How good is having a career. You feel like such a boss having an official title and all that shit. And then you get business cards and it’s like, hi hello I am a super fancy successful human who definitely never eats microwaved pizza three days in a row.
Business cards are kind of the first-impression-on-a-date element of a job. Say you meet an ~important client~ out at an event. You make some smooth af small talk, nail the business spiel, and just before moving on to your next networking target, you whip out your card. What impression is it giving? Does it say “wow, this company is cool and fancy, I want to give them money”, or does it say “welp, they clearly got the bulk option at their local newsagency”.
Gone are the days when your business card had to be plain, boring white with some black print on it. These days you can get your deets on everything from cotton to bloody wood. And we are 100% here for it – especially if you’re running your own thang and want to make a really solid impression. Here are some of our fave companies in Oz doing pretty schmick things in the stationery design space.
As said before, wood is just one of many materials you can get stuff printed on. And depending on your business, playing with materials is a surefire way to make a statement about your vibe. Like, do you have your own architecture or landscaping thing going on? How cool are wooden business cards for that. Print On Wood obviously prints… on wood. But they’re also absolute guns at it, as evidenced below:
IMHO everything should just be foiled, it makes any single thing look 5479% fancier. There’s something really high-end about gold or bronze foiled business cards, and if you’re in anything from the design field, to fashion or art, they really express your commitment to the finer things in life – like details, which is good coz that’s what your entire job’s about, right? Stitch Press is an Aussie design and fine stationery company, and the do a mean business card.
You could just have writing on your cards like every moite in the world. Or, you could get yours letterpressed for a more lush finish. Whatever your business is, letterpressed cards scream “I am fancy and have lots of leather-bound books”.
So if you want to be putting out into the networking world that you’re in charge and way confident, go the embossed route, k? You might have heard of The Distillery – they’re a Syd-based company that specialise in branding and stationery, so of course their business cards are off the chain both in materials used and the designs they whiz up.
Laser cut cards are easily the most boss business move. The added detail of lil’ peek-a-boo holes shouldn’t really add as much swish as it does. But goddamn, it really does. VIC company Taylor’d Press do some naaice work with laser cut, like these which use a top layer, which has then been fused to the yellow to make that ~3D effect~. They also branch out with some really sweet designs in general, and love a pop of colour.
Say it with us. No. More. Flimsy. Business. Cards. They’re 100% the worst, they bend and look crap even when you carefully slide them into your wallet, so most of the time they give off a really meh impression. Go instead for thick card versions, like these from Moo. They’ll keep their shape for ages, and feel really lush when you press them firmly into some important client’s hand. Not in a creepy way, though, ok.
Can’t decide between all these swag details? Consider the business you work for or own first. What’s the important element – is it that you are creative and will be helping others with their creative stuff? Maybe you work with materials. Or do you simply need to be seen as the most knowledgable, intelligent and confident human in existence. Then, think about what that vibe would look like in business card form, and go forth and get ’em made.
No guarantees you’ll magically become Don Draper, Aussie version though. But just sayin’, it could happen.
Images: Supplied.
