Why Wait Webs Business Card

as per my best concern, I think you should avoid "why & wait" text due to its negative impression. See business card should have few attractions, and like the " the complete websol" or "Cyber Designer" etc.

this is my way of thinking.

Design is good, only the contrast should be less.

anthony
Indian

I don't understand what you are saying... "Why Wait Webs" is the name of my company...

Jt Hollister
www.whywaitwebs.com

Like I said, I don't really get what you are saying. I don't know what you're telling me to do.

Jt Hollister
www.whywaitwebs.com

Okay, so you're telling me to change my company name? Getting rid of "Why Wait" would ruin my entire theme. My company's NAME is Why Wait Webs. Moreover, getting rid of "Why Wait" would leave me with "Webs" and that's..not a company name...it doesn't even make any sense at all.

Hopefully I just misunderstand you.

Jt Hollister
www.whywaitwebs.com

The text make sense, but a visual and meaningful design can make a good impact rather than this.

"You dont need any education to the save the planet" but you need education to read this kind of ad. That's why a good visual design could serve this message.

» reply

I'm going to be very very blunt.

It looks awful.
f you're a designer then find a new job or go and study more.
If you're just making your own business cards to save money, stop it and hire a designer.

That isn't a design.
It's poorly formed pictures and type on a page.

If you honestly thing that will well represent your business then go knock yourself out, literally.

I was under the impression that the people here were friendly and helpful.

Rush2Anthony: You are very difficult to understand. No offense by this, but I really don't get what you're trying to tell me at all.

Akshay Arora: Same thing, I don't see what you're saying.

Plugz: Well, that wasn't really a critique. A critique goes something like this: your message is poorly written and makes you seem like a complete asshole. I'm sure that isn't true, but that is the way it comes off. In order to make yourself seem like far less of an asshole, you can suggest changes and offer advice. For example, it is better to say "I don't like Microsoft because they make a poor operating system with many glitches, and they make money by suing smaller companies." than something like "m1cr0s0ft is t3h suxx0rz." Unfortunately, your message came off more like the latter.

If you don't like my design, so be it. But be constructive. Tell me WHAT you don't like about it. What's wrong with it, what can I change to make it better, etc.

Jt Hollister
www.whywaitwebs.com

a. My first question, is why are you only using black and white?

One of the great things about the web, is you have every color to work with without worrying about the cost of print. I feel that the black and white does nothing for your design.

b. I despise big @ symbols. It's much nicer when they're a bit smaller. (personal preference maybe)

c. The whole thing feels very constrictive. The type is so close to the edges that it forces your eye into the corner. I think this may partially be because of the black background. Not to say black cards don't work, but they're much more difficult to make successful.

d. The picture in the middle sucks. it looks ancient, like it's old and it doesn't work.

e. I think what the other posters were trying to say, is this is a hot mess. there's very little typographically that's decent, your logo is difficult to read, and the picture is obtrusive. It feels like an old time watch repair shop or something. I feel like you're trying to cram too much into a tiny business card. Don't give up though. take a step back and prioritize what is the most important vs the least.

a. I used black and white because I thought it looked better. These are for print, but cost doesn't mean a thing here. It really does look a lot better black and white though. The natural color is sort of brown, and even tweaking it, the best I could get it to look is in black and white.

b. I'll see how that looks.

c. type on a business card belongs on the corner. That's where it always goes..

d. hmm...I quite like the picture actually, but I'll get a few more opinions on this one.

e. Well, I see that's what people here seem to think. it is interesting, this is the exact opposite of what others outside of this website have thought. Everyone seems to love the image. Personally I don't see where you are all coming from...the image to me looks very nice and clean, and the whole theme of my business is clocks (hence the clock).

The prospective clients I have shown it to are impressed, and that's really who decides whether it's a good card or not.

Jt Hollister
www.whywaitwebs.com

You're trying to put too much stuff on this little business card.

