Thread: Possible new business card *different pics on pg2*

So it's time (past time) to order new business cards and I want to using the new pictures I had taken this past fall. This is one idea I have (pics posted below).

It's very different than what I've been using the last 6mos. This is very colorful and eye-catching and no denying just from the pic alone that it's bellydance. I like the pic of me with Wings for the back, because it's a decent full body shot, but unsure how I feel about having the same costume on front and back - does it look fine or too much like "oh look she only has one cossie"? I wondered about the costume, too. It's not a modern lycra or designer set (which I don't wear anyway), but a middle of the road Turkish bedleh.

Constructive criticism?

I wouldn't think you had just one cossie! I think that's a neat idea, Ruya, and I've never seen it done before either. Go for it!

Thanks ..g.: I've not seen it done before either so I like that it's different. Scrutinized it from the "am I objectifying" and "is it sexual" points and because of the angle, how the veil falls and the fact the top is full coverage, *I* don't think it is.

I love the photos you chose!
I think it's a good idea.

BTW
Dayum!
Your eyes in the close up phote (next to a wood slat), are awasome!!!

Rough idea of what I'm thinking. Not necessarily with this font, I just put type on it to give a general idea of placement. Idk, too airy fairy, not enough oomph?What I had before this were solid black glossy cards with a picture on the front & picture on the back, but neither took up the whole card, maybe 1/3. Had a darker feel to it than this would. (scroll down, moved to thread below)

I wouldn't think you only had one costume, I wouldn't even have known it was the same costume if you hadn't said so, it's much more multi-colored up front.

I think the pics are gorgeous. I love the colors/lines of the both sides of the card, and the difference in feeling (while staying exotic and luxurious and feminine).

I wonder if a non-dancer might look at the front of the card and just see 'boobs?' I don't see that, and maybe no one would, but I wonder. Maybe cropping roughly the same area at a different angle would capture the same colors/lines/textures/elements in a more abstract way? OR maybe it's not something to worry about, I'm really not sure.

On my own cards, I sacrifice the visual in order to get more info on there. Where & when my classes are held, for instance. But that's personal preference.

I'm also wondering whether I'll have the backs printed next time. So often when I'm handing someone my card I want to write a note on the back and I can't, it's maddening!

[QUOTE=Lauren_;588732]I wouldn't think you only had one costume, I wouldn't even have known it was the same costume if you hadn't said so, it's much more multi-colored up front.

I think the pics are gorgeous. I love the colors/lines of the both sides of the card, and the difference in feeling (while staying exotic and luxurious and feminine).

I wonder if a non-dancer might look at the front of the card and just see 'boobs?' I don't see that, and maybe no one would, but I wonder. Maybe cropping roughly the same area at a different angle would capture the same colors/lines/textures/elements in a more abstract way? OR maybe it's not something to worry about, I'm really not sure.

On my own cards, I sacrifice the visual in order to get more info on there. Where & when my classes are held, for instance. But that's personal preference. "quote

Gorgeous!!
I wasn't going to comment on the "boob", cuz I thought it was just me being stupid. But I have to say I do agree with Lauren on possibility of focus...The pic is so beautiful & colorful, at first I couldn't tell what part of costume it was, then as I stared at it, I thought, oh it's her boob. Then I thought, I think I would use a part of the belt instead...That is just me.
The other part of me says it may not matter anyway, & it is an eyecatching & a beautiful card design.

double post

I like the front. I do not feel it is boob focused at all; it is very tasteful.

I think you should zoom in and crop the full body shot with the isis wings. I like the artsy-ness of that shot with the empty space, but you will be too small on a business card IMO.

Thanks for the feedback!

I did scrutinize the front and wondered if it said "boobs!" or seemed to objectify me and honestly I don't feel like it does. I think it helps the top is full coverage and there's no cleavage showing. If there were cleavage showing I wouldn't begin to use it as a close up...g.:


The pic for the back I do plan to zoom in, and put along the long edge in yet to be determined color the 3 areas I mainly work in and along the opposing edge "restaurants, nightclubs, events" like I have on my old cards.

Hmmmm....

Personally, I'd like to see a really striking headshot or 3/4 (waist-up) shot on the front of the card. It sucks the viewer right in, and it's better visual branding juju, IMO, when people can immediately tell that it's YOU and not a stock photo. And when people who haven't met you are looking at your card, they'll get a better sense for what you look like.

