Here are five different cards that I will be handing out to promote my business. Curious what your thoughts/impressions would be if you were handed any of these. They are being printed at 5x7 on fine art watercolor paper.
I like the first three best (b&w over the color too). For some reason a lot of people are drawn more to just child portraits than family (probably because a lot of people love having photos of their kids, but not necessarily of themselves). From a marketing standpoint the b&w work with the "originals" in yellow/orange to draw the eye to the fact that there is print there. I do think the tag line gets lost in the images though. You might want to think about ways to bring it out a bit more. I would also at least repeat the tagline on the back of the card if you don't have anything else you want to put there. You have a lot of real estate there that you aren't using (even while maintaining a "clean" appearance).
My amateur opinion is that the text on the front is a little small and seems out of place on some of them, maybe just the website name on the front in slightly larger text then the "Contemporary Children's.." blurb on the back with the rest of the stuff for a cleaner presentation.
That said, the "Contemporary Children's..." blurb works best on the black and white for me.
Overall, the photos are great and that's the most important part.
Much prefer the B&W over the color: partly because I can focus on the text more easily without all the colors and partly because the photos you've chosen have such obvious copy-space. The one with the swing works great!
Would do a few test prints, make sure the font is big enough to be legible at actual physical size and that the letters clip properly (i.e. that once it's printed the edges are well-defined).
Also, copy editor's pet peeve: ampersands (&) never go at the end of a line of copy, break that to the second line so you don't offend anyone's sensibilities.
The cards will be 5x7 and will be handed out by me at a show. I should also add that I will have my website available for viewing on a 30" cinema display with cards available for those who are interested.
I really liked #3 at a glance, but then it seemed more like a PP effect than true panning of the moving subject. The lines at an angle just make it a little fake, but most consumers probably won's share my opinion. I also agree that the text is a little small and hard to read on some of them.
I also think the super close-ups are much more striking than images like #4 and #1. In number 4, he is looking away and they are so small in a fairly ordinary looking scene.
Lovin' #1, 2, 3, 5, and not 4. I think 5 shows this family better, and your business niche better, than #4.
Must you narrow this down to only one? There's a guy in my town who does landscape, and he has something like 5 different cards he hands out. People look at the designs and talk about them, and that's even more exposure for him.
canerino wrote:
Thanks for taking the time ESC! I appreciate the feedback.
In regards to #3: There is no PP effect to create the pan. Its a true pan, straight out of the camera. I think my shutter was 1/15th on that.
Thanks again for the feedback!
Chuck
Well then... I must say I really like it (again)! Just knowing it wasn't a PS trick makes me enjoy it more... So #3 is the clear winner to me. Good luck!
esc, i was talking to evan about #3 last week. i consider the shot to be maybe one of five 'great' photographs i've ever taken. i was curious to the exact settings, so i just went back and checked the exif: 1/20th, f/16.
