Snappy Business Card Essential
A simple, blue, abstract propeller plane on a crisp, white background takes top honors in this columnist’s 1997 Best and Worst Business Card contest.
Nancy Patterson, who works for a major retailer, recently designed the winning card for her family’s Louisville and Tucson-based aviation consulting business.
“We don’t deal with propeller planes, just cargo and passenger jets,” said Bill Patterson, who helps run a charter service, writes technical manuals and helps fledgling airlines get off the ground.
The 300 entries that came from across the United States made the judging tough. But the contest shows that a snappy business card can be essential to your success. “Your card represents you,” said Judy Bowman, founder of the Etiquette School of Boston. “It’s part of the entire first impression you make.”
Which card needed the most help? This year’s winner in that category came from “The Chicagoland Polka Club.” The twosided, laminated card is neon orange on one side and proclaims: “Happiness is Polka Dancing!” The flip side features a fuzzy photo of a man in a tuxedo. The card was submitted by Johnny Bell, who did not respond to phone messages in time to be interviewed for this column.
“Thanks for Smoking … Your Local Undertaker” took top honors in the humor category. Martin Buck, manager of the Mosher Funeral Home in Chariton, Iowa, says he has a serious card, too, but this one elicits the most laughs.
The funeral home, located in a town of 5,000, about an hour south of Des Moines, Iowa, oversees about 40 funerals a year. “Sometimes you have to have a little humor in this business,” said Buck.
On the same note, Bert & Bud’s Vintage Coffins’ black, white and gold card warns: “Don’t be caught dead without one,” and it is another winner in the humor category. Artist and consultant Roy Davis said he started making miniature coffins as works of art a few years ago to deal with his own mortality. Now, he and his partner, Albert Sperath, build custom coffins in Murray, Ky. A simple, unlined pine box sells for around $600; a more elaborate model can run $1,200. Davis said he built a doll-house coffin for his wife, who collects dolls.
“The first real coffin we built was for a schizophrenic cousin of mine,” said Davis. “He told me to build in plenty of room because he wanted to sleep in it, but when I took it down there, he got scared, and now it’s in his garage.”
Slick photo cards were big this year. Speaker and consultant David Eastman’s oversized card features him sitting cross-legged, arms outstretched and wearing a straw hat.
“I figure with this card, people will remember my face,” said Eastman, who lives in Bloomington, Ind. “Every comment on my card has been good, except for my mom’s,” he admits. “She said, ‘I hope you have another card besides that one!”’ (I agree with Dave’s mom).
Gary Chasin, owner of Uncle Sam’s Pawn Shop in Columbus, Ohio, takes first place in the photo card category. The photo of an exuberant Uncle Sam playing an electric guitar was taken by D.R. Goff, who gave Chasin permission to use the photo for his cards.
“People say it’s a neat card,” said Chasin, whose 83-year-old father, Irving, founded the three-story pawn shop in 1950. Twelve employees work in the huge store, which specializes in musical instruments.
Dawn Hope Stevens of Pasadena, Calif., snapped a child at Hancock Park’s Festival of Masks eight years ago. That photo graces her prize-winning card. “People don’t throw it away because it’s a little photograph,” said Stevens. Twelve years ago, she founded Clickers and Flickers, a network of photographers with 180 members today. Stevens also works as a legal secretary.
J. Franz Harris of Columbus, Ohio, sent in an experimental card for The Cincinnati Cordage and Paper Co. in Dayton, Ohio. “There was some controversy about whether or not to use it,” said Franz. “Maybe it’s too glitzy.”
The glittery silver card is printed on “holoprism,” a high-tech material distributed by the paper company.
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