Designing Your Business Card

When you get to the point where you are ready to start marketing yourself as a professional, one of the first things you will need is a business card.  It sounds easy enough to slap on your personal information and sit back and wait for the calls to come in, but are you including the right information?  Not sure?  Not sure if you're ready for business cards yet?  Don't panic!  Below are tips for making the right decisions about your business card.


1.  Do you need one?

If you are not going out and meeting people or taking on work that would lead to future business, or if you're doing all of your networking electronically there is no need to get business cards...unless you just really want them then continue reading.

2.  Where do I order them?

There are so many options for ordering business cards.  Personally, I order my first business cards from Vistaprint because I got a good deal on them, and, since I am not profitable yet, I needed something to get me by as I market myself.  Right now I saw they were advertising 40% off any item in your cart.  MOO is another great resource.  They caught my eye with their mini cards--a new trend in self-marketing material.  Check them out!

3.  Contact details?

Nowadays we have innumerable way to get in touch with people: home, cell, office, secondary, fax, personal email, business email, website, IM, Facebook, Twitter, and snail-mail to name the most common.  Maybe most of these don't apply to you, but if you're like me, you have most of these to consider.

There is no point in adding contact information that you don't answer/check every day.  You will thank yourself in the end for not adding too many sources when you only have a couple inquiry streams offered!

Personally, I have my name and address (because I run my studio out of my home), phone number, business email, and website (I have a price guide on my website--saves me the time of having to explain it).  I also included some extra text up in the corner that says "Find me on Facebook" instead of posting my Facebook URL because I am big on posting teasers and updates on my page.

4.  Does it need a purpose?

Do you want to include links to your social media?  Include it if:

• Your social networks are useful to your potential clients/employers.
• You have an online community you would like to build.
• You regularly check and update your social media pages.

You might also want to avoid advertising your social media if:

• The content on your page is inappropriate for clients/employers.
• You don’t regularly check or update your social media pages.
• You don’t have the time or resources available to respond to people via social media.
• Your customers are not using social media.

Do you want to include any additional text or information for  clients to take action such as: "Call for a quote," "Follow me on Twitter," or "Award-winning ______!"?  Omit any information that takes away from the clear message/intent.  Keep it simple.

*Bonus*  Your card, if you choose, can also double as an appointment card, a loyalty card, discount card, etc. that you and your clients will get more use out of.

5.  Do I need a logo?

Yes!  It helps people get familiar with your branding and will be more likely to remember your symbol/graphic/logo, especially if you have a simple business name.  Here are a couple examples of my personal logos and graphics that I created using Photoshop.

6.  What about a QR code?

No, just no!  It stands for Quick Response code and is a bar code that people can scan with their phones.  Although they are slowly gaining popularity in our culture, unless you know that most of your clients will have a QR reader app and can scan your QR code then you can consider using a QR code generator for your business marketing.  Still not sure about it?  Refer to the flowchart below.

Do you have a business card already?  What information did you include?  Have any other questions?  Please comment below and I will find an answer that's right for you!

Works Cited

"Businesspeople shaking hands." Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 11 Aug 2014.
<http://quest.eb.com/#/search/154_2882895/1/154_2882895/cite>

Curry, Niq. "Flowchart." Photograph. niqcurry. Uniq Creative, 4 May 2014. Web. 11 Ayg. 2014. <http://niqcurry.com/what-info-should-i-have-on-my-business-card/ >

Curry, Niq. "What Info should I have on my Business Card?" niqcurry. Uniq Creative, 4 May 2014. Web. 11 Ayg. 2014. <http://niqcurry.com/what-info-should-i-have-on-my-business-card/ >

moo. MOO, Inc., n.d. Web. 11 Aug. 2014. <http://us.moo.com/ >

"QR Code Generator." Photograph. qrstuff. QRStuff, n.d. Web. 11 Aug. 2014. <http://www.qrstuff.com/ >

vistaprint. Vistaprint, n.d. Web. 11 Aug. 2014. <http://www.vistaprint.com/ >

My Top 5 Resources for...

Throughout my time as a student here at the AIP-OD I have done a lot of research and ordered a lot of equipment.  It felt a little old-school writing papers again and doing all of this personal and academic research made me feel a little nerdy at times, but as a professional it is very important to take a keen interest in the things you do and always put in your best effort.  "Google-it" is not always the answer so I have put together a list of my top 5 places for...

