Create Your Own Business Card
As a student you share many of the same attributes of
someone in the business world. You may meet people in the course of a day whom
you do not know and who do not know you.
It is not always possible to spend a great deal of time
talking with and getting to know the people you meet. Even when you do have
time to talk, people are not always going to remember everything they learned
about you.
People you see everyday — teachers, other students, parents,
and family members — may not know things about you that you'd like them to
know. When business people meet they exchange business cards. These small
pieces of paper usually contain a person's name, the name of their business, and
a title or description of the work they do, and a way to contact the person,
such as a phone number or address.
Task
Create a business card for yourself. Your card should help
others know and remember you. Ideally it should convey a sense of who you are,
what you do, or your interests — cheerleader, history buff, teacher's
assistant, class president, hall monitor, avid reader, or the only boy in a
family of seven girls!
A business card generally focuses on a single facet of an
individual or business. You may be a cheerleader who also raises rabbits and
tutors younger students after school. Create a business card for just one of
those aspects of your school life or extracurricular activities.
Resources
Business Card Checklist and "The Trash Test"
Steps
- First, decide what you want your business card to tell
others. Do you want to focus on your activities with the Art Club or do you
want to announce that you are Class Leader? It may help to list everything
about yourself then pick one topic.
- Describe yourself. After deciding on what aspect of your
school life or activities that you want to focus, make a list or write a
description that tells about that part of your life.
- Decide if you want a "serious" or formal card or
something more light-hearted or informal.
- Using the Business Card Checklist, list the major components
of your business card. Note any special instructions from your teacher. Mark
out any components you wish to omit from your card. If appropriate, come up
with a title for yourself. To put everything you want on this small card you
may need to come up with different ways to say the same thing. Look for shorter
words in place of long ones. Use a single word in place of two or three
different ones. Experiment with abbreviations.
- Look at sample business cards you or your class have
collected. Identify those that have a style you might like to imitate or
borrow.
- Sketch out some rough ideas of how you want your business
card to look — including any graphics you think you want to include. (Your
software may come with a collection of clip art; if you have access to a
scanner you may be able to scan artwork from clip art books; if you have access
to graphics software you may be able to draw your own graphics.)
- Using the page layout or business card software available to
you, transfer your rough sketches to the computer. Your software may have
templates or wizards that will provide you with even more ideas.
- Print your final design on business card stock, index card
stock, or plain paper. Tear apart or cut with scissors or paper cutter as
necessary.
- Exchange business cards with your classmates and teacher.
Evaluation
When you give your teacher your business card, attach the
following checklist with your answers.
- What is the focal point of this business card? (What part is
supposed to catch the reader's eye first?)
- What job, role, or activity does this business card
describe?
- Is this supposed to be a formal (serious) or informal
(casual) business card?
When you exchange business cards with classmates give them
the following checklist to complete. Your teacher will use these completed
checklists (yours and your classmates) to help evaluate the effectiveness of
your business card. Be fair and truthful when evaluating the business cards of
your classmates as well.
- When you first look at this business card what catches your
eye first? (the graphic, the name, the color, etc.)
- From reading this card, what job, role, or activity do you
believe this person does?
- Is the business card easy to read? Is the type large enough?
Is there too much information or not enough information on the card?
- Do you feel that this is a formal (serious) or informal
(casual) business card?
- Do you like this business card? Why or why not?
Conclusion
"The business card... is kind of an extension of
yourself. It's a little bit of giving yourself to someone else."
— Ken Erdman, founder of the Business Card Museum, Erenheim, PA
It is not easy to condense yourself down to the size of a
business card but doing so may help you to focus on the most important aspects
of yourself. It can also help to develop your vocabulary as you search for new
words to describe yourself. It should also be clear that it is almost
impossible to tell everything there is about a person from a single piece of
paper.
