Business card design is often the forgotten poor relation in the rush to get them printed. Marketing in Essex charge as little as £10 for 250 printed business cards. A box of 50 business cards could last you a whole year.
I only use the top UK based graphic designers. I know a few and have long working relationships going back with them. I’ll also have a go at the easier graphic design ideas myself.
Branding and the wow factor print offers
Branding is easily overlooked in a world of Instagram. A design can sometimes only come to life once you see it in the flesh. It takes skill to leverage the possibilities of print. See the spot UV varnish, debossing and lineart samples below.
Sole Trader or Small Business printed card
Take a Chartered Accountant for example. Careful design is required which could take a few attempts to get approved by a customer.
Even then changes will keep coming and need to be reproofed with the customer to ensure the artwork is 100% correct.
Then we go to print
So use an experienced project manager like me. I completed an apprenticeship at Williams Lea (Photoprint), who also sent me to the London College of Printing. I became a journeyman printer and stayed on running large Dufa and Mailander presses. After that I worked for the family business Wass Pritchard & Co Ltd, first as a printer running Miller presses, then as an estimator and sales person for various clients like Cadburys, Nestle, Wilkinson Sword, Gallaher’s, Esso, AEG, Elsenham and HMSO.
In 1988 I started supplying MPS managed print services for clients. The Household Division (UK Army military bands) was a good one. I had to art direct several photoshoots at Horse Guards Parade and Wellington Barracks. I also designed and produced printed materials for them. After that I went on the London advertising & marketing agency merry-go-round as a production buyer. I next worked as a senior project manager on many large projects for large companies like Shell, then finally ended up at Bollfilter UK as their marketing manager. Now in July 2020 it’s time for new ventures MiE being the main one.
Laurence Dunn (MCIM)