Discussing Business Cards

Okay peeps - business cards have been tricky for me since I first made some on my computer over a year and a half ago. I've struggled with finding what it is that represents me and my shops. My first cards were easy. I picked my favorite font on my computer (Sybil Green - still love it), went with a nice black and teal color scape and added the basics: Shop name, my name, web address, email address, and phone number.

I was so proud of them but man, they were homemade as it got. They had rough edges because they were the tear apart kind, they curled when humidity was present, the ink would bleed if they got wet (you have to be prepared for all kinds of weather when doing outdoor shows) and eventually, I thought they looked amateur. They were... there was no getting around that. However, they did start me on a path of trying to keep some things consistent when marketing my shop. I kept the teal color that I had featured on those cards to use on my gift bags I took to shows, ink pads for Idyllhands stamps, etc. I even used the font for my Idyll Hands rubber stamp - had I branded myself? :)

My next batch of cards came from Moo - I got some of the mini cards. I was very pleased with these. The pictures were good, the card stock was strong, and they were a bit smaller than the rest of the cards out there and this made them unique. One problem - they are pricey. I still use Moo mini cards for tags and such on my jewelry for shows and also on my yarn, but I don't hand them out like I used to - I just can't afford it. I also tried a large amount of cards from Zazzle in the style of Moo mini cards, but regular size. They had pictures on the front and info and a small picture on the back. I couldn't do 100 different pictures like I can with Moo, but no matter, these looked good. However, they are also a bit pricey.

I've been lucky enough to have enough of the batch from Zazzle to carry me through until now. I'm running out and honestly, want something that looks different and is very eye catching. I also want something that will double as tags when needed for yarn and jewelry. I've decided to try to design my own cards in Photoshop this time. No more relying on templates from Zazzle, time to get serious (or as serious as I can be). I've come up with some designs for Woolyhands (one is posted above). They are simple, colorful, and will look great either as a card or as a tag. I'll put minimal information about where they can buy things and how they can email me but that is it. The extra room on the cards will allow me to write prices, info about the product, etc in the case that they are tags.

What are some of your ideas for the perfect business card? Have you seen some you loved? Have any made for you that suit you perfectly? Also, what do you thin is important to have on a business card? Do you try to match your cards to the "look" of your shop? Share - I'd love to hear your ideas on this topic.