The only writing you really need on the front is Belly Dance With Ruya. Have you ever noticed that when you hand out a business card, people always flip to see if there's anything on the back? This is where you can put your contact info and anything about your classes.

You could always use this same "boobs" photo or some other variant on the back of the card. I'm also kind of on the fence about using a bra shot. Maybe a really tightly cropped shot of your torso or hip might convey the same cool textural elements, but be a safer bet for conservative audiences.

Again, no rules. But I'd save that killer shot of you with your wings for your website gallery. IMO, biz cards are more about who YOU are, in a quick little digestible visual snippet. Your website is where you can get a bit more artsy.

I have used a hip waist and bra band shot with the emphasis on the waist and hip area with no boobage at all. It conveys femininity (with little sexuality) and some of the costume color is left for the eye. It is a fact that the waist hip area is actually a more powerful attractant (to both sexes) than boobage.

Color-wise, it sure got my attention. It's incredibly beautiful. So I would at least stay with the idea of a lot of color.

Originally Posted by TexasRuya

Thanks for the feedback!

I did scrutinize the front and wondered if it said "boobs!" or seemed to objectify me and honestly I don't feel like it does. I think it helps the top is full coverage and there's no cleavage showing. If there were cleavage showing I wouldn't begin to use it as a close up...g.:

I really do agree, it didn't say boobs to me either, for those same reasons.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Hmmmm....

Personally, I'd like to see a really striking headshot or 3/4 (waist-up) shot on the front of the card. It sucks the viewer right in, and it's better visual branding juju, IMO, when people can immediately tell that it's YOU and not a stock photo. And when people who haven't met you are looking at your card, they'll get a better sense for what you look like.

Depends. I don't have a lot of direct competition in my area. I do better with marketing materials that scream "Bellydancer!" the 'Lauren' part is less important because there's nowhere else for them to go.

If/when market share becomes a bigger issue than building a market, that will change of course.

Really good point, Lauren. That needs to go in the small market thread too!

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Depends. I don't have a lot of direct competition in my area. I do better with marketing materials that scream "Bellydancer!" the 'Lauren' part is less important because there's nowhere else for them to go.

If/when market share becomes a bigger issue than building a market, that will change of course.

Duly noted! That's actually a really great point. There are a LOT of dancers in CT alone, plus a number of NYC, Mass, RI and NJ dancers who gig in Nutmeg Land. Maybe that's why I tend to strongly emphasize the individual.

If, on the other hand, the wasteland of suckage ever turns into an international hub of belly dance culture, you might want to find yourself a good headshot...

From someone who has made this mistake in the past, I do not recommend changing perspectives between the front and the back. As in, on side is portrait and one side is landscape. I did this once and I did not like the results and having to watch people flip the card around a couple of times to get it the right way. Either both sides landscape or both sides portrait.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Depends. I don't have a lot of direct competition in my area. I do better with marketing materials that scream "Bellydancer!" the 'Lauren' part is less important because there's nowhere else for them to go.

If/when market share becomes a bigger issue than building a market, that will change of course.

Holy cow, do you live in my town Lauren? ..l;, Exactly this. Prime example: Only one of my students actually knows it's 'Bellydance with Ruya', the rest didn't pay attention to the name, they just know they found a bellydance class and signed up. Like Lauren said though, if things changed then marketing/branding my individual name would be more at the forefront.

Im not keen to put class info on the card because I've already changed locations once and classes, dates, times, etc. could change up as well in the future, but I may have some made seperately with just general class info.

Originally Posted by TexasRuya

Im not keen to put class info on the card because I've already changed locations once and classes, dates, times, etc. could change up as well in the future, but I may have some made seperately with just general class info.

,r:; I understand. Been there, done that! And I know your text was just placeholder anyway -- but do consider adding a city/state at least. In case someone finds your card somewhere, they'll know whether you're local to them or not.

At one point I had 1000 cards printed with blank backs and then printed out labels with class info on them to hand out, a few hundred at a time.

Today, if there's a website with class info you're good to go as far as most of the population is concerned.