I first looked at it and thought it was hideous. I then looked at it again, as individual elements, and realized that ok I kind of like the middle block that is transparent with text on it. I DON'T like the weird undulating image behind it. I really don't like your logo. The bevel/emboss thing just looks weird on black-- and looking at it on your white background website, it looks just as weird on white. Logos shouldn't be that complex and they need to look good on any color background.

Try simplifying your logo as well as your card.

I had A WHOLE COMMENT TYPED OUT. and it went *poof* and now i'm angry...

Here's a summary of what i said.

Not ALL business cards have text in the corner. If you believe that, you should go get a book on business card design, and you'd see that this is not the case. What i was referring to, was the amount of space you've left at the corner of yours. I'm guessing just by a sheer guess that it's less then 1/16 of an inch or so. Now imagine, the guy at the big business card cutter, misses the line, just by a hair. I know most printers have about a 1/16 allowance. Now half of the first letter is cut off, and it's your fault, not theirs. This is why most people leave at least 1/8-1/4 of an inch on their cards. At my work, we make people sign a release. If they choose to not take our advice on placement, we're not responsible for the outcome.

If a client doesn't like your work, he's probably going to feel uncomfortable telling you. On top of that, people can't be trusted to make good design decisions. For example, some people wear socks with sandals ON PURPOSE, that should say something about "taste."

We're creative professionals (most of us) and we're not scared or hurt to tell you what's wrong with your designs. You should take these comments as some of the most honest you'll receive. People are not here to coddle you.

That logo in the corner has a bluish tint. It's not black and white like the rest and it just looks kind of funny.

ech: yes, I appreciate your advice, and certainly take it into consideration.

Plugz is clearly not a creative professional, I took offense to that only because it was completely rude without explaining anything that was wrong with my card.

What you said however was very good critique, I don't take offense, and I appreciate your time.

Jt Hollister
www.whywaitwebs.com

JT, I'm sorry that you've gotten some harsh comments. I know how difficult they can be to hear.

In fact, however, there are a number of design elements in your card that I believe most professional designers would suggest you reconsider. Before I point out a few opportunities you have for improving your business card, let me mention that I took a look at the Web sites you link to from your own site-in-progress. Every one of them has a more professional design look than what you're offering as your own "look." It can be hard for designers to design their own promotional pieces. I'm sure Melange is smiling right now ;-) Me? I recently opted for a plain cream white card with black text for my own business card, like a lawyer's. Nobody seems to care. I get loads of business with or without it -- it serves only to help people remember how to contact me when they need to. My work for clients "sells" me, not the card. Many designers do, though, use their cards as a promotional piece, and that can be very effective. To each his or her own.

I'm assuming you use the initials JT instead of a first name (unless your first name is spelled Jt, in which case, I'm at a loss for how to pronounce it). If so, both letters should be capitalized. It's your choice whether or not to use periods after each. Most people would not use them, I think.

I agree with Melange that decreasing the point size of the @ in your e-mail address would look nicer. I wish type designers would catch on to this. Oh well.

The wavy graphic in the center of your card seems to be very low-rez. This could be because you made the file smaller for uploading purposes. If it looks that fuzzy in reality, though, I would rethink using it.

I didn't realize, until I went to your Web site, that the oval behind what you've told us is your company's name is actually a clock face, viewed at an angle. I thought it was just an oval with some tick marks on its edges. Take that observation for what it's worth.

I believe the trouble we're all having with "WHY WAIT WEBS" is that you have each word so separate, with heavy glows behind each letter in each word. This strengthens the separation, when what you need is a unifying element. You need to help people visually to understand what the words signify. Also, the tick marks on the underlying clock face could be mistaken for ellipsis marks (...), further separating the words so that they look like a tag line rather than your company name ("WHY...WAIT...WEBS") Are you aware, by the way, that there's a difference between "Web site" and "Web"? The former is what you create for your clients. The latter refers to the entire World Wide Web. There really is no such thing as "webs," unless you're talking about spiders, deceit, kinky clothing, etc. That's probably another reason why your business name is confusing.

