Business card? What do you think

Clinton Nobles · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Mar 2008 Posts: 197

Okay, it is 2am I got home from my second job at 1am. So I will post proper thank yous and comments tomorrow. However I will say I am now the proud owner of clintonnobles.com!!! Whoo Hooo!!! Thanks to all!!!

Colin Campbell · Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008, 15:02 (GMT) Post subject:

Sid... it looks like you "left Dodge." Hat and boots but no Sid!

I use lonex.com for my domain and hosting all for about $50 a year and have had very good luck with them. Customer service has been superb. Lots of tools and templates as well.

Scott Pollak · Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008, 16:11 (GMT) Post subject:

Boy, hasn't this type of discussion been around the block more than a few times on these forums?

Clinton, you've gotten a ton of great advice that otherwise you would have had to pay an ad agency a pretty penny for. I'll re-emphasize:

- Clean and simple is always best. And more professional.
- Get your own domain TODAY. GoDaddy is great. They're very affordable. My domains and websites are all registered and hosted thru them. By the way, go Google "professional narration" and you'll see my site come up on page 1 of Google. Another advantage to having your own website with well-placed metatags
- PLEASE ditch the mike!!! What first impression will your card say about what makes YOU different from the eight zillion other voices out there? Why do you think I chose this image for my card?

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

Clinton ~ CONGRATULATIONS!!!! How great that you got your domain!

(Scott if you look back a couple of posts he already got it!)

I'm really happy for you and I remember the day I got mine. It's like the start of a whole new era...

Best of luck in your new venture!

James the black cards I have are printed on white card stock so I'm assuming the glossy black on the front is an ink overlay.... I get mine done at Edisc, www.edisc.com and they are fast, professional, and have an outstanding graphic artist on staff that's great if you want help designing them.

xox
Max

Clinton Nobles · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Mar 2008 Posts: 197

newest card ideas:

Scott Pollak · Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008, 22:14 (GMT) Post subject:

Now, how will all that small type look when shrunk down to actual business card size?

James Lorenz · **Voice Talent** Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 254

Honestly if you're going to go with some random clipart, I'd rather use a microphone over the ones you have now. The others really don't say anything about you at all.
And the layout just looks too homemade. You should google "business card templates" or go to microsoft.com and check out some of their free templates. You can import them into Office and modify the text and graphics. At least you'll be starting from a professional looking card layout.

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

Hi Clinton ~

I think now you've just got too much information on your card ideas and the clip art, or....I'm not quite sure what it's called but the illustrations don't make any sense with your voice over career. The first one with the spot light doesn't even indicate what you do. (Voice-overs.) You're trying to create a branding image or logo in a rush and it shows. It's much better to not use ANYTHING until you get that part properly figured out. It can even take some time for your branding image to evolve over time as you perfect your demo, find your niche, and gain more experience.

And again, no microphones! The only microphone that I think is outstanding and looks fabulous belongs to Michael Rhys. www.michaelrhys.com But using a generic picture of a mic is overused.

My suggestions are:

1.) In my first long post about this I included the website link to Microsoft Office's business card template page. They have lots of great professional templates to choose from - nice, clean and professional.

Here it is again: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/results.aspx?qu=business+cards&av=TPL000

2.) The font is way too small so perhaps if you remove some of the unnecessary information, (post office box and address), remove the giant clip-art pictures and just focus on the message you're trying to tell, you can increase the size of the font a bit. If someone wants to mail you something, they can email you for your address. To me it seems superfluous on a v/o biz card.

3.) Can you also create an email that is "clinton@clintonnobles.com?"

4.) Try not to over-think the graphics, and feel free not to use any.
Just your name, voice-over, maybe a few descriptive tag words, phone number and website/email.

The ones you've posted here are getting awfully busy....

Max

James Lorenz · **Voice Talent** Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 254

Thanks for the info on the cards Maxine and sorry I didn't notice your advice on the Microsoft templates.
Definately the way to go Clinton. Some great advice from Maxine. Too cluttered. Keep it simple.

