Thread: Business Card Help :)

Hello Bhuzzers!

I worked on a few different ideas for business cards today and would love to hear your feedback. I'm mostly trying to figure out which photos I should have edited and purchase as high-res for my business cards. Font style, colour and placement will be refined once I've selected the final images. So what do you think? I went in a completely different direction than I thought I would... but I think I'm happy. What do you think? Which ones are your favorite? And do you have a general preference between a horizontal vs. a vertical business card?

Thank you!!!

Check out post 37 for the latest version... 4 months later!!!!

Ya know... I really like the front of the first card. As for the back, I'm torn... I really like the horizontal of the nude costume with the candles.

Sorry if that wasn't much help...

Wow, pretty!

I like no 2 and no 4 the best. No 2 because the back foto is very different in attitude and style than the front and I think it shows off your skills and diversity nicely. I am not so much a fan of the headless torso shot. It becomes too unpersonal (for me) and your face is really stunning so it is absolutely an attention grabber (in a great way). No 4 because there is the gourgeous front picture, a bit serious and very controlled. Then the back picture with eye contact which again is nice and personal. I really liked the eye contact in that one.

Originally Posted by luvnafctn

Ya know... I really like the front of the first card. As for the back, I'm torn... I really like the horizontal of the nude costume with the candles.

Sorry if that wasn't much help...

That is the same problem I have with it!!! I can't seem to find a good back picture for it. I also have this one that I worked on but again, same problem with the back. I kinda really thought I was gonna go for a white & pink concept but went crazy when I couldn't find anything and changed it completely for everything you see above. Not sure if I should try harder or just change my initial idea (which I am open to anyway)

Originally Posted by gisela

Wow, pretty!

I like no 2 and no 4 the best. No 2 because the back foto is very different in attitude and style than the front and I think it shows off your skills and diversity nicely. I am not so much a fan of the headless torso shot. It becomes too unpersonal (for me) and your face is really stunning so it is absolutely an attention grabber (in a great way). No 4 because there is the gourgeous front picture, a bit serious and very controlled. Then the back picture with eye contact which again is nice and personal. I really liked the eye contact in that one.

You chose my 2 favorites Thanks for sharing your reasoning! Its very helpful. I hope I'm on the right track!!

I like number 4, Full body on the front, and a half body with more of your face showing. Thats my pick :)

I do like the "pop" of the pink in the first one, but I agree with others above—I really like the photos in #4 the best.

Good luck deciding! :-)

i like the first pink one and then the oone u posted on the thread

hands-down favorite for me it the front pic in pink (first one)
the back i can't decide, it'd be nice to have something different, but for the front it 1000% the pink one :)

pink one!

Nah, you're all wrong () I love number 5. I'm personally not a big fan of any photos with a vague hint of 'come-hitherness', so I really like the back photo of #5. It shows your beauty incidentally rather than with a direct 'look at me I'm beautiful' pose. Plus the veil is recognisably bellydancerly. I also think both photos and the costume colour are quite unique, making you stand out from the crowd more than the pink.

Of the combinations listed, I would use 2. Here's my reasoning, just my opinions.

1. Beautiful back picture, but the pose on the front reminds me of those cheesy mudflaps.
2. Both pictures are flattering.
3. Don't worry about my doing any thinking while I'm here. I don't need a head.
4. Good front picture, but something in the body language of the back picture reads cold to me. If you'd been smiling more, the back would have worked, but instead, it makes me wonder why you're not. A customer wants to feel you're going to be fun and welcoming to their guests, not eyeing them suspiciously.
5. Sorry, I don't like the hair over the left eye. I hear my mother saying, "If she's not going to use that eye, maybe she can give it to some blind person." Pull the hair back to show your pretty face and add a little more smile.
6. "Oh, dear. Now look what you've done."

You've got such a serious expression on the dance poses that I think I would have liked to see something more engaging and lively on the back to contrast it. I know "sultry" is a big part of a dancer's image, but imagine how it would have changed the energy of #5 if the back had shown you laughing and raising your veil. Don't we also want to project the vibe, "I'm full of life! Your guests will have such a good time at your event if you hire me!"? Unless you only do serious performances or you're the Mona Lisa, why limit yourself to somber faces and small, cryptic smiles in your promotional materials?

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

You've got such a serious expression on the dance poses that I think I would have liked to see something more engaging and lively on the back to contrast it. I know "sultry" is a big part of a dancer's image, but imagine how it would have changed the energy of #5 if the back had shown you laughing and raising your veil. Don't we also want to project the vibe, "I'm full of life! Your guests will have such a good time at your event if you hire me!"? Unless you only do serious performances or you're the Mona Lisa, why limit yourself to somber faces and small, cryptic smiles in your promotional materials?

+1 on this

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

You've got such a serious expression on the dance poses that I think I would have liked to see something more engaging and lively on the back to contrast it. I know "sultry" is a big part of a dancer's image, but imagine how it would have changed the energy of #5 if the back had shown you laughing and raising your veil. Don't we also want to project the vibe, "I'm full of life! Your guests will have such a good time at your event if you hire me!"? Unless you only do serious performances or you're the Mona Lisa, why limit yourself to somber faces and small, cryptic smiles in your promotional materials?

When I did this photo shoot, I had a theme I wanted to evoke for each style of costume. The shots with the white veil were "Romance" so I focused on having a light and soft expression.
I totally agree that it would be great to use a picture with a nice smile, but unfortunately the pictures that turned out well in that series (I called it "Bella") are in the vertical orientation and they don't work well with the Horizontal pinks posted above ("Queen"). Its so hard to pick the right balance!

i actually like when one side is horizontal and the other is vertical...

