throwing myself to the sharks: business card critique

[katia]

i've dished out some critiques lately, and it's a lot easier to do than to take, but here is the card i've been working on:

please do tear it to shreds! there are going to be about 20 different cards with different images, so don't mind the photos. this was just to get an idea of the layout.

what do you think of the:

font?
legibility?
contact information?

[commongrackle]

This is just my opinion, so with that in mind...

What type of business are you trying to drum up with your cards? Portraits? I would go with either a simple card, or use some samples of your portraiture. Second, I don't like the font of the contact info. I think you need something more streamlined, as your website has a very streamlined feel and this would help in creating a cohesive look for your business. I would do Katia Grondin Photography both on your cards and your site in the same logo, or same font. KWIM?

[CurlyCorry]

I personally like the first one out of the two. I agree with commongrackle, don't like the font you've chosen, seems too chunky or something.

[katia]

thanks guys for the comments. as for changing the font on my website, i would LOVE to, but it's a free template w/ Wordpress, and i have absolutely no idea how the website is far from done, that's just the "Photoblog" section of it for now.

the reason i'm making these cards is because i've been asked to do a display in one of my local Starbucks.' it was a bit of a surprise and i don't have a lot of time to plan. i thought about just turning it down but thought "aw hell, it might end up going well!"

i don't think i will use any portraits on the cards, as the only portraits i have done have been for a very specific purpose (advertising hair/nails/makeup) and i've really only done that 1 portrait shoot.

basically the message i'm trying to convey is "i have a camera and i like to take photos. contact me."

i don't really have a portrait portfolio, so this is my opportunity to build it up. i've recruited a couple people (some with kids, perhaps even a newborn) to use as guinea pigs in the next little while. i'm just waiting, hoping, and preying that this ridiculas monsoon weather subsides soon so i can get out and shoot. my living room would actually be a great place for a natural light "studio" but unfortunately our building is having exterior construction done to it, so is covered in tarps. BLAST!

thanks for your input, i'll play around with the fonts a bit more.

[refreshinglyblue]

It looks like you used Trajan Pro as your font -- which is a lovely choice, I think. The problem seems to be that you have no anti-aliasing; make sure it's set to "smooth" and it'll help clean up the text. Also, stroking text tends to make it a bit choppier.

[katia]

i've seen that term "anti-aliasing" somewhere in PS...now just where is it? lol.

i got some proofs of the card design printed and the text actually looks a lot better than i expected it to, but it is slightly blocky. nothing crazy, though.

how do i get the text to outline (stroke) without actually stroking it? i really like the look of it, but do you suggest just dropping the outline and going with filled text? when it was filled it looked a little heavy, like it was calling all the attention to my name.

and how on EARTH did you know the name of that font? i had never seen it before, that's part of why i chose it. that, and the uppercase letters make for a much more symmetrical card. when i had the text in lowercase the "Katia" had no "dangler letters" whereas on the right hand side "Photography" has 3 "dangler letters" that made the right side look overly crowded and not lined up correctly.

[katia]

here is the anti-aliased version; i tried out "Smooth" and it does indeed look better, so thanks for that!

[commongrackle]

Katia,

While it is a good idea to make 'Katia Grodin Photography' stand out from the rest of the info on the card, I don't think both styles of the font are working in a complementary fashion. It wouldn't be bad sticking with what you've got 'Katia...' in, but then go for a streamlined font for the rest of your info. Now that I know that your goal is just general photography, I like the idea of using these images as mini samples of your work.

As far as WordPress, I am not 100% certain, but I do believe you can create a custom header for your blog, and incorporate your matching font!

Good luck in your photographic ventures!

P.S. - the photos of the snakes freak me out! LOL