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Sweet idea for a promotion
March 2010, by Denise | Add a commentIt’s a bit of a MOO community ideas-fest of late. Hot on the heels of the MOO Ideas book (easy to view online!) comes another sweet idea from Robyn Pollman. A talented children’s photographer, Robyn is also the brains behind the brilliant blog, Paperie Boutique. It features ideas, tips, tricks and even MOO templates for commercial photographers, focussing on ways to package client work or market your business.
As you’d expect from someone who writes about this kind of thing, Robyn’s most recent piece of self promotion is something really worth sharing!
Working with the co-ordinators of two different photography workshops – Nichole Van Photography and The Savvy Sisterhood Workshop – Robyn has devised these little packs to promote her blog and her business. Each pack will get tucked inside the goodie bags given to all workshop attendees.
As her photography business is called ‘Buttons and Bows Photography‘ she took inspiration from this fantastic little tutorial on creating ‘button candy’. But, realising the task in hand was about to get messy – not to mention time consuming – she decided instead to make life a little easier and buy ready made candy buttons!
After a bit of online hunting time, she found small bags to contain the buttons, and all that was left, was adding the final touches. As someone with a strong brand and style, she already had a design to work from and so she created MiniCards with a custom upload for the front and the back.
We think the result is wonderful! Professional packs, cost effective, remarkable and fun. What more could you want from a piece of self promotion?
MOO makes the front cover
March 2010, by Fiona | Add a commentDavid Bowie and Davina McCall, Venus Williams and Victoria Beckham, Sienna Miller, Strawberry Shortcake and… the Stig, the star-studded selection of Business Cards recently produced by the British Society of Magazine Editors (BSME) had us well and truly wowed.
Taking full advantage of our option to upload a different image on every card, the BSME ingeniously created a unique ‘pocket portfolio’ showcasing their comprehensive range of publications in a single set of Business Cards. Using a different magazine cover on each card effectively illustrates the diversity and quality of the society’s periodicals in a high-impact way. The BSME logo and standardised contact details on the reverse unify the pack – gathering the different magazines together under the one umbrella.
“…Our chair, Juliet Warkentin, came up with the idea after being introduced to MOO cards and brought them to the rest of the BSME committee. She had the great idea to turn them into mini covers and we all agreed they’d work fantastically. The committee haven’t used business cards before and we knew MOO were the perfect company to work with as they were the physical manifestation of our society – innovative, creative and useful.”
Glossy, vibrant and iconic, it was also important that the business cards reflected the equally high standards of finish associated with the society’s range of publications. Admittedly “delighted” with the final results, the next step is to showcase the society’s inaugural set of business cards at future business gatherings:
“The committee meet with members at various networking and speaker events… there are hundreds of members, so it’s a great way to ensure everyone can keep in touch. And it’s a business card no one wants to lose!”
With eight years’ experience as a magazine editor, Lisa’s background as a journalist stems from an inherent curiosity and questioning nature:
“I love to know how things work, who’s said what, what people are planning… just detail, detail, detail! My job allows me to answer this curiosity on a daily basis.”
Ever the professional, one of Lisa’s next questions is – how can MOO help showcase the work of her own publication?
“As a weekly magazine, we have so many front covers to choose from, it would be great to create a set of business cards using all of our own covers too.”
Having recently worked alongside Vivienne Westwood, Giles Deacon and Manolo Blahnik designing covers for London Fashion Week, Lisa’s undoubtedly got more than enough material to work with.
Thanks for talking to us, Lisa – we can’t wait to check out Stylist magazine’s very own set of made-to-measure MOO cards!
Colourful cards, spreading springtime cheer!
March 2010, by Denise | 2 Comments – latest by DeniseWe’ve had at least two days of sunshine in London and it feels like spring has sprung! Silicon Roundabout is bathed both traffic (as ever) and sunshine (new!). As our little world is transitioning from grey to yellow our thoughts have turned to colour.
Print Magazine have a great feature on The 50 best color sites for designers, featuring a mix of both inspiring and practical links. There’s things to help with choosing a color palette, ways to sharpen up your color theory and a variety of tools to help you refine your designs for those with color deficient vision.
In the past few months we’ve seen a riot of colorful cards popping up over in the Flickr pool too, and so we’ve gathered a few here to help spark some ideas.
This colourful collection of MiniCards is by photographer, Speedypixel. Taking a great range of action shots from motorcross to surfing, he’s chosen bold graphics and colour to promote his photography. When you look at them with fresh eyes, you can see why – MiniCards might be small, but you can see his design very easily from a distance, it really makes this format pack a punch!
Crafter and online seller Lupin makes wonderful brooches and ornaments in felt. Sweet little birds, rainbows of butterflies and armfuls of flowers. She created these Postcards above, to put in with custom orders. Featuring shots of her own work they make not only a great thank you to her best customers, but a neat little tool to tempt those customers back again!
Now you can upload images for the front and back of Business Cards and MiniCards, you can really make the most of your shots. Photographer Mike Plunkett chose this colorful image (above) for the reverse of his cards, and we think it looks fantastic!
There’s something about the strips of colour in Mike’s cards that reminds us of the Ready Made Colour Lovers packs. Christina Anthony took the shot above, showing the Perfectly Pink pack of cards she ordered to hand out to the participants of her latest photography project. There’s a wide range of Colour Lovers palettes to choose from – and you can even mix and match your own set for any of our products.
We fell in love with these MiniCards by visual artist Illusio Creative as soon as we saw them. Featuring her flowing artwork, she’s added cord and beads to create beautiful bookmarks to send out to customers. Another designer who’s taken advantage of the image upload for the reverse of the cards, she’s created something truly unique.
And last – but by no means least, we’ve been enjoying the range of designs popping up from Spellstone. From super-sweet StickerBooks to bright Postcards and Greeting Cards we love this new idea above! Their own fabric design, with matching Greeting Card and Business Cards – collect the set.
Wherever you are – sunshine or showers – we hope we’ve given you a few ideas. As always, feel free to share your cards with us in the comments below or over on Flickr, and get your daily dose of MOO on Twitter
What’s the big idea?
March 2010, by Simon G | 25 Comments – latest by juliaAre you always looking for new and different ways of promoting yourself or your business?
Well, look no further – the MOO Ideas Book is here!
If you want to take a slightly larger look at the book, check out The MOO Ideas Book on Issuu and SlideShare, or click the view in fullscreen button on the book.
What is the MOO Ideas Book?
The original “real life” MOO Ideas Book (printed by our friends at Blurb) has been such a smashing success when MOO has been on the road at various events, we thought we’d share it with everyone. The book is full of great ideas from MOO customers (that’s you!) who have used our range of products to create some truly inspiring things.
From Business Cards promoting a new startup, to MiniCards as hang/swing tags or promotional cards. With Postcards as a portfolio for a pitch, Greeting Cards as gifts for a blushing bride or as the perfect ‘thank you’ for your favourite client, and finally StickerBooks as the easiest way of making a standard envelope stand out – the possibilities are (almost) endless!
Oh, and a huge thank you goes out to all of the wonderful MOO customers who gave permission for their images and creativity to be featured in the book.
How to… upload images on both sides of a MiniCard
March 2010, by Emilie | 5 Comments – latest by Bradlay LawDid you know you can upload photos and designs to both sides of your MiniCards? It’s easy to do and allows extra opportunity for personalisation. Use your company colours and fonts to create not just mini calling cards, but coupon codes, hang tags for your products, mini-compliment slips, tickets, invitations, book marks, flash cards and so much more.
To help demonstrate, we’ve put together a quick step-by-step, guide:
1st step: Upload images for the first side of your cards
Remember, you can have up to 100 images on this side. If you want to upload 100 codes, photographs, taglines, poems or quotes this is where you do it. Once they’re uploaded, you’ll be able to use our online tools to crop your images as you want them.
If you want to custom design your cards before you upload, you can find basic templates as PSDs or JPEGs, each showing the bleed and trim areas. Try to keep everything important inside the ’safe area’ to ensure nothing will get cropped during the production process. Remember to hide the guide layer before you save your design!
Don’t have 100 images? No problem! Upload as many images as you need and Little MOO, our Print Robot will create duplicates to fill the pack. Just hit the big orange upload button to get started:
2nd step: Upload images for the ‘details’ side
Traditionally, this is where you’d use MOO’s templates to add your text or contact details – you still can, but now there’s also an option to upload a complete design instead.
Tick ‘use your own complete artwork‘ and select the appropriate layout; portrait or landscape.
Next, select the artwork to upload. As you can see in this screengrab, the button to use our artwork has been clicked and we’ve opted for a landscape card. It means we can print cards with our own designs, colours and fonts. (Here we’ve uploaded a PDF, to keep our vector text really crisp).
3rd step: Check the preview
Check the preview before you head of to the payment page. Are you happy with the crop of your images, your spelling? Is your phone number correct? Did you include your email address? Time spent on one last check will save you time and money later.
And that’s all there is to it. Fully customisable cards, with the option of a different image on every one.
No pics? No sweat… It’s time to get graphic
March 2010, by Fiona | 4 Comments – latest by DeniseThere’s no denying the impact that an image can have in gaining attention and promoting a brand. With this in mind, lots of you use our Business and MiniCards to showcase your work – featuring visual examples of your creative products (designs, photographs and illustrations.)
Words, however, have just as much impact, particularly when combined with a considered use of colour and font. Many of our clients – particularly those in the industry of offering a service rather than a creative product – use a range of simple tools or source external content to produce text-based Business Cards and MiniCards that are uber cool and creative, not to mention unique and eye-catching.
In a month when digital networking events are top of the agenda, we’ve put together some examples of ways you can stand out from the crowd and get creative with your cards by just using graphics, if you don’t have your own portfolio of content or pool of images to work with.
Text x2
Did you know, you can have text on BOTH sides of your Business or MiniCards using our Textomatic tool? This means you can use one side for the basics – name, contact details, url – and the other for something a little more visually striking – your tagline or your company name in a more ‘logo-like’ style, perhaps.
Jason VanLue got together with designer Matt Wahl to creates these cards, each with a phrase or saying designed to be used as a conversation starter.
Logos
Simple can often be the most stunning, as demonstrated by graphic designer, Beth Chapleau, so don’t be afraid to sit back and let your logo speak for itself! Beth took a real plunge and eliminated all the usual contact ‘clutter’, opting instead for just her url. It houses her portfolio and contact details, and encourages new contacts to really engage with her work.
Others, like Munchausen Collective create a talking point by using their logo in a wide variety of colours.
Words
If you’ve got a lot to say, take advantage of Textomatic, and type something different on every card. Use a range of different quote or phrases like this sleek set of Business Cards produced by trakAx. It can act as an effective “meet and greet” conversation starter and also means you can offer your clients a card with the phrase or quote that most applies to them.
Another eye-catching tool to use if text is your thing, Wordle helps produce “word clouds” based on content provided by you – so the most important keywords associated with your business are highlighted among a sea of other relevant text. Put these on one side of your Business Cards or MiniCards and clients can quickly, effectively and, we think, rather strikingly see what your business is all about. Make each cloud your own by personalising the colour, typography and layout, like these, by Noveltea.
And while we’re on the subject…
Colour
Whether it’s a bold backdrop to your logo or a special effect applied to text, colour – or the lack of it – can make a real statement on Business Cards. Use a different colour on the back of each card, like photographer Nicole Young, for a bold and beautiful result, or stick to two or three key shades associated with your brand.
For a smart, professional feel with a twist, apply a dash of single colour to a black and white background, or say it with a spectrum-filled splash by turning your text into a rainbow full of colour, like the stunning set produced by Theis Dahl.