The color on the front is great - but I want to see YOU. To me it ends up looking as if you used a stock photo (like the jeweled orange hip belt one you see everywhere).

On the back of my card I have a subtle grayscale image in the background with layered black text on top. Along with contact info I have listed some of performance possibilities - restaurant shows, weddings, birthday parties, women's gatherings, etc. - so that the random non-bellydance-educated person will have a clue.

This discussion reminds me of a torso shot a friend took of me - I love it, but when I used it on a poster for a local hookah bar, the (Egyptian) manager said, "Why did you cut off your head?" I explained that the photographer had taken the photo that way, it was artful, wanted to be generic since there were several dancers there, etc. He ended up not using the poster. I was reminded that Arabs especially want to see your personality.

Waffling on the back a bit. I have few full body shots from this shoot, even fewer from the front and where you can see my face. Think I got used to thinking an all black card was more dramatic or packed more punch. I like this design but pondering how much oomph there is to it.

Or I could be overthinking it, I do that.

ETA: well, the alternative is I have some headshots, a few posed shots of me in a faux 'house' used for training purposes here on post that I could zoom in on for the back, or the full pic that the front is cropped from, which is really nice, I think

My audience here is 99.9% Western/American. I'm at Ft Hood, not a major (or even a large) city.

Originally Posted by kiyaana

I was reminded that Arabs especially want to see your personality.

Yes! I also find this to be true of 9 out of 10 Americans. We just don't always give the general public enough credit

Well, I do have another pic of me with the Wings but my facial expression is more attitude/haughty, lol.

I'll post a few other pics when I get home and see what thoughts are on those. I do like this front very much though, and right now will very likely be using it. I may make two sets of cards to use in different types of promoting/marketing, though, we'll see.

Actually I think the font is good - fantasy serif fonts often look unprofessional, compared with a very clear elegant sans sarif font (a "serif" is the tail on a letter - san serif fonts don't have them). I *love* the design of the front, but I agree that you might want to play around with other pictures for the back, something closer. Remember, it is a little card!

Great idea, overall.

My first gut reaction was surprised/shocked that it was a close up of a booby area :) Even if its done tastefully (which it totally is), Im still hesitant about the idea.
On the otherhand, the colours are vibrant and beautiful! If we could see some of your face/personality in the mix it might work better and you would get the same bright colourful feeling

okay, so on my monitor if I hold a card up next to these, they're roughly (a teensy bit smaller) about the size of an actual business card.

Front and back, both with just placeholder text to give an idea of layout.

(pics removed - thanks all for your input ..g.:)

Originally Posted by anala

I have used a hip waist and bra band shot with the emphasis on the waist and hip area with no boobage at all. It conveys femininity (with little sexuality) and some of the costume color is left for the eye. It is a fact that the waist hip area is actually a more powerful attractant (to both sexes) than boobage.

Anala, I like that idea. Ruya, you have a beautiful waist too.

To be honest, I don't like the front of the card.

You are right. This happened after I had workshops with Shareen el Safy, Orit (Israel), and Sahra Saeeda within a 6 month time period. All three talked about sharing your personality in your dancing and that Arabs love to see this (not necessarily excluding other cultural groups). So when the manager reacted that way, it made sense to me that the image without a head perhaps seemed lacking personality.

Back to your regularly scheduled thread . . .

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Yes! I also find this to be true of 9 out of 10 Americans. We just don't always give the general public enough credit

I appreciate everyone's input. I don't expect everyone to say Yes! I love it, use this forever starting right now! But those who like it say why (colors, composition, etc.). And I'm falling into the "liking it" camp for these reasons also - colors, textural contrast between veil & top, and I think it's just pretty in general. I don't see the picture as anything 'naughty', inappropriate, sexual or shocking.

That being said, the first time I saw a framed waist/hip picture on a card, I was a little surprised/slightly shocked that someone would put just a body part on a card. Loads of dancers do it, though. And honestly, I personally don't like the framed waist/hip pics mostly because to me (this is IMHO) it's overdone - and I'll admit there's also just something about it that bothers me in general I can't quite put my finger on.

So if you don't really care for the picture I posted to be used as a business card, please try to help me understand why you don't like it or what about it sits wrong with you, so I can think on it. Is it personal, like my own aversion to the framed hips pictures, or is it something else? ..g.: