This last month has seen me have meetings with architects, builders, landlords, creatives, antique dealers and salesmen, and scribbling down my email address and phone number on a scrap bit of paper just doesn't cut it. What a way to project an image of professionalism!
I made it a priority to invest in something tangible now so that I could carry something around with me in my wallet. Not purely to hand out to others, but for myself - my dream is really in motion and I need to keep my eyes on the prize!
I haven't had my own personal business card since my first job out of uni back in 2007, so I knew I wanted to invest in something special. Having studied and worked in marketing for the last ten years, I understood that business cards do more than provide contact details. In many cases, it is a person's first impression of your brand. A memorable business card will create a great first impression and is more likely to be shared.
A few months ago I was reading about the founder of Bespoke Letterpress, Alischa Herrmann. Alischa developed a love for the ancient art of letterpress printing (it was invented back in 1439) and after investing in an antique cast iron letterpress, she established the company in Brisbane. Now operating from Bowral, NSW, Bespoke Letterpress is one of the world's leading letterpress studios designing and printing couture letterpress stationery. I knew once I checked out the studio's website that I'd found the perfect printers for this project.
So what image did I want to portray with my business card? Firstly, I wanted it to be printed on a recycled plant-based stock. Lots of memorable cards are printed on metal or hologram plastics, but I wanted to go with something more earthy (of course). I ended up choosing a beautiful 600gsm cotton stock in ivory, famous for its smoothly finished uncoated surface.
My graphic designer friend who developed my original logo put the design together, which was created with letterpress printing techniques in mind (letterpress doesn't look as effective with large solid areas).
The ink colour was a soft pink that was hand mixed to match a Pantone colour, with the end result being delicate, whimsical and slightly fragile (like the owner...ha). Because of the labour-intensive nature of this printing process the cost doesn't come cheap, however as a creative person myself I think it's important to support these old-fashioned ways of living creatively.
Check out Bespoke Letterpress on Instagram here.