Typography
Choosing the right font for your cards can also go a long way in attracting attention and conveying a powerful image – so consider flirting with something a little different if you feel it’s the right fit for you and your business.
Playing around with the position of your text on the card can result in something truly remarkable. We really like the way David Boni covered the whole of one side of a set of cards with unbroken text, featuring his name as a repeat pattern. Line them up and the cards tessellate to create a striking wallpaper effect.
And finally…
Templates
Don’t forget there are loads of templates on MOO for you to adapt to suit your own needs. Choose from a range of different themes, designs, layouts, colours and fonts and then add your own bespoke text to produce a set of cards unique to you and your business.
Now for something completely different…
It’s a snip
If you’ve got a steady hand, why not subtly alter the shape of your cards with a carefully placed cut? Take off a corner or a section from each side of your cards to rustle up a truly personalised pack, like this inspired set of cards by Simurai.
Pics or no pics, there’s no excuse not to wow everyone you meet over the conference season with cutting-edge cards that do you and your business justice! So get creative and remember to come and show us what you’ve produced. We’ll be at SXSW Interactive (March 12th-16th) and MIX10 (March 15th-17th).
Thanks to everyone whose cards we’ve featured here!
See you on the flipside!
March 2010, by Simon G | 3 Comments – latest by Nancy Stall
We just spotted these cards by mrloofer in the MOO Flickr Pool.
If you don’t want to use MOO’s range of flexible templates, you can always design your own back side to your card. These wonderful Business Cards from West Palm Beach Photographer Alan Lougher were made using MOO’s upload feature for the “details” side.
MOO’s upload feature allows you to upload a JPG or PDF for the “details” side of the card, allowing you to use your own colours, fonts, logos etc…, making them truly unique!
Oh, and it looks as though Alan has already blogged about his cards over on his blog – www.alanlougher.com
Don’t show up empty handed at SXSW.
February 2010, by Lisa | 2 Comments – latest by DeniseAlot of you receive our MOOsletter and will already know that a few of the MOO Crew are off to SXSWi.
We’ll be hanging out at the UK Digital Mission Booth on Saturday March 13th from noon – 3pm. Come by to pick up your pre-orders or just to say hello and we can exchange cards. We look forward to seeing you all in Austin.
If you’ve been to SXSW or any conference before, you’ll know there’s a lot of great socializing (ahem, I mean networking). You get a chance to meet people from all parts of the US, Canada and even some from further afield. The problem I find is remembering everyone I met and why I want to get in touch with them after I get home. There’s always so many people, faces, names, websites, iphone aps etc. that it really is a good idea to have some cards on hand. It doesn’t hurt if your cards not only have your details but have something that remind that potential business partner exactly who and what your business was.
In case you are still looking for promotional ideas for the big conference, here’s a few from the Flickr pool that might get you thinking. (I know some have been shared before, but they’re goodies)
Danielfh has turned his business cards in to mini discount flyers.
And every geek loves stickers (isn’t that true?). Plus they stick around a lot longer than a free pen. Here’s some from Ploc Media appropriately plastered on a laptop.
After 4 nights of SXSW parties, you need to be sure your cards talk when you can’t. Here are some from trakAx who had customer reviews printed on their cards.
Also, just a reminder to check you don’t forget to add your twitter details. Or better still why not just share some of your better tweets on your cards like mzsandord.
Finally, we love how Perch has created unique coupons out of their MiniCards. You can read all about how they did it and more about them here.
See you in Austin!
Postcards. Are they the new Mega Business Cards?
February 2010, by Lisa | 30 Comments – latest by LesliIf you received last week’s MOOsletter and the special discount for postcards, you may be asking yourself “Why? Why would I want to make postcards? Aren’t they just to be sent to your Nan from the seaside?”
Well, we think sending a card to Nan is always nice and you know Nan isn’t the only one who likes to receive post (hint. hint.) Here’s two examples of the traditional travel postcard with a unique twist.
