Business Card
Create Your Own Business Card As a student you share many of the same attributes of someone in the business world. You may meet people in the course of a day whom you do not know and who do not know you. It is not always possible to spend a great deal of time talking with and getting to know the people you meet. Even when you do have time to talk, people are not always going to remember everything they learned about you. People you see everyday — teachers, other students, parents, and family members — may not know things about you that you'd like them to know. When business people meet they exchange business cards. These small pieces of paper usually contain a person's name, the name of their business, and a title or description of the work they do, and a way to contact the person, such as a phone number or address. Task Create a business card for your business. Your card should help others know and remember you. A business card generally focuses on a single facet of an individual or business. Resources
Business Card Checklist and Resources
Steps 1. First, decide what you want your business card to tell others. 2. Decide if you want a "serious" or formal card or something more light-hearted or informal. 3. Using the Business Card Checklist, list the major components of your business card. Note any special instructions from your teacher. Mark out any components you wish to omit from your card. If appropriate, come up with a title for yourself. To put everything you want on this small card you may need to come up with different ways to say the same thing. Look for shorter words in place of long ones. Use a single word in place of two or three different ones. Experiment with abbreviations. 4. Look at sample business cards you or your class have collected. Identify those that have a style you might like to imitate or borrow. 5. Sketch out some rough ideas of how you want your business card to look — including any graphics you think you want to include. (Your software may come with a collection of clip art; if you have access to a scanner you may be able to scan artwork from clip art books; if you have access to graphics software you may be able to draw your own graphics.) 6. Using the page layout or business card software available to you, transfer your rough sketches to the computer. Your software may have templates or wizards that will provide you with even more ideas. 7. Print your final design on business card stock, index card stock, or plain paper. Tear apart or cut with scissors or paper cutter as necessary. 8. Exchange business cards with your classmates and teacher.
Evaluation When you give your teacher your business card, attach the following checklist with your answers. 1. What is the focal point of this business card? (What part is supposed to catch the reader's eye first?) 2. What job, role, or activity does this business card describe? 3. Is this supposed to be a formal (serious) or informal (casual) business card? When you exchange business cards with classmates give them the following checklist to complete. Your teacher will use these completed checklists (yours and your classmates) to help evaluate the effectiveness of your business card. Be fair and truthful when evaluating the business cards of your classmates as well. 1. When you first look at this business card what catches your eye first? (the graphic, the name, the color, etc.) 2. From reading this card, what job, role, or activity do you believe this person does? 3. Is the business card easy to read? Is the type large enough? Is there too much information or not enough information on the card? 4. Do you feel that this is a formal (serious) or informal (casual) business card? 5. Do you like this business card? Why or why not? Conclusion "The business card... is kind of an extension of yourself. It's a little bit of giving yourself to someone else." — Ken Erdman, founder of the Business Card Museum, Erenheim, PA It is not easy to condense yourself down to the size of a business card but doing so may help you to focus on the most important aspects of yourself. It can also help to develop your vocabulary as you search for new words to describe yourself. It should also be clear that it is almost impossible to tell everything there is about a person from a single piece of paper.