Business Cards

Thanks for your help on the business cards.

I chose this image:

I had forgotten how much space I needed to leave for trimming. I have ordered business cards and postcards from Vista Print before but when I first looked at the site, I didn't see the template. Instead I just copied down the card dimensions and made my document that size. It wasn't until I went to purchase the cards and upload my image that I noticed their downloadable template. Of course the template leaves quite a bit of space to trim. I should have known this because I've done it before and we've even had students make business cards in Design: One Byte at a Time (the learning community that I co-taught the last two years). But in the end it wasn't too much hassle to add some grey space around the image.

For next time, though I think I will try to remember to take images, in the first place, that have more grey space. Because I had to add the grey background, I ended up messing with some of the original shadows and the reflected blue behind the piece. I don't know that it is a glaring problem but the piece is less grounded than it might be. I determined not to use the other card design that was suggested by Sean and my Dad because the piece seemed to be floating instead of grounded.

The red piece here doesn't appear to be on a surface.

Finishing my business cards was a goal for this fall. Another task I checked off my list today was having a clay stamp made by Socwell LLC. I've been seeing an ad in Ceramics Monthly for clay stamps made by Socwell LLC (www.4clay.com). The ad first caught my attention because the logo includes a whippet (looks like a small greyhound), which was my high school mascot. I looked closer at the ad and realized the company was located in my hometown, Whitewater, WI. The company creates custom stamps for clay and the advertised designs are more detailed and look cleaner than designs I can made out of clay. 

I usually make a few new name stamps or "maker's marks" every year for use on my functional work. (I don't often mark my sculpture--though once a woman had me sign the bottom of a sculpture with a ballpoint pen.) I usually make so many stamps because I demonstrate the technique for classes and because I lose them regularly. The clay stamps I made work fine for my initials but I like the idea of having a more detailed image.

I sent in this image for my stamp.

Socwell apparently will clean up even rough sketches in pencil. I wish I had read that more carefully before I spend hours cleaning up my original sketches, but it's too late now. The website indicates that they will send proofs of your design before making the stamp if you wish. After I did my online order I was given the option to have them send a proof if they though it was necessary. I like that: leave the decision to the professionals.

Anyway, that's two fall tasks done even before November. I'm on a roll.