Business cards and how to recieve them
polycounter lvl 14
Even with the ability to quickly swap twitter/facebook/linkedin/etc information in this day and age, I still think it's a pretty important thing to carry around business cards.
A) I think it shows you're a professional
No one wants to do the "where the fuck is a pen and paper" dance while trying to write down your info
C) It's a good way to immediately show some flare you have as an artist.
Now, having said that, people fucking suck at receiving business cards. Do people not know what to do with a small, square piece of paper? Protip time:
1) Turn to face them completely. Don't do one of those side approaches like when you go to give your ugly aunt a hug and try to avoid her smothering you in her breasticles. Seriously, it's rude. It shows you don't care. Get smothered.
2) Don't just take the card and stuff it in your pocket. Try to receive it with both hands, take a good look at it, and make sure to check the back too. This is serious shit, and I hear in Japan it's pretty offensive if you don't do this, so do it.
3) Give them your card. I don't care if they smell like Cheeto's. What do you have to lose? Unless your business cards are gold plated, pass them out like candy. Hell, Halloween is coming up. Maybe that's a good idea.
4) For the love of god, don't be one of those guys who doesn't follow up. Especially in this industry, where it's very tight knit, not following up is essentially slamming a door, an opportunity, in your own face. Nothing pisses me off more than when I give my card to someone, we have a good talk, then NOTHING. I instantly lose respect for that person.
Sure, when this happens (because it will), it could be because they weren't impressed by you. If you are doing what you can for yourself, then just take this in stride. I think it's important to keep evaluating and refining yourself, but you can't please everyone. If this does happen and you feel convicted, then it probably means you should get back to work.
On the flip side of this though, I pass out and receive business cards from everyone, even those that don't impress me or are just starting out. I think it builds community and promotes growth all around. I know not everyone has time to be in contact with every single mouth breather who calls themselves and artist, but you never know what will turn up.
A) I think it shows you're a professional
No one wants to do the "where the fuck is a pen and paper" dance while trying to write down your infoC) It's a good way to immediately show some flare you have as an artist.
Now, having said that, people fucking suck at receiving business cards. Do people not know what to do with a small, square piece of paper? Protip time:
1) Turn to face them completely. Don't do one of those side approaches like when you go to give your ugly aunt a hug and try to avoid her smothering you in her breasticles. Seriously, it's rude. It shows you don't care. Get smothered.
2) Don't just take the card and stuff it in your pocket. Try to receive it with both hands, take a good look at it, and make sure to check the back too. This is serious shit, and I hear in Japan it's pretty offensive if you don't do this, so do it.
3) Give them your card. I don't care if they smell like Cheeto's. What do you have to lose? Unless your business cards are gold plated, pass them out like candy. Hell, Halloween is coming up. Maybe that's a good idea.
4) For the love of god, don't be one of those guys who doesn't follow up. Especially in this industry, where it's very tight knit, not following up is essentially slamming a door, an opportunity, in your own face. Nothing pisses me off more than when I give my card to someone, we have a good talk, then NOTHING. I instantly lose respect for that person.
Sure, when this happens (because it will), it could be because they weren't impressed by you. If you are doing what you can for yourself, then just take this in stride. I think it's important to keep evaluating and refining yourself, but you can't please everyone. If this does happen and you feel convicted, then it probably means you should get back to work.
On the flip side of this though, I pass out and receive business cards from everyone, even those that don't impress me or are just starting out. I think it builds community and promotes growth all around. I know not everyone has time to be in contact with every single mouth breather who calls themselves and artist, but you never know what will turn up.
Replies
After reading 2) I had to post this.
[ame]
That aside, you make very good points, but for me, 4) seems to be abit awkward to follow up with no good reason. I mean, how would you approach them when you dont have any services they require? But I'm not too familiar with the industry yet, so hopefully when I explore and find more network connections, it might be more simple than i think.
I would just drop a line saying something to the effect of, "Hey this is so and so, just thought I'd drop you a quick line following up on our conversation. It was great meeting you, stay in touch!"
That's seriously all that is needed. This completes the loop. A business card transaction isn't a "hey, call me when you need me" sort of thing. It doesn't end there. If that were the case, I doubt some people I've given my card to would remember me six months later.
I think being an active forum member is more important than a business card - I typically just ask what your polycount handle is. I bumped into ElysiumGX at the Austin IGDA picnic - that's more memorable than any rectangular piece of paper.
[ame]
This is pretty much how I feel. Been doing this ten years now and I've never used business cards. The occasional post it note, yes. And most business cards I receive get shredded in the wash.
Just have some social skills. A person that comes up and talks to me like a regular person, and seems chill I'll remember. But if they come up all professional like with a briefcase full of business cards I'll think they are a loon or in arch viz. ha
C) Not all artists are competent graphic designers. Show a little flair but remember its a business card. Nothing worse that handing out cards that could double as porn flyers to Parents Choice Award winners.
Quality matters. There are inks that professional printers use that avoid that problem. Graphic designers probably know this, wanna-be celeb artists probably don't. If you're going to be a card spammer, do it right and get a carrying case, have the card professionally printed. Know when to pull them out and when not to... don't be that guy.
