And this one's too good to keep to myself. Seriously, I got my hands on a cool book a not long ago. If you're a small business person or brand-side person, this is your kind of book.
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TITLE: THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS CARDS (and what your brochure is saying behind your back)
AUTHOR: Sonya A. Lowery
$14.95/2006
Paperback, 85 pp.
ISBN: 1-8793552-8-0
Jordan Maxwell Publishing
www.thesecretlanguage.com
TITLE: THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS CARDS (and what your brochure is saying behind your back)
AUTHOR: Sonya A. Lowery
$14.95/2006
Paperback, 85 pp.
ISBN: 1-8793552-8-0
Jordan Maxwell Publishing
www.thesecretlanguage.com
Someone once told me, “Sure a knife can kill, but so will enough paper cuts.” As I read Sonya Lowery’s, THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS CARDS, I thought about the bloodbath of awful business cards and rotten websites I’ve seen from clients both big and small over the years. In each case I thought: “How much business have they lost over this?” I even wondered how much business I cost myself with my early did-it-myself KTH joints.
Lowery is an award-winning graphic designer whose spent years putting in work for companies, big and small. So when she smartly warns, “Leave the job of creating your ‘professional’ image to a professional,” she’s speaking from experience. (No wonder my logos came out looking like that.)
Yep, as Lowery notes: Business cards talk; some say, “My kids did it!” or “Isn’t clip art fun?” Others scream “We’re boring and unoriginal—give us money to keep playing it safe for you, too!” But Lowery doesn’t just point out common mistakes she packs Secret Language with simple yet smart advice for avoiding them. My two favorites are “Choose your designer wisely and then give them creative space, trusting in their ability to make your company shine,” and don’t focus on flash, focus on polish, a.k.a.: “With the right design, paper and finish, one-color printing can easily outshine their pricier counterparts.” (Quick: how many colors are in TARGET’s logo? Just one. White doesn’t count.)
Not only does The Secret Language remind businesspeople of the critical need for strong. breakthrough corporate identity pieces, it also provides step-by-step insights on creating them. Secret Language is just 85-pages and breaks down into four chapters: Reconnaissance Mission One thru Four, each with clearly laid-out sub sections. I like its ‘recon’ theme because Lowery is obviously on a mission to educate small businesses, big brand managers and design students.
Secret Language thoroughly breaks down key need-to-knows from choosing designers and printers to Paper Stocks and PowerPoint to what a logo should and shouldn’t do to where to start if you’ve only got $1,000 to brand your company, and much more. Furthermore Lowery manages to makes Secret Language a fun, easy read even if you’ve never taken a design class in your life. You’ll actually know what CMYK and
THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS CARDS is a straight-forward, clearheaded read that teaches everyone about one of the most critical factors in running a successful business—having a strong, consistent visual representation of your company and your brand. Whether you’re a small business, a big-time brand manager or a design student, you should cop The Secret Language of Business Cards. It’s one of very few biz books that can help grow your business immediately.
“A business card is usually the first glimpse into
the class and status of your business.”
Secret Language, p.32