 

  ...finding what I want and need to exceed.

 

Research & Purchases

 

5.  http://snapsort.com/

       If you're like me, purchasing your first DSLR was confusing and frustrating.  With all of the different brands, specifications, and prices out there it can be difficult to know what you want and need.  The best suggestion I learned about choosing a camera is to hold it; each manufacturer designs camera bodies differently and will feel differently in your hands.  If you're loyal to one brand or another or just curious, this website will help you look at the differences and similarities between cameras as well as what they recommend for you in regards to your particular requirements.

4.  http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

     This is a very popular site for shopping for gear.  What I love about them is their student discount membership and huge variety of equipment.  They have a great Used section where you can find deals on certain products and most of the time I can get free shipping--bonus!!  You can also "trade up or cash in" your used gear--a great feature for when you outgrow your gear and are looking to upgrade!

3.  http://www.adorama.com/

     Another very popular site and arguably the best next to B&H.  They also offer student discounts, free shipping, and have a Used department where you can sell your old gear too.  Both Adorama and B&H allow you to subscribe to email notifications for sales and discounts and I have taken equal advantage of their great deals.  What do I think makes Adorama just a little bit better?  They offer you the option to rent equipment which makes it easy to try out a new lens or DSLR, rent a camera body while yours is being serviced, or rent lighting equipment...just something to consider before investing in gear you aren't sure about.

2.  https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

     The Photography program will undoubtedly present you with classes in which  you will have to write papers and answer discussion questions that require citations in MLA format; it's daunting, but essential.  "Why?" you might ask--two reasons: plagiarism and copyright infringement.  Both can get you caught in legal and academic disputes and that is very unprofessional.  OWL, the Online Writing Lab, is my go-to for writing a correct citation for the many types of resources I use which brings me to...

1.  The local public library.

    Yes!  I go to the library and you should too.  It is not only a great place to check out books on photographers you might be studying in classes like Photo History I and History of Photography II or for your own personal interest, but there are also books to help you learn how to make money for your photos right now, learn tips and tricks, and *wink, wink* I have also seen a copy of the textbook for those two classes at my local library.

"Outstanding past work in photography, and in fact in all the arts, is very important to today’s photographers. But it should be used for inspiration and not for imitation. These works should be something to be built upon, not to be repeated."--Alexey Brodovitch  (Benigno)

Do you have a favorite go-to for your resources?  Did I miss something?  Please leave me some feedback in the comments section below!

Works Cited

adorama. Adorama Camera, Inc., n.d. Web. 2 June 2014. <http://www.adorama.com/ >

Benigno, John A. "Famous Photography Quotes." mastersofphotography.blogspot. Blogger, 11 July 2012. Web. 2 June 2014. <http://mastersofphotography.blogspot.com/p/famous-photography-quotes.html>

bhphotovideo. B & H Foto & Electronics Corp., n.d. Web. 2 June 2014.  <http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ >

owl.english.purdue. Purdue University, n.d. Web. 2 June 2014. <https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ >

snapsort. Snapsort, Inc., n.d. Web. 2 June 2014. <http://snapsort.com/>

"Used Department." bhphotovideo. B & H Foto & Electronics Corp., n.d. Web. 2 June 2014. <http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Used-Department/ci/2870/N/4294247188>
    

Testing 1, 2, 3?

Greetings fellow shooters! Tuesday Ambassador Stanley, here welcoming you to another... testing… can anybody read this, Tuesday? And no, this is not going to be like my last week’s post on Rantom. What I am going to write about is why every student, or anyone for that matter, should test their equipment, regardless of ever having worked with the equipment before. However, I have seen a good majority of students doing just that and it is an excellent thing to do because it makes you more familiar with your equipment before tackling those shooting assignments. So if you think that you may be the only person that pulls your equipment out of the box, puts it together and starts tinkering with it, just know that you’re not the only one. Although, be mindful of the equipment you are working with in order to prevent injuries to beings or damage to equipment whether they are big or small.

