The History of Business Cards
According to Wikipedia’s entry on Business Cards, business cards started many hundreds of years ago. However, according to history, they weren’t actually business cards, they were calling, or visiting cards.
We first have record of these visiting cards appearing in Chine in the 15th century. They were used by the servants of the wealthy to announce the arrival of the aristocratic and royal elite. Only the best of high society used visiting cards. And of course, they were all hand written, not printed like we do today.
These visiting cards were laced with fine linen and bore the coat of arms of the family arriving.
Throughout the centuries visiting cards evolved to become Trade Cards in the 17th century in London. Merchants used these new cards to give directions or maps to their place of business. They also used them to pass messages along to customers. These cards were vital during this time because there was no formal set of street naming or business numbering like we have today. Essentially these merchants didn’t have an address so a map was crucial!
After that time business cards became what we know them as today. We still use them many times for the same purposes, to alert someone of our arrival, to advertise our business, and to pass information between two people.
So if someone hands you a business card, don’t just throw it away, remember from where these little pieces of paper have come, and smile that you know the history of business cards!
Lucklow Designed Business Cards
Looks like the Santa Cruz based company Luckow is the company who designed the now famous business card of Steve Wozniak.
Alan Luckow, director of Luckow Design Studios said, “I designed a translucent card and two metal cards for Woz. This metal one is the one he showed to Colbert. He wanted something unusual. I mentioned metal to him and he loved the idea. So I designed this card with an additional feature that allows him to shoot a laser through the tiny logo at the top and project an image.”
With all of the publicity this thing has brought to Luckow, I would be willing to bet that he would have designed it for free!
Looking at the Luckow website I was shocked that someone so well known chose Luckow, but then I saw their client list and it includes well knowns such as HP, Canon, Apple, Lexar, NEC, Logitech, Network Solutions, 3Com, and TNT.
Good for you Alan!
Business Card Sells for $560 on eBay!
It is true, a metal business owned by the famous Steve Wozniak sold on ebay for $560. During the auction, “Woz” offered to sign the business card and return it to the new owner. Once the bidding finished, Woz did just as he said, and the new owner now has one of the only, if not the only, metal business card signed by Steve Wozniak.
Then again, he also has one of the most expensive business cards ever sold!
Business Cards That Aren’t…
I know, the title is very confusing. Then again, so are Sam Harrelson’s business cards, or better yet, lack of business cards. I guess I can let Sam explain.
Sam says, “I carry around about 250 blank cards at shows and make the cards up on the spot depending on how well I like the person or how goofy they are to me (taken from one of my online heroes, Hugh McLeod). So, if you receive a flattering card from me at Affiliate Summit or in the mail, that’s good. If you receive some ironic poetry with a caustic tale, that’s probably a reflection of how I feel about your strategy or program.”
Now I don’t know how effective this actually is for someone who is looking for business, but for someone just a little eccentric, it might work great.
Think about it though, will your business thrive without actual branding and marketing, I doubt it. Stick to your normal business cards until you have enough influence to do something like Sam did.
Robert Scoble on Business Cards
Robert Scoble from the Scobleizer blog said, “3) Don’t make non-standard sizes or shapes. Why? They can’t fit into binders. I bought Avery’s Business Card Pages and a binder to hold them all, that makes it easier to look through them and find cards. It’s amazing how many business cards can’t fit into those pages (I folded about 100 and couldn’t use about 10 at all).”
I would have to say that this is a good point for some industries. However did you know that Steve Wozniak’s metal business card sold for $560 on eBay? It was of standard size, but metal makes it very unique and probably wouldn’t fit inside a sleeve for business cards.
So should you design your business cards to a non-standard size? You have to know your industry, do you have a lot of old stagnant businesses? I would advise against it. However, are you marketing to startups with some venture capital money running around yelling “Web 2.0″ to everything they see? I would say a non-standard business card size would be perfect!
Update: This guy carries 2 of Scoble’s business cards with him in his briefcase…I really need to see these cards!