGMPhotography (Sep 7, 2012)

Ha, thanks for the idea Jaemie. As I've said before, the "7" is a Christian thing.


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## DGMPhotography (Sep 7, 2012)

I can concede the 7 though if you think it's really necessary. If I purchase a domain name I can reroute so I can still manage my email through Gmail, which is good cause Gmail has the best interface. But what do you think would be a good domain name? DGMPhotographyAndDesign.com just sounds too long to me, and DaryllMorgan.com just doesn't sound like it's saying anything, but what do I know? What are your recommendations?


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## Jaemie (Sep 7, 2012)

DGMPhotography said:


> Ha, thanks for the idea Jaemie. As I've said before, the "7" is a Christian thing. It is thanks to my creator breathing life into me that I am even able to offer photographic or design services, regardless of the quality.



With an exception in the case of specifically religious services, I don't see the point of including religious symbolism in a business and/or in its marketing materials. What purpose does it serve to advertise your religion? Does it attract certain customers, and maybe turn away others? Why stop at religion and not also include your political ideology on your cards? Ooohh, this is a slippery slope.


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## Jaemie (Sep 7, 2012)

DGMPhotography said:


> I can concede the 7 though if you think it's really necessary. If I purchase a domain name I can reroute so I can still manage my email through Gmail, which is good cause Gmail has the best interface. But what do you think would be a good domain name? DGMPhotographyAndDesign.com just sounds too long to me, and DaryllMorgan.com just doesn't sound like it's saying anything, but what do I know? What are your recommendations?



*dmorganphoto.com*  It's even available, I believe.


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## Tee (Sep 7, 2012)

Ask yourself this- if a perspective client lost your business card, what is the easiest way for them to find your website in a google search? 

Let's start poking at the proverbial box and start getting outside of it, ok?  If you are into photography and design and want to combine both talents, what would be a more broader term?  Creative designs?  This is where having a real website, keywords, metadata, and SEO tools come into play if you want to be found on the www.  Are you a graphic designer first and photographer second or vice versa?  Do a google search for how YOU want to be branded.  I just searched "photographer graphic design richmond va" then I searched "photographer richmond va" and I got different results catering to different clientele (for the photographer only search a Facebook link didn't show up until the 4th page, however, for the graphic design Facebook links appeared on the first page).  This is where keywords and metadata play a big role.

-DaryllMorganPhotographics
-DaryllMorganImagery
-DaryllMorganPhotoDesign
(the above examples to get your creative juices flowing)

I actually like DaryllMorgan.com.  Keywords and metadata will list your photography and design background.  K.I.S.S.


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## SamSpade1941 (Sep 7, 2012)

Jaemie said:


> DGMPhotography said:
> 
> 
> > Ha, thanks for the idea Jaemie. As I've said before, the "7" is a Christian thing. It is thanks to my creator breathing life into me that I am even able to offer photographic or design services, regardless of the quality.
> ...






Actually on this one Jaemie I would disagree , primarily because people do not have to know it has to have anything at all to do with Christianity at all.

I would point you to what one of the greatest entrepreneurs and businessmen of any time said concerning business names and product names. 




> A trademark should be short, vigorous, incapable of being misspelled. It must mean nothing. If the name has no dictionary definition, it must be associated only with your product. - George Eastman




It has meaning to him that is all that matters. Before you ask, you were ignorant of its meaning, and for all you knew it was devoid of meaning. It very well could have meant as much as KODAK does. Kodak meant George Eastman liked the letter K thats it. It sounded good to him. DGM7 sounds catchy and unusual. It is not the the same as every other photography concern. I would most likely be less inclined to forget it as quickly as  others and that is important when it comes to advertising and marketing.

JMTC and YMMV


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## PhotoWrangler (Sep 7, 2012)

Just out of curiosity... what are you designing? As in 'design services'?


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## DGMPhotography (Sep 8, 2012)

SamSpade1941 said:


> Jaemie said:
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> > DGMPhotography said:
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Thank you so much, I was going to say basically the same thing


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## texkam (Sep 8, 2012)

I'll hold out hope that your design student friend will take your concept and somehow work a miracle. Please show us what HE comes up with, for this one has several problems.


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## DGMPhotography (Sep 8, 2012)

ChristopherCoy said:


> Just out of curiosity... what are you designing? As in 'design services'?



Well I like a broad spectrum, so maybe I should even make two different cards; But anything from photo editing (which isn't exactly design) to logo/ad design, which, ahem, I may need to work on a little, but I've definitely been learning a lot in this and my other card thread so thanks guys!


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## texkam (Sep 8, 2012)

Let me put this as respectfully as possible; you're not very good at either. There, I said it. Somebody needs to give you a healthy dose of honesty so you don't crash and burn. Perhaps you will grow and improve, but until then, you are going to have a very hard time making a living in these fields. My comments are meant to help you come to grips with what lies ahead. Good luck to you. I hope you find your niche.


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## PhotoWrangler (Sep 8, 2012)

DGMPhotography said:


> Well I like a broad spectrum, so maybe I should even make two different cards; But anything from photo editing (which isn't exactly design) to logo/ad design, which, ahem, I may need to work on a little, but I've definitely been learning a lot in this and my other card thread so thanks guys!




So exactly how are you planning to sell a logo design service when you're still learning a lot about it, and your friend had to design your own logo?


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## ryanwaff (Sep 8, 2012)

SamSpade1941 said:


> Jaemie said:
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> > DGMPhotography said:
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I agree completely! 

One thing that is also worth noting, when you think of some of the most successful brands in the world, like Virgin, Coca-Cola (coke), Apple, Forbes, Facebook, Adobe, Nikon, Cannon there are hundreds to choose from. But for the purpose of this example I will use these.
One thing that all of these brand names have in common, is that they have names with few syllables. vir-gin (2), coke (1), ap-ple (2), for-bes (2), face-book (2) , a-do-be (3), ni-kon (2), can-non (2). you get the point  Most of the worlds most successful brands utilise worlds with few syllables. This makes them very easy to remember. The longest syllabic brand name here is Coca-cola with four, but even then they have a shortened version 'coke' of one syllable.
 Now when you look at yours: D-G-M-7 Pho-tog-ra-phy thats 8 syallables! which becomes quite a mouthful to say! let alone remember. 

So perhaps omitting the 'photography' part all together will already make it much easier to say and remember... however DMG7 doesn't exactly role off the tongue, but it is different so that may give you a slight edge. But i would definitely advise losing the 'photography' part, it has become to generic nowadays and often says 'I'm a start-up photographer, not quite sure what im doing' whereas DGM7 is unique, it is definitely worth keeping. 

Also I've seen some people enquiring as to what the 7 stood for and telling you to omit it if it held no meaning to the company. The same thing happened to me when I was doing my final project for design in my matric year, I created a company called BnE which stood for nothing and the teachers told me that I must find something for it to stand for / mean or the moderators (we are externally moderated) will fail me. Turns out they loved my different approach it was a new dimension. This may not be true all the time, but I would reccomend you stick with the DMG7 it's original. And at times when you feel like explaining it to a client, do so. If not simply quote Geroge Eastman and say it sounded good to you!  

Just my 0.02 cents worth


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## AceCo55 (Sep 8, 2012)

My very meager input would be to think about leaving out the words "telephone" and "email".
These days, the format of both are pretty universally recognised ... so leaving them out would give a slightly "cleaner" look.


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## Bitter Jeweler (Sep 8, 2012)

Business cards for a Lemonade Stand. 

Neat!


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## DGMPhotography (Sep 8, 2012)

texkam said:


> Let me put this as respectfully as possible; you're not very good at either. There, I said it. Somebody needs to give you a healthy dose of honesty so you don't crash and burn. Perhaps you will grow and improve, but until then, you are going to have a very hard time making a living in these fields. My comments are meant to help you come to grips with what lies ahead. Good luck to you. I hope you find your niche.



I am not "good" because I do not devote all my time to it. I am better than the average Joe, however, I'll tell you that. But I do plan to improve, thanks for your opinion.


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## DGMPhotography (Sep 8, 2012)

ryanwaff said:


> SamSpade1941 said:
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> > Jaemie said:
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Thanks!!! I really appreciate your input!


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## DGMPhotography (Sep 8, 2012)

ChristopherCoy said:


> DGMPhotography said:
> 
> 
> > Well I like a broad spectrum, so maybe I should even make two different cards; But anything from photo editing (which isn't exactly design) to logo/ad design, which, ahem, I may need to work on a little, but I've definitely been learning a lot in this and my other card thread so thanks guys!
> ...



I'm not going to answer your comment, besides saying that he did NOT design my logo. The current one is my design. Other than that, your comment does not adhere to my guidelines. Thanks anyways.


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## DGMPhotography (Sep 8, 2012)

AceCo55 said:


> My very meager input would be to think about leaving out the words "telephone" and "email".
> These days, the format of both are pretty universally recognised ... so leaving them out would give a slightly "cleaner" look.



Are you a graduated business major working for the government managing the east coast? If so, then ignore me, but if not, then I'm sorry, I'm going to take my friend's advice who is such a person, who told me to add those things in the first place.


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## SCraig (Sep 8, 2012)

DGMPhotography said:


> I'm not going to answer your comment, besides saying that he did NOT design my logo. The current one is my design. Other than that, your comment does not adhere to my guidelines. Thanks anyways.



Your guidelines??  Do you honestly think you can impose guidelines on who can and cannot respond to your post?


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## Majeed Badizadegan (Sep 8, 2012)

DGMPhotography said:


> AceCo55 said:
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> > My very meager input would be to think about leaving out the words "telephone" and "email".
> ...



DGM, he's offering solid advice to help clean up your card. I don't understand the snarkiness?   No one wants to help someone who's rude or acts arrogant.  I think you're comment is a result of some blunt comments (which hold some truth, which you _should _listen to), and now you're misdirecting your retaliation to someone trying to help you.


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## cgipson1 (Sep 8, 2012)

SCraig said:


> DGMPhotography said:
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> > I'm not going to answer your comment, besides saying that he did NOT design my logo. The current one is my design. Other than that, your comment does not adhere to my guidelines. Thanks anyways.
> ...



Massive Arrogance / Ego!  This is based on the OP's first couple of posts  Doesn't seem to walk the walk though... although I am sure he is trying! Not bashing.. just pointing a major incongruency, that has been very apparent in every thread he has opened!)


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## starzgem (Sep 8, 2012)

DGMPhotography said:


> AceCo55 said:
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> 
> > My very meager input would be to think about leaving out the words "telephone" and "email".
> ...


I'm a bit confused, is your friend a business major or a graphic design major? I am neither, but as a consumer, if I see a business card, I don't need to be told which is the phone number and which is the email. As someone said earlier  follow the K.I.S.S rule.


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## Jaemie (Sep 8, 2012)

DGMPhotography said:


> ...your comment does not adhere to my guidelines.



"Your" guidelines? 



DGMPhotography said:


> AceCo55 said:
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> > My very meager input would be to think about leaving out the words "telephone" and "email".
> ...



_Huhhhh???_  Whatchu putting in your hookah pipe, mister?


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## SCraig (Sep 8, 2012)

cgipson1 said:


> Massive Arrogance / Ego!


Agreed.  I'll stay out of the religious area, but the arrogance and ego are most assuredly there.  I absolutely guarantee you one thing though: If he chooses to follow a career in photography he's going to have an uphill battle with that attitude.  It's hard enough for the ones that are truly talented and are amenable to criticism.

Oh, and I posted this realizing that it will be ignored by the OP since it doesn't adhere to his guidelines, but that's OK since I think I'll add him to my ignore list anyway.  There are enough people around this forum asking for honest help to waste time with people that are going to argue with every response.


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## cgipson1 (Sep 8, 2012)

SCraig said:


> cgipson1 said:
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> 
> > Massive Arrogance / Ego!
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I already did.. but I keep peeking out of curiosity! lol! Entertaining to say the least!


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## KmH (Sep 8, 2012)

* No religious discussions or debates are allowed. Exceptions are only an objective explanation of a religious ceremony that may have been photographed during the course of a wedding shoot, or other photojournalistic event that may require some informative background.


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