Now if you are not one who typically dives into unfamiliar territory, I am sure you are not alone. That is okay though because you are going to school for photography after all. For some people though, school is not enough. One thing that you could do is READ through your manual after breaking into the package and laying out all of your equipment to be assembled later. This should be done on day one of receiving your package because you want to make sure that you have everything and that nothing is broken. If you do not understand something, reach out! There is a plethora of resources available at your disposal like PSPN on Google+, your upcoming or present instructors and if you want fast answers then you better resort to your most favored search engine like Google. Once you have everything all squared away it’s time to setup and test out your equipment. Make sure everything works! Test the highs and test the lows. Make sure your equipment is in flawless working order because I’m sure there is nothing like returning your faulty equipment and having to switch, stop or drop out of your class because you did not meet the deadline. I assure you that I’m not talking from experience.

One thing I learned through my curiosities in life about things I had no prior knowledge of, yet having full access to whatever it is that interested me, was in order to dig deeper about your subject, you have to break it. No, I’m not telling you to go break your equipment because that would be foolish and by no means is that what I meant! What I mean is I was always one who would get a toy, get bored with it, take it apart, study it and put it back together just to play with it again. Maybe that’s the reason why computers had been a hobby of mine for so long because of how quickly it advanced over the years. Now you don’t necessarily have to apply my experience to a specific subject, however, if you apply it to your life you may find yourself subconsciously applying it to subjects that interest you as well. Sure, I know that is a lot to ask but I do not think you would regret making the change.

Was this informative or inspirational? Let me know in the comments below. Have you felt this before? Do you think you are the only one? Are you getting a little freaked out because I am getting into your head and I may possibly know what you are thinking right now at this exact moment?  Ha! Who am I kidding? I cannot read your mind. Stay tuned next week to catch a glimpse of my studio studies as well as my recently published work, and as always, thanks for reading.

-Tues. Amb. Stanley

Long link goes to the image above by a no name photographer: http://static.videomaker.com/sites/videomaker.com/files/styles/vm_image_token_lightbox/public/articles/15346/306-F21-microphone-close-up.jpg?itok=k3IAaLWJ

Adobe Photoshop - The Professional's Resource

Saturday Ambassador

Creating art is a very personal endeavor, even when it is at the behest of a client and involves their input. The outcome is a representation of the artist's vision, as it applies to that project. As artists, we have myriad tools at our disposal with which to create, particularly in this day and age, and it is both sensible and productive to utilize them.

One of the most powerful resources available to the contemporary photographer is Adobe Photoshop.

Many students, and even some professionals, feel intimidated by the complexity of the program and, thus, avoid it. As students, we have a remarkable advantage in that we may purchase software such as this through Journey Ed at an incredible 85% discount. Also, the Art Institute offers a free short course, which addresses the fundamentals of Photoshop.

Perhaps an even greater advantage is access to the Lynda.com tutorials. The Art Institute maintains a subscription with Lynda.com that allows students full access to this resource.

1.    From any assignment page, click the tutorial link:

 

2.    Select a tutorial from the Lynda.com section. Any link will do, as you may search for a specific program or topic on the site.

3.    Create a user name and password so that you may access all the features of the site.

4.    Search for a topic or program and experience the wealth of information contained within this site.

Learning the basics will place you on the road to success with Photoshop, and practice will allow you to refine your skills. This remarkable tool will facilitate transforming the mundane into the extraordinary with minimal effort.

Transport Power, Deva Mayorga-Malone, 2013, Digital Composite

 

 

~Saturday Ambassador

Sources:

"Adobe Photoshop CS6 Logo". Photoshop Travel.com. 2013. Web. August 2, 2013. <http://www.photoshoptravel.com/ how-to-change-background-in-my-template/>

"Software Purchase". Journey Ed.com. 2013. Web. August 2, 2013. <http://www.journeyed.com/dept/Software/284008>









Where can I get help? List

 Need a bit of help. Here is a quick resource guide. Feel free to ask one the student ambassadors standing by for additional help and guidance using these resources.