I'm not sure where you got the idea that business card text is always "on the corner." Not so, my friend.

Others have mentioned that your card seems cluttered. I agree. Perhaps you're making a mistake that's common among Web site designers when doing layouts for print: they're seeing the layout much larger on their monitors than it will be when printed. Look at your design printed out at 3.5 x 2 inches and perhaps you'll understand why we feel there's too much going on. Okay for a postcard-sized promotional piece, perhaps, but not appropriate for a business card.

You might want to disagree with me here, but I believe it's neither necessary nor helpful to refer to yourself as "Owner/Designer" on the card. I would omit the "owner" and would think hard and long about whether "designer" is useful. Most people to whom you present the card will know (or you'll tell them) that's what you are.

I'm going to ask that you use English properly if you're going to use English for your card. "Web/Logo/Graphic" should read "Web Sites/Logos/Graphics." Again, though, think about how useful those words are to you. Is "graphics" the right word? After all, designing logos *is* "graphics," so that's redundant. "Design" and "graphics" is also redundant. See what I mean?

Black and white can be very impressive in print, but if you're selling to a Web-inspired audience, it may fall flat. Also, you may find that commercial printers will groan when they see the heavy ink coverage you have on this card, with thin lines of type reversing out, and other problems associated with bleeds in a dark color. You might want to consult with the printer you'll be using, to see what advice they can give you about designing something that will make the best possible presentation for you.

Best of luck, JT!

Yes, designing for yourself is the hardest thing to do I swear! At least i'm not the only one :P

You are *definitely* not the only one. But what you've come up with so far is way better than anything I ever did for my company. Well, I guess we know why that line about the cobbler with barefoot children got to be such a cliché!

M

I think you're right about my ugly logo. I don't know what it should be though. Jt is technically initials, but Jt is the way I spell it/capitalize it.

I just meant that the text is usually in the corner...I know it can really go anywhere that looks good, but the vast majority are in the bottom corner I think.

I do see what you mean about the margins though.

New card is posted, has nicer margins, less stuff, more colorful picture, no logo...just go look :P

Thanks a ton for all the critique :)

Jt Hollister
www.whywaitwebs.com

JT, I've already given you my take on your card so I'm not going to say anything about it. Rather, just enjoy the entertainment of this thread. Wow! I haven't laughed like that since I was a little girl. ha ha. fyi: that was a joke. ;-)

I'm also going to stand up for Plugz. He's a good, professional designer. I've appreciated his help and advice. So he gave you a hard time, don't be a hater or no more Bawls and Cocaine drinks at the office!

As for Anthony and the other. Telling someone specifically what to change on their project doesn't challenge a person. I assume they want to give you advice as per what could be better and let the person ( in this case, you) test their mind and creativity by trying something different. Add, eliminate or move things around.

You do good work JT, don't let it get personal.

Sansom Media
Documenting Life™

Plugz may well be a good, professional designer. However, he has provided me no help or advice here. This is a critique board, and I am here to get critique, not to be bashed on without purpose. It's a waste of my time to read it.

I, too, am a good, professional designer. I may not be in the same league as some of the people here, and I seek help because I'm far from perfect. But this design is not nearly as bad as plugz made it out to be.

If you weren't expecting me to react poorly to those comments, plugz, and if you expected me NOT to take that personally, you're not a very smart person at all.

Todd, you're calling me the hater here? That's absurd.

Jt Hollister
www.whywaitwebs.com

I'm glad you've found constructive comments. That's the purpose. so a few of them didn't help, oh well. melange and mara06 proved quite helpful with some great advice.

blah blah blah. i'm getting hungry and in effect rambling.

I'm glad we can still be friends. (cliché smiley face)

ps. i'm still doing research for the website redesign. maybe we can pow wow this weekend.

MrSansom
Sansom Media
Documenting Life™