Sgoralnick’s aerial views makes me want to jump on a transatlantic flight right now!
The Mega Business Card
MiniCards have the unique ability to stop people mid-conversation, but why couldn’t a postcard disguised as a MEGA business card have the same affect? Jonny Wan’s cards are definitely show stoppers.
Eleanor Jane’s stand-out promotional postcards are perfect to attract new potential clients. She combined both images and texts to best communicate her full offering.
Postcards as Thank Yous
Postcards paired with a colourful MOO ColourSplash envelope make a memorable thank you for a client after finishing a job or of course to thank Nan for that birthday scarf. You can choose a set from MOO Ready Made packs or use your own designs to make it even more personalized.
Postcards as Art
Making your artwork available on postcards means more can purchase your work. Postcards also work nicely to announce an upcoming exhibition.
Here are two examples of artists (Jim Moore and Natasha Newton who is a designer on MOO) printing their work on postcards.
Postcards as Games
I’ve even used postcards to create flashcards. I created this set of postcards personalized with family photos especially for my niece and nephew. This way they learned early on that L is for Lisa.
Finally, we had to share this promotional postcard from Matt Woolner because it made us smile.
“Don’t panic” if you haven’t received the MOOsletter and the discount for postcards. You may want to sign up for the MOOsletter (on the right) to be sure you don’t miss out on upcoming discounts.
PS If all this talk of postcards has made you want to drop us a postcard, our address is in the footer.
The Fab Four: A fashionable affair
February 2010, by Fiona | 5 Comments – latest by Heidi Richards MooneyWe’re always interested in finding out more about our clients – how they started out, what motivates them and how they adapt our products to suit their different types of businesses and projects. So we got VERY excited about the chance of talking to not just one but FOUR fashion professionals about themselves and the different ways they use MOO to promote their work. From stickers on make-up pots to Postcards at parties, 70s record covers to eccentric Italian heiresses, the answers were – as you’d expect – quirky, cool and creative.
So what got them all into fashion in the first place?
Inspired by both contemporary trends and classic looks – especially those of Brigitte Bardot and Greta Garbo – make-up artist, Miranda Arneil enjoys matching up the dynamic and diverse nature of the modern-day fashion world with a personal interest in vintage style:
“The fashion industry is a fast-paced and vibrant place to work. I love surrounding myself with beautiful clothes, and enjoy gaining inspiration from new colours and shapes. The fashion world I almost see as a muse, who couldn’t be stimulated by its energy and excitement?”
“Wandering around places like the National Portrait Gallery and seeing remarkable exhibitions such as Vanity Fair’s Early Periods is an inspiration in itself. I also adore reading vintage Vogue magazines and learning from some of the all-time greats.”
Having originally trained as a graphic designer, but attracted to the variety of work and intense level of detail involved in being behind the lens of a camera, photographer Tinko Czetwertynski also pays homage to the past through his images…
“I’m very inspired by the lyrical and cosmic visual language you find on record covers from the seventies… like Santana and Mahavishnu Orchestra etc. – and by a lot of other things, but the list would be too long.”
Both model, Katja Mathes, and stylist/costume designer, Peter Breen, warm to the theatrical side of fashion – the ability to create a character or recreate a scene through their work.
Interested in “meeting new people, exchanging new ideas and travelling around the globe”, Katja’s approach to modeling is much like an actor taking to the stage – “Sometimes I have a picture in my head and I want to do it exactly like it….”, an approach which helps when wearing elaborate creations from designers such as Julia Starp.
Having studied fashion, Peter’s interest lies in creating characters and a scene and then styling around it:
“I think my dream client would have to be the Marchesa Casati who was an eccentric Italian heiress, muse, and patroness of the arts in early 20th-century Europe. She is possibly the boldest dresser of all time and I know she would let me go wild! Her most famous quote was ‘I want to be a living work of art!’”