Originally Posted by Kathiya

i actually like when one side is horizontal and the other is vertical...

Really? I studied Interior Design and at the end of our last year we had to make our own business cards. The teacher constantly stressed to keep the same orientation on both sides to avoid having to flip it in multiple ways. But there is more text on that type of business card than there is on a dance one. And the visual cues from dance photographs are strong enough to know how to flip quick.

Well that brings up another question. Do your cards have a vertical and horizontal orientation? Do you have a preference on the subject?

Originally Posted by jewelbellydance

Nah, you're all wrong () I love number 5. I'm personally not a big fan of any photos with a vague hint of 'come-hitherness', so I really like the back photo of #5. It shows your beauty incidentally rather than with a direct 'look at me I'm beautiful' pose. Plus the veil is recognisably bellydancerly. I also think both photos and the costume colour are quite unique, making you stand out from the crowd more than the pink.

I agree! #5 is my fav also!
I like them all though, I think you're stunning on all of them.
The only one I like less is the first picture of the first set, but it's also because I think mudflap girls, like someone else said.

I love the front of the first card, but could you use the front of the 2nd card for the back?

Originally Posted by Kathiya

i actually like when one side is horizontal and the other is vertical...

OHH see that would bother the heck out of me....

Originally Posted by AngelicaDances

That is the same problem I have with it!!! I can't seem to find a good back picture for it. I also have this one that I worked on but again, same problem with the back. I kinda really thought I was gonna go for a white & pink concept but went crazy when I couldn't find anything and changed it completely for everything you see above. Not sure if I should try harder or just change my initial idea (which I am open to anyway)

Changed my mind LOVE this one! and the front of card 2 for the back of this one

well crap it didnt show, well the one that you posted later is my fav

Originally Posted by AngelicaDances

That is the same problem I have with it!!! I can't seem to find a good back picture for it. I also have this one that I worked on but again, same problem with the back. I kinda really thought I was gonna go for a white & pink concept but went crazy when I couldn't find anything and changed it completely for everything you see above. Not sure if I should try harder or just change my initial idea (which I am open to anyway)

I like the last pink one you posted (coming from a complete pink hater here too) is excellant.

I think the nude costumes are just to meh... boring...

and I will be completley brutal honest here with all the love in my heart... the first pink one looks way to stripperish. The pink pops nicely- I'd pick that card up over any of the tan ones- cause well- tan doesn't appearl to me....

and the first one is way to sultry in all the wrong ways for me minus the pop of the colour.

I also agree that flipping one way and then the other bothers me... I especialy hate when I have a stack of cards and all of them are printed front and back the same way horizontally and then I come to one- where the back is upside down- so instead of flipping it horizonatally you have to rotate it toward you.. .DRIVES ME BONKERS.

PS- your stunning :) keep us posted on the final results!

i think what i like about the pink is, like Basha said, the flash of color. the nude costume may be nice but nothing attracts the eye in them, color-wise.

and, about the orientation, well, i guess i'm just a bit weird then, Lol ^^

What is funny about the comments of the tan/nude costume not standing out as much as the pink ones is that most of the girls in my area have pink on their business cards! So I'm inclined to think that next to theirs it does stand out because it looks different. However, who really looks at 5 business cards next to each other, other than a dancer

Ok, I'm going to rework some ideas and post an update later on....

Originally Posted by AngelicaDances

What is funny about the comments of the tan/nude costume not standing out as much as the pink ones is that most of the girls in my area have pink on their business cards! So I'm inclined to think that next to theirs it does stand out because it looks different. However, who really looks at 5 business cards next to each other, other than a dancer

Ok, I'm going to rework some ideas and post an update later on....

can you photoshop the colour of one of them?

I do like black buisness cards- they are different- so maybe keep with that and just photoshop a differnet colour more to you're liking?

have you tried the pink on the black card?

So I went crazy again today. What do you think of these versions? More pink and punch but still has the softness I'm looking for. So tired of looking at my pictures

Originally Posted by Basha

can you photoshop the colour of one of them?

have you tried the pink on the black card?

I don't think my Photoshop skills are good enough for me to change the colour of the costume... I think it would end up looking horrible! lol

I did try the pink on black. It looks good too but I feel its very dramatic and doesn't really suit the way I dance, if that makes sense?

ok, for me not the first 2.
kinda like the one where you see just costume + hand (+ pink nails, nice touch ^^)
definitely like the last 2 best, where there's movement in the costume (last one, my bf votes for that one too), and the second to last with a nice smile :)

and, awww, i kinda miss that costume... dibs when ya sell it, hun?

Can I vote for the front of 4/5/6 from the first set (black background, tan costume) with the back of the new 5 (with the veil)? I'm not loving the new front pose--it feels like you're hunkering down into an awkward lean instead of posing confidently. The motion on the back of the new 6 is nice, but I wish your hands were in a different position. As another dancer, I can imagine that you just dropped the edges of your skirt, but something about the way you have your hands positioned makes me imagine you have your skirt hem on strings and you're moving it up and down with your hands like a marionette.

I love love love the 5th one... I prefer this one to any other you've posted before. I also like the last one. That costume is stunniiiiiiiiiiiing! (and so are you! )

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Can I vote for the front of 4/5/6 from the first set (black background, tan costume) with the back of the new 5 (with the veil)?

I cast my vote for the same. I agree with Tourbeau that the new front pose is a bit awkward. The shot looks like it was taken from slightly above you, an angle that is rarely favourable. But the back of the new 5 is gorgeous. Your engaging smile is a beautiful contrast to the more serious facial expressions in the other shots.