thilly thenny

That sums me up pretty well.  Even though I don’t always spend the time on my own presentation, I need to work on that, I still believe in the power of judgment and split second opinions (that Malcom Gladwell wrote about in his second acclaimed book Blink).  Hence the reason for business cards.

For the most part, they’re just scraps of paper to put your contact information.  Some (leave it to me to always forget names and where I read things- actually I read it in Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good by Sarah Lacy) have said that they use business cards to end the conversation.  If someone is particularly monotonous, she’d just hand over her card and go on to the next willing participant.  In theory, the expansion of mobile devices and the Silicon VCs constantly touting mobile devices as the ‘next big thing’ would corrode the use of business cards.

But (!) they’re still here today, and from what I can gather, still going strong.  In the last year or so, companies such as Moo have soared into popularity for its diverse offering of business cards, while some blogs dedicate entries to the best ones out there. 

Personally, I love business cards.  They’re the epitome of self expression (or in the case of a company, group identity) constrained to a portable size and with unlimited freedom in design.  My company, PR agency SHIFT Communications, has a pretty boom-ass card.  It may not be the most daring, but it has it’s own style.

The problem is, sometimes, I don’t want to hand out my corporate card.  Outside meeting random people, with whom I can trade phone numbers or now Twitter usernames, and professional networking events, where my SHIFT business card would quite suffice, I want to be able to hand out my own card- one that’s given to potential partners, who aren’t necessarily friends but definitely aren’t corporate either.  So begins my hunt for what card is me.  (I figured that I could design a card once I know my contraints: medium, colors, price.)

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First, I fell in love with the perforated business cards.  It comes in a book of 20, and you just tear them out.  The single torn edge makes the memory of trading cards stick, and it’s organized with a slick cover.  Books of ten (or 200 cards) run about $137 plus shipping.  At the time, I thought this is exorbitant.

Then, the moo cards came pouring in.  Although I like that each card can have your choice of a different background, either from Flickr, ripped images or your own design, they were everywhere.  I want some unique.  The half sized card that seemed wider than your average business card size made organizing hard, and frankly, I just don’t like it.  Next.

For a period, I’d given up on finding something really different.  One that didn’t require me to design, print and cut it all myself.  Besides, 200 letter pressed cards with custom paper and a custom cut could run in the upper hundreds.

Then, I stumbled on the “frosted plastic” business cards. I love the rounded edges, the thickness, the opacity, and if I end up switching to something else, I could use them as faux coasters.

So my next financial goal after some late summer vacations and the new G3 iPhone (yes, I want the new one even though I just bought the $600 first generation a mere 1 year ago), I’m going to invest in some pretty plastic.  Cost?  A 250 order with 4 colors front, 1 color back (just a URL at the bottom or something) on this lovely frosted plastic would run $403 including shipping.  Holy-friggin’-cow.  But well worth it, right?