“The inspirations for my work are usually character-based, like imagining a scenario that would create an eccentric look or create an unusual way of dressing. I really like my images to have a bit of a comedy element.”
Peter particularly likes the way his scenes come to life quickly and accurately when they’re printed on his MOO cards:
“My favourite part is when all of the pieces have come together, the whole look is on the subject and they are in front of the camera making my visions come to life! The most exciting part, however, is seeing the final image, which I always want to show to as many people as possible. Knowing that I can have the images printed on cards by MOO is great as I can quickly and cheaply get my work into the hands of exactly who I need to see it.”
All of our interviewees agree that it’s the challenge of meeting the requirements of the ever-changing nature of the fashion world that makes MOO so useful to them. Capturing new trends on Business Cards and being able to print different types of images to suit different clients is of key importance, says Peter:
“I chose MOO cards because in the past I have had to get a large amount of the same picture on my card, which, in the fashion business, tends to date really quickly and was expensive to reprint. I found the flexibility of being able to choose more than one image within the same order, at such a great price, gave me the freedom not to have to worry about giving them out to everyone I meet! I have had a whole range of images covering all the different areas of my styling and costume design printed so I can select the appropriate image to give out to each person – I think people are more likely to keep the cards if the image relates to them. I have even seen people displaying my cards on walls, which I think makes them more likely to remember me, and my work.”
Both Katja and Miranda agree that being able to promote different looks in one pack of cards has proved invaluable. Katja uses hers as a portable modelling portfolio with a selection of different shots of herself on each card.
“I love MOO business cards, especially the MiniCards. Every time I take them out of my little box, people are amazed by the format and especially that all my pictures are on it. I always let them choose their own, because that way they go for the card with the picture they like most.”
Using her cards, Miranda’s able to feature different make-up styles and trends to target different clients:
“I think a visual aspect to my style is important in fashion and it’s easier to get that across with a varied amount of images/styles… it also means you can update yourself with the seasons and trends… As a make-up artist who is just starting out, it’s also nice to be able to have a variation of cards to suit the client – weddings, high fashion, beauty etc.”
Working in an industry where looks are everything, photographer Tinko told us that it’s the production quality of the cards that also makes a difference:
“…Having a good quality picture makes a lot of difference, especially for fashion photographers who tend to have their ‘iconic’ style that sets them apart…
I think MOO cards are great as they always catch the attention one notch more than a regular card. The picture is of good quality and people like the fact their friend gets a different one.”
Creatives to the core, it’s not surprising to find out that our four fashionistas have explored other ways of making MOO products work for them. From customised stickers attached to model agency application letters to MiniCards masquerading as event tickets and personalised postcards handed out at networking events, we’re impressed with the level of lateral thinking going on here. We particularly like Miranda’s practical solution to avoiding make-up mayhem on the catwalk…
“If you are doing big shoots, like Fashion Week or something where you aren’t the only make-up artist, the stickers might be good to put on your products and tools etc. so they don’t get mixed up – like on the bottom of eyeshadow pots!!”
Looking to the future (and a world with or without waterproof cards) what have the other members of our Fab Four got coming up next?
One of Miranda’s most enjoyable recent projects – a shoot with actor Annabelle Wallis, modelling Dior and Alexander McQueen dresses – is set to feature in FHM, America. An exhibition’s on the cards (in more ways than one …his order for MOO postcards is in the pipeline!) for Peter, while a book of his photographs (look out for ‘Two thousand and wine’) and an exhibition in Dubai are on Tinko’s ‘to do’ list. When asked who he’d most like to photograph, Tinko told us:
“…I’d like to turn the question around and ask to photograph every single person on the planet.”
That’s going to be one BIG book, Tinko!
Thanks so much for taking to the runway with us, guys.
What you say about us
- General advice is generally useless March 20, 2010 thegoose
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- Etsy Wednesday - Ten newly listed items! March 17, 2010 unknown
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- Q: How do you turn a mail-order customer into an evangelist? March 12, 2010 Andy Sernovitz
