Hey guys,
This is really great stuff. Thanks a lot. Yeah Rad, that was me with my funky poker last year. I'm glad you remember!
Thanks for the offer Kurt, that would be really great!
I have a lot of thinking to do on what kind of "strategy" I'll be aiming for. Thanks for all the input.
Got to go watch a movie with my beautiful wife.
Josh
Pipe pricings
Don't worry Nick, I've only been married 2 and a half YEARS. So when you met me it had only been 2. 
easy mistake. You made me smile, though.
Since this board is sort of on the "business management" side of things I was wondering if anybody knows a good place to make business cards? Just a side thought.
I really appreciate all the input here. Stephen, I know the wisdom in what you're saying about waiting and delivering a top notch product but it is definitely not the kind of thing a gen-xer, instant gratification, guy wants to hear.
I ran accross a St. Louise pipe show in Feb. Anyone here planning on going? I would like to have someone who knows more about pipes than me really look over what I'm doing and give a real critique, pictures only go so far.
Thanks again, all,
Josh
easy mistake. You made me smile, though.Since this board is sort of on the "business management" side of things I was wondering if anybody knows a good place to make business cards? Just a side thought.
I really appreciate all the input here. Stephen, I know the wisdom in what you're saying about waiting and delivering a top notch product but it is definitely not the kind of thing a gen-xer, instant gratification, guy wants to hear.
I ran accross a St. Louise pipe show in Feb. Anyone here planning on going? I would like to have someone who knows more about pipes than me really look over what I'm doing and give a real critique, pictures only go so far.
Thanks again, all,
Josh
Depends on how fancy of a card you want to have!josh_ford wrote:Since this board is sort of on the "business management" side of things I was wondering if anybody knows a good place to make business cards? Just a side thought.
A couple less expensive options, if you've got a decent inkjet printer you can buy business card blanks at wal-mart or any office supply store like office depot. You can get free ones from http://www.vistaprint.com (never used them, but get a lot of them from other people!) Any local print shop can print them up for you too, at a price!-
ToddJohnson
- Posts: 1366
- Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2006 8:00 pm
- Location: Nashville, TN
- Contact:
Hey Josh,
For a really professional quality job, I would suggest going here: www.323design.com. Kirk does all of my work including logo design, card layout, promotional materials, etc. He works with several printers in Nashville, and has several more elsewhere around the country. I think you can view my business cards in the clientele section of his site.
For a more "down and dirty" approach, there's always FedEx/Kinkos. They do small runs (500 cards let's say) and can turn it around within a couple of days. The main problem with most Kinkos is that they're very limited on their cardstock options. If you want a card with a real quality look and feel, you'll need to go to a professional printer.
Best of luck,
Todd
For a really professional quality job, I would suggest going here: www.323design.com. Kirk does all of my work including logo design, card layout, promotional materials, etc. He works with several printers in Nashville, and has several more elsewhere around the country. I think you can view my business cards in the clientele section of his site.
For a more "down and dirty" approach, there's always FedEx/Kinkos. They do small runs (500 cards let's say) and can turn it around within a couple of days. The main problem with most Kinkos is that they're very limited on their cardstock options. If you want a card with a real quality look and feel, you'll need to go to a professional printer.
Best of luck,
Todd
-
Tyler
- Site Supporter
- Posts: 2376
- Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2006 8:00 pm
- Location: Farmersville, TX
- Contact:
Sure enough, Todd's logo is the first one shown on the portfolio page (not clientel). It seemed funny to me that a pipe maker's logo would be their first choice for advertising their work until I went to the "about us" page. It was when I saw Kirk's last name that it all became clear. 
Nepotism aside, he does good work. I needed the help of a guy like him, but I am too late discovering him. Shucks.
Tyler
Nepotism aside, he does good work. I needed the help of a guy like him, but I am too late discovering him. Shucks.
Tyler
Tyler Lane Pipes
http://www.tylerlanepipes.com
http://www.tylerlanepipes.com
-
alexanderfrese
- Posts: 317
- Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2006 8:00 pm
- Location: Bochum, Germany
- Contact:
Business card arises at least two questions – design and printing.
Finding a local printshop should be rather easy. May be more expensive than online ressources, but if you want something individual, even the print process becomes important. A local print shop will be able to supply every sort of paper to print the cards on, not only two or three as the online print shops do. They will print spot colours on demand, online print shops mostly print 4colour scales, that are able to simulate (almost) all color hues, but it won't look as sharp as when using spot colors.
Finding a designer that understands your wishes and your own attitude towards the style such a card ouhgt to show later is hard, much harder!
If you want to opt for the own style, such dialog with a designer is absolutely necessary. Think about your wishes before talking to such a person. It is not needed to have some visual examples yet. Try to find out what it should look like by describing it in words. (Like serious, modern, static, clear, moving, irritating, surprising etc.) Watch out for contradiction. Allthough everyone tells that he can do all in one, there is no way do design a business card that looks ultra modern, innovative and stylish and will meet a criterium like "serious business" at the same time! There is a chance for balancing, but all that means ending in the middle between two extremes…
You can go and say: "I don't know" make some suggestions", and they will gladly do some. Statistics tells us, it is highly unlikely they will match your needs. Either it is far from yours, or it is uninspired, unindividual.
