There's something very English about not being too earnest, something we think wrong with taking things too seriously. Kate Fox in her book 'Watching the English' makes much of two main pieces of the English character: nothing, on the surface at least, is ever taken too seriously. But that is very much a surface matter. We joke about things, we use irony, sarcasm, light jokes, more than possibly any other culture on the planet. We also tend to laugh at people who, on the surface at least, take things too seriously: the American (whether preacher or salesman, often not too different actually) proselytizing for this thing or another is something of a figure of fun.
However, for all this surface lightness, we do take things just as seriously as everyone else: in fact, we take things like values and integrity a great deal more seriously than many others. In many other cultures it is the process, the rules, that are important. To us it appears that it's the outcome. There are serious legal scholars who argue that the invention of the jury was precisely to allow the essence of the English tradition into the law: Hey, that's just not fair!
There are those who would in fact argue that fairness, the perception of it, is in fact the basis of the English (or if you prefer, the British) character.
It is also true that we seem to think that character (sometimes called 'bottom') is the defining characteristic. If someone has this then they can be trusted and if they don't they can't.
But actually the most important thing is not that one is earnest, but that one has integrity: remember the line about 'the faster he talked of his character, the faster we counted the teaspoons?'.
The story we think best encapsulates this is a possibly apocryphal one from the City. The trainee has been allowed to do his first deal over the phone and excitedly reported to his boss that he'd just got a very good price out of the customer. The boss insisted that he phone back immediately and do the deal again with the correct, lower price: 'if we are to insist that our word is our bond then it will be our honest word'.
Of course every company says that they value such integrity, as the consultants at Talisman will tell you, it's part of the standard boilerplate. But the odd thing is that in the wider society around us in the UK, we really do value it at a deep cultural level: we just don't seem to appreciate people being too earnest about it.
Business cards are your allies in making your business thrive. It is the vantage point that connects clients to you and to your business. It pays to invest on quality business cards that will effectively draw clients towards you.
Business cards are made to attract attention. Thus, designing your business cards must be based with the intent to lure clients and make an impression on them. One should design business cards with the intent of communicating certain values and ideas to clients. The reason being is that business card designs can relay messages to clients ? borne out of impressions on the design itself.
Build Up Your Image Image is an important factor for it builds up confidence, trust and security to clients. An image should always be a good reflection of you and your business to inspire clients. From top to bottom, even the littlest details such as the business card can demonstrate what measure of standard you and your company observes.
Simply put, a bad design is comparable to an applicant, dressed in a lousy suit for a job interview. Then and there, anyone can make negative assumptions and generalizations based on appearances alone. Thus, discouraging anyone to take you seriously or do business with you.
Imitation Imitation they say is the sincerest form of flattery. This may be true but it is useful as well.
Scan business cards that you have collected thus far and screen which ones are the most appealing. You can also look up to you competition and see what makes its business card design noteworthy.
One does not have to duplicate another company's business cards. However, it is useful to note which elements work together. You can also study how the business cards appeal to you and why. You can use these ideas when you finally design you own business cards.
Originality As what has been done before, you can use the strong points of popular business card designs and give it with your own twist. Integration is a key element to produce designs you can call your very own.
It is wise to remember that you should be able to express your own style or express your company identity in your business card design. Use fonts that are distinct to your company brand or image. Use colors too that can easily be associated with your company.
Thematic Business Cards It is also practical to align your company's image or your nature of business in your business card design.
Observe templates and you can see how categories contain images that are easily associated with real estate, banking, information technology and the like. This directly and easily identifies your business card and your nature of business from others.
Logo To give your company more prominence, it is advisable to include your company logo or emblem on your business card. The logo can be a powerful symbol that readily indicates your products and services It also projects a more professional appearance to your business card, without cluttering it with other images.
Quality Entrust your business card printing and design to experts. Leave it to online printers who have years of extensive experience and knowledge in the printing industry. Choose an online printer who guarantees you quality business card prints, from paper stock, ink and printing equipment.
Designs can effect how the clients perceive you and your company. It can say a thing or two about your company's standards, product quality and the like by simply the way it looks. This is why both planning and execution is important in business card printing. Keep in mind these following ideas and you'll be on the right track.
Both Richard Taylor Edwards & Carla are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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