Although business cards are the most popular, there are personal ‘business’ cards out there in the world. The latest incarnation is the social networking card. These cards bridge the gap between fun and formality and solve the problem of coming across too formal in social situations when you hand out your business card.
If you meet someone in a bar or at a party it can come across as way too formal if you hand them a business card. The person you met might start thinking you want them for a business contact instead of a personal one. It also presents a slightly better impression than just handing them a pen and getting them to write on your arm too.
These kind of cards are more a resurrection of the calling card than the business card. Back in the day when people were polite to each other, if a gentleman wanted to visit another, or a lady he would leave his calling card at their house, generally with their butler.
If the person wanted to see them they would invite them in, if they weren’t in the card would be waiting for their return. If the card was sent back to the gentleman in an envelope then his visit wasn’t welcome. Ah, the age of manners!
Most of us have at least two lives, our work one and our personal one. A business card isn’t always suitable for personal situations, and if you are the type of person who likes to connect a personal business card, calling card, or social networking card is the answer.
A personal contact doesn’t want your work number, or need to know your job title. They want you email, Twitter or Facebook logins. They can come in handy in most social situations where you want to exchange or offer contact information. If you have a one sided card with a blank reverse, this is always a good place to scribble last minute information like a meeting time or party address.
I saw this used to great effect earlier this year. A friend of mine was having a get together at his house so he pre-wrote the party details on the back of a few of his calling cards. Whenever he saw people he wanted to come, he just gave them one of the cards. They were a great and more informal version of an invitation. It was a quick and easy way to pass on the information and worked a treat.
The process of creating a calling card is exactly the same as creating a business card. You need a design that says what you want it to say about you. It should contain all your relevant personal contact information in an easy to read format and be easily carried in a wallet or pocket. Apart from those simple rules you have freedom to create whatever you want. It doesn’t have to be a particular size, shape or color, you can let your creative juices flow and go to town on the design. As long as it ends up saying what you want it to say.
Filed under: Personal Business Card
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