Don't let a designer talk you into something you really don't like, even if you think they are pros, and who are you to make a decision. A real pro might try to convince you, but will always accept your wishes for granted and not work against them. A clients basic wish is sacred in my eyes, though I might try to reflect, comment or optimise that wish in my design work.
But don't be afraid to make a step if a design irritates you, but you feel you like it. Don't command them back to something boring, just because you liked that particular red that was suggested, but feared it to be a bit to "kinky" on a card.
My personal but nevertheless strict design advice: Less is more! It is the same with pipes. Taking something away leads you towards an outcome, not adding more and more…
Third is (and always becomes first sooner or later) pricing. Individual development is pricy. Be as fair as you can be, since it is no different from individual pipemaking. If you want the manufacturer of your cards make them a "standard grab bag pipe kind of card", then you can buy the cards cheap. In Germany we have some machines standing at airports or railway stations or other POI. You can type in your text, choose one out of twenty design styles, and two minutes later, 50 cards drop into your hands. You can read them, they are printed on thick, white card box, but that's about it. Cheap business card production is mostly that kind of thing, even if not done that way technically.
If you want something solid, you have to pay for some extra work.
If you want something individual (you will be able to feel it, when you have that card in hands later) you are within the "high-grade" range. Think about how you want your pipe making work to be seen and transfer that onto the process of making your cards, and you will realise, prices are high, but not overpriced.
There is no special need to have design and production within one company. It is a bit more comfortable, but every designer will be able to provide a printing company to produce final outcome or he will make output files for you that will be printable in every reasonable print shop. I have some rather mediocre experience with print shops doing their own design work. They may have good people for that, but mostly they are pretty unprofessional within that field and sometimes tend to push you towards things that fit the needs of their agency's technical settings rather than working towards your wishes.
Whaa, lotsawords pretty OT.
Finding a local printshop should be rather easy. May be more expensive than online ressources, but if you want something individual, even the print process becomes important. A local print shop will be able to supply every sort of paper to print the cards on, not only two or three as the online print shops do. They will print spot colours on demand, online print shops mostly print 4colour scales, that are able to simulate (almost) all color hues, but it won't look as sharp as when using spot colors.
Finding a designer that understands your wishes and your own attitude towards the style such a card ouhgt to show later is hard, much harder!
If you want to opt for the own style, such dialog with a designer is absolutely necessary. Think about your wishes before talking to such a person. It is not needed to have some visual examples yet. Try to find out what it should look like by describing it in words. (Like serious, modern, static, clear, moving, irritating, surprising etc.) Watch out for contradiction. Allthough everyone tells that he can do all in one, there is no way do design a business card that looks ultra modern, innovative and stylish and will meet a criterium like "serious business" at the same time! There is a chance for balancing, but all that means ending in the middle between two extremes…
You can go and say: "I don't know" make some suggestions", and they will gladly do some. Statistics tells us, it is highly unlikely they will match your needs. Either it is far from yours, or it is uninspired, unindividual.
Don't let a designer talk you into something you really don't like, even if you think they are pros, and who are you to make a decision. A real pro might try to convince you, but will always accept your wishes for granted and not work against them. A clients basic wish is sacred in my eyes, though I might try to reflect, comment or optimise that wish in my design work.
But don't be afraid to make a step if a design irritates you, but you feel you like it. Don't command them back to something boring, just because you liked that particular red that was suggested, but feared it to be a bit to "kinky" on a card.
My personal but nevertheless strict design advice: Less is more! It is the same with pipes. Taking something away leads you towards an outcome, not adding more and more…
Third is (and always becomes first sooner or later) pricing. Individual development is pricy. Be as fair as you can be, since it is no different from individual pipemaking. If you want the manufacturer of your cards make them a "standard grab bag pipe kind of card", then you can buy the cards cheap. In Germany we have some machines standing at airports or railway stations or other POI. You can type in your text, choose one out of twenty design styles, and two minutes later, 50 cards drop into your hands. You can read them, they are printed on thick, white card box, but that's about it. Cheap business card production is mostly that kind of thing, even if not done that way technically.
If you want something solid, you have to pay for some extra work.
If you want something individual (you will be able to feel it, when you have that card in hands later) you are within the "high-grade" range. Think about how you want your pipe making work to be seen and transfer that onto the process of making your cards, and you will realise, prices are high, but not overpriced.
There is no special need to have design and production within one company. It is a bit more comfortable, but every designer will be able to provide a printing company to produce final outcome or he will make output files for you that will be printable in every reasonable print shop. I have some rather mediocre experience with print shops doing their own design work. They may have good people for that, but mostly they are pretty unprofessional within that field and sometimes tend to push you towards things that fit the needs of their agency's technical settings rather than working towards your wishes.
Whaa, lotsawords pretty OT.
Alexander Frese
www.quarum.de
www.quarum.de
josh_ford wrote:Don't worry Nick, I've only been married 2 and a half YEARS. So when you met me it had only been 2.
D'OOHH!!
I could have sworn you were just engaged at that point. I am such a goof!
Just so you all know, Josh has married one of the most beutiful young ladies I've had the pleasure to lay eyes on. You stud you!