• With class assignments: 
• Contact your instructor the Tutoring Center, or Help Forum

• With personal issues: 
• Counseling Services: Available 24/7 | 888-618-3362 
• Disability Services: aiods@aii.edu |877-872-8869 ext. 33000

• With your program of study: 
• contact your Academic Counselor

• With your software and photography equipment: Technical Support Help Desk
  Technical Support: technicalsupport@aii.edu | 877.872.8869
   
• Review the photography program equipment web pages
  http://www.aionline.edu/photography-degree/requirements/

The Help Forum

Help Forum Information
http://aipodhelp.com/photo/index.php

The Photography Department is pleased to offer an additional avenue for students to get help and information.  The Help Forum features tutorial videos, resources and active discussion boards covering all aspects of photography.  Photography Dept. Faculty members administer the forum and answer questions posted to the discussion boards.

How to access the help forum:

You are able to access the Photography Department Help Forum directly from any assignment page.  Simply click on the “Click Here to access help forum & tutorials” graphic located at the top of every assignment page and then click on the Help Forum link.  You can also access the help forum directly at:

Photography Department Help Forum 

When to use the Help Forum:

The Help Forum should be considered a primary resource for photography students.  The forum features threads that discuss equipment, software and general photographic interests and offers active discussion threads and external resources. The current areas of focus are:

Discussion Boards

·       Photoshop

·       General Photography Questions

·       Studio Lighting

·       Equipment

·       Lightroom

Tutorials

·       Photoshop Tutorials

·       Photography Equipment

·       Illustrator Tutorials

·       InDesign Tutorials

·       Lightroom Tutorials

Food for Thought

·       Creative Process  

Image citation
Nowhere Fast. Photographer. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 4 Jun 2013. http://quest.eb.com/images/115_2849006

Cloud connections

 Reaching out and getting involved in the variety of online communities available through the photography department is a a great way to jump-start your education and inspire you as a student and a professional.

Here are a few places for information and inspiration:

 The AiO-PD Connection Team would like to invite you to participate in the Connections Photography Group. This group is for both student and faculty – get involved and stay connected. Please create your profile, post examples of your photographs, keep up on Photo Department news and resources, as well as have the chance to participate in some competitions and opportunities exclusive to Connections.
What is available within the Connections Photography Department Group? 

• Blog – updated by Photography Faculty
• Forums and discussion including Monthly Shooting themes and Discussion Topic
• RSS feed of many great photography sites
• Student and Faculty Features
• Helpful documents and resources
• Competitions & Scholarship Announcements
• Information on the AIP-OD Virtual World Student Photography Gallery

To Join Connections:
Login to the Student Common and Visit: http://aiconnect.thecampuscommon.com
Set up your profile

Navigate to the “Department” tab and find “Photography” and “Join this group”

Newsletter:

http://aionlinephoto.blogspot.com/p/aip-online-photography-department.html

First Year Focus and Fire

http://firstyearsfocusandfire.blogspot.com/

Targeting newly enrolled students, we will ask AiP-OD operations to email regular notices of this blog to students. The information is geared towards soft skills necessary to do well in online photography courses, how-to tutorials, connecting with the Help Forum, and otherwise providing practical and basic information. The blog is organized into themes, such as “Make it Mondays”, which always covers a technique, Website Wednesdays, which will features a helpful website (such as Lynda.com), and Photog Friday which will always feature a photographer from different areas of the industry. The blog will be authored by Melanie Fiander, Senior Full-time Faculty using her Google + account.

 

The Blog of Professor Philips

http://professorphillips.blogspot.com/

Targeted at 3^rd and 4^th year students (but available to all through the PSPN), this blog presents a friendly and experienced professor that helps to guide students into the photography industry. The blog is heavily focused on what is going on in the contemporary world of professional photography featuring reviews, links, and commentary that introduced near-graduates to the diversity of the industry. In addition, the blog will features Skype recorded interviews with industry professionals. Stephen John Phillips, Senior Full-time Faculty authors the blog.

Photography Student Professional Network Center

https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/110277102843844846984

The PSPN is simply the place that brings all of these activities together in one virtual location.  Any student and faculty member can post in it and it will reblog and feature special posts from The Blog of Professor Phillips, First Year Focus and Fire, and Student Ambassadors. This will also be the place where webinars and exhibition can be announced in addition to Connections. Students and faculty will join this community through a Google + account, which is free. Google + is heavily utilized by photographers and is a great networking and portfolio hosting site for students.