If you're the ultra flashy type check out those USB business cards. Load simple images and text files, make it as non-threatening as possible. Also don't be shocked when people don't accept them, its kind of creepy. Personally having your site loaded onto your phone or sample images in your "camera roll" is better.
Its kind of weird that someone would give me a business card and I'm not already facing them? Unless they're slipping through a crowd passing them to people like party flyers? Nothing annoys me more than fake people "working the crowd" and crap being shoved in my hands when I don't need it.
I'll keep that in mind if I'm ever in that part of the world, but seriously I'm not going to pretend I'm Japanese. Don't be the guy that hands out coupons for free floss with a paid dental check up... That guys house always gets egged.
If I see you giving your cards out to hobo's, that tells me tells me you're more worried about volume than actual working connections. How do I know the hobo didn't scratch his ass with the card and hand it back to you?
You know what I don't like? The guy that constantly pesters me working me like I'm his next boss. I seriously think people need to take relationships back to the 1800's when people didn't tweet what they ate for breakfast to every single person they've ever met.
You can be you and do your thing. When we met, weather its been 2 weeks or 2 years since I saw you last, I'll recognize our common bond and probably buy you a drink. I honestly don't need to know what you've been up to for the last 24-48hrs. I'm married, I'm not shopping for a boyfriend or a BFF, so please don't apply.
Long post short:
If you have a decent phone load up your portfolio on that and show them.
If you do hand out cards, make sure they have a need for it.
Don't hand them out like confetti, it diminishes their value.
Instead of viewing it like a relationship meter where if constant contact isn't maintained the meter starts to drop, think of it like a conversation on pause.
It's great being active on a forum, however from personal experience, the real contacts usually happen outside of this bubble.
All my job leads and contacts came out of Polycount - I've never had to go to trade shows and shmooze
Definitely. I never show up to a Siggraph meeting looking like that. I keep a small amount in my wallet and only give it out after a good conversation and it's sort of a mutual thing that we want to stay in contact.
@Mark: Overall, I agree. When I was describing the not facing the person part, I was recalling when I was at a SEMAFX portfolio sharing meeting. I watched this guy show off this seriously shitty 15 minute video that he said took him a year to do and it still wasn't done. To make a long story short, I felt for the guy because there were two things he could have done that would have reduced his workload significantly. He was obviously new at all of this, and self taught, so I thought I'd try to talk to him and give him a few pointers. I'm just a nice guy like that. I love teaching and helping the noob's. Anyways, the way he responded to receiving my card was totally rude. Maybe it was a good thing he never followed up because I probably would have made him throw up at the thought of how much of his life he had wasted.
As far as the volume of cards given over quality of human being (or whatever you want to call it), I absolutely agree and I'm glad you had a chance to add that and clarify what I was saying.
I agree with what Mark said, in that you shouldn't treat them like confetti. Just because you paid for 100 cards and you only looked to hand them out at a weekend event doesn't mean you should just hand EVERYONE a card.
I'm also not a fan of "anti-social networking", where someone comes up to you, says 'here's my card' and doesn't introduce themselves. No name, no area of expertise. Hit and run. Ffffffffffff.
Follow up every card you get, just to make contact. Add them on LinkedIn if you can, and leave a nice message.
Funny, I actually think the opposite. Usually it's kids who want to get into the industry who have a business card with their deviantart page on it passing it out to everyone they meet. Very rarely have I met other professionals who drop cards on me.
I don't carry around any of the business cards work provided me.
Like a lot of this stuff, it feels like playing Mr. Jr. Business Man. I have a hard time taking it too seriously.
I also have a hard time taking this kind of thing too seriously
Bingo. Why is that so hard to understand? It's Friday, people. Lighten up. No need to be snarky. We're talking about business cards here, lmao. Geesh.
lol. sorry my opinion differs from yours.
but i meant exactly what i said. the opposite of "I think it shows you're a professional".
I do NOT think it shows you're a professional.
In my experience, people who think business cards are that important have all been aspiring artists and non-professionals, thus a link was formed in my brain.
carrying around business cards will not, in my opinion, make you more professional than someone who does not.
The industry puts up with a lot of eccentric personalities because they're good at their job. You might have Marry Sunshine sitting a cube away from Grumpy Goth guy. The stick used to measure them wasn't necessarily how great their pitch was but how well they did their job (and if they where planning on murdering anyone sometime soon).
Business cards tend to be a common thing that people looking to get in tend to focus on. Its kind of a classic trap, like someone thinking they need a 100% flash site with lots of crazy animated menus. Or to bedazle a DVD case and physically mail their portfolio to the studio.
Artists don't really embrace the business side of the industry all that much. Marking and management tend to be the business card types. So handing out something that says "hi I'm a serious business guy" might raise an eyebrow or two.
There's about 2 people in our 170-person studio that regularly post on polycount. Perhaps a couple more who post on 3DTotal and other forums. None of them are leads. Just an example...
I always get a bunch at Dare at the end of a conversation, and if they have a portfolio address on there, then I'll check it out.
So far I've only handed mine out when interviewing someone so that they have my contact information "If you think of any questions after the interview, please don't hesitate to email me." (I always respond to those followup emails too