Craig Koepke · **Voice Talent** Joined: 31 Dec 2006 Posts: 422

Some very good advice given. Here is the front and back of my business card.

Very simple on both sides but catches the eye. The front is a glossy print. They look sharp and most always people ask for more than one.

A good imaging company such as American Color Graphics in Cedar Falls, Iowa does these at a reasonable rate. Of course the more you order the cheaper. BTW this company does business in all 50 states and have won numerous awards in their particular industry.

Keep promoting and branding yourself, it does pay off.

Clinton Nobles · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Mar 2008 Posts: 197

Maxine -- I see what you mean with the templates and they do look good. I looked through them and might use one or two. I agree with the clip art too. I wanted some color, but to be honest, I like a really clean card.

Craig -- I really like your cards. Very unique. I hadn't thought of two sided really. I guess because right now I am printing them myself. I took a few of your (as well as all of your) ideas and came up with this. Moving in the right direction?

Lee Gordon · **Voice Talent** Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 1549

In my opinion, if you start with the first card in that cluster of three (the one with the searchlight graphic) and either replace the graphic with something more germaine to voice overs, or lose the graphic entirely, and then taking Maxine's suggestion about bumping up the font size and losing the unnecessary stuff, add the phone number (sans "Phone:") and e-mail address as you have it in the latest example, you'll be on the right track. I think you might want to bring back your mailing address, even if it means a slight reduction in type size for those elements.
And that oil derrick/radio tower graphic isn't doing it for me.

Diane Havens · **Voice Talent** Joined: 09 Jun 2006 Posts: 1281

Clinton --

You have to figure out who you are (voice-wise) -- make your graphic say that. You have your own distinctive style -- it's very southern. Start there. Let them know what they're getting when they get YOU.

Have fun with it -- and be YOURSELF.

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

Hi Clinton ~

Great advice from Lee, however I will say I cannot remember a client EVER mailing me anything to my mailing address. (By snail mail.)

Other than checks and 1099's after I've worked for them, or DVD's of my finished work, etc., but then my mailing address was on the invoices I sent them.

I just don't see why you need a mailing address on biz cards. It takes up space that could be better used to make your name or website or Voice-Overs more bold and noticable.

I think that's one of the reasons Craig's card is so hot. Clean, bold, simple, to-the-point, without any unnecessary information.

(Don't you just love getting advice from multiple people? It's enough to make a guy's head spin!) I agree with Lee, the radio tower doesn't work for me, and there's so much more to voice-overs than radio. Perhaps try a card without any gimmicks or graphics - just bold clear type and see how that looks?

xox

Scott Pollak · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008, 19:50 (GMT) Post subject:

Well, I tried to stay out of this again because, by golly, we HAVE been around this block so many times here before.

But ALL of this info is important. Everyone is offering some good insight. So here's mine, much of which echoes all the stuff you've heard/read already:

1. FIRST: establish your voice identity. What makes your voice UNIQUE?! For Sid it's his cowboy drawl, for me it's that warm fuzzy crap, and so on. What makes CLINTON NOBLE'S VOICE different from everyone elses?

2. Use that to drive your imaging. NOT a generic microphone. Not a guy being shot from a cannon (unless that's what your voice sounds like). Not an oil-derrick/broadcast tower.

3. Work with a graphic design pro. Otherwise you won't look like a pro. All of the designs you've posted look very amateurish. Unless you're a professional graphic artist (I don't think you are), don't try to design your visual imaging any more than a graphic artist should try to voice their own commercial.

4. KEEP IT SIMPLE!!! No need to say "phone". They'll figure out the number is the phone number. No need to say "e-mail". They'll figure that out, too. No need for a physical address. They can get that from your website.

5. Once you've done all that, overnightprints.com is great. Cheap and good quality.

But seriously, Clinton... don't design it yourself. It won't reflect well on your voiceover skills.