Need help in making sign artwork work for business card and printable collateral.

[JR's]

Hey guys girls and gurus,
I need some pointers or tips or need to know facts on making my sign artwork
work for business cards and such.

Couple of times already I've printed up some business cards with the artwork that was on a truck.
Looks good on a truck does not read well on a business card.

Any help very much appreciative and thank you in advance.

JR

 

[HDvinyl]

Less is more. No fancy bells and whistles.

 

[myront]

No subdued image in the background. Simple logo and name of service/co. Sometimes the name doesn't tell what you do and we've had clients who didn't understand what we meant. Phone number/email/address if you insist on a lot of text then consider a double-sided card.

 

[AKwrapguy]

Hey guys girls and gurus,
I need some pointers or tips or need to know facts on making my sign artwork
work for business cards and such.

Couple of times already I've printed up some business cards with the artwork that was on a truck.
Looks good on a truck does not read well on a business card.

Any help very much appreciative and thank you in advance.

JR

Depends on the Logo, info, colors, size, etc... there are a lot of variables to consider.

 

[Rick]

Before sending any artwork to commercial printer, I always print it out full size for review. If it does not read well like that, it won't be much better when you get your cards.

On designing business cards, do research... yeah we all know what business cards look like, but looking at other stationery and brochure layouts is a good way to figure out if you can deconstruct a sign into a business card/collateral

A few places I look:
:: Business Cards ::
50 of the Best Business Card Designs
Stationery Portfolio | KickCharge Creative | kickcharge.com
Print Collateral Portfolio | KickCharge Creative | kickcharge.com
452 best Stationery Design images on Pinterest | Business cards, Carte de visite and Corporate identity
https://www.pinterest.com/dioncorreia/brochure-design-layout/?lp=true
Behance
Behance

 

[signgal605]

Use lighter weight fonts instead of the bold heavy ones. People have more time to look at a business card than a pickup driving down the street.
I've also found that a vertical layout often works better than horizontal, especially when you're using the same art as a truck door.
Utilize both sides of the card. Big logo on one side, all the contact info on the back.

 

[papabud]

never write a book on your business card. that is so very annoying when just looking for a name and number and having to sift through a mountain of crap to find it.

 

[JR's]

Thank you everyone.
And special thanks to you Rick. I don't know why I did not think of printing it out first at 100%
such a rookie mistake.

 

[bob]

Sign makers make signs. Everything they do looks like a sign. A good sign occupies the space available, it doesn't necessarily fill it up but it uses it. Precious real estate not to be squandered lightly. A good business card is just a little 2" x 3.5" sign. Some business cards look as if they're afraid to use the space available perhaps in some desperate attempt to be seen as arty or something. Negative space I hear you cry. Twaddle says I, negative space is an affected polysyllabic way of saying plain old space. Let the various elements breath but don't waste anything.

If can you lay out a good sign then you should be able to lay out a decent business card. Same thing, just smaller. Keep it simple and use whatever font weights that are appropriate to what you're attempting to say. On the other hand if laying out a passable sign is beyond your meager talents then you'll probably have trouble doing an acceptable business card. Shrug.

 

[Ian Stewart-Koster]

Bob said it all...^^^
but as for a truck layout- leave off the wheeks & exhaust pipe... (no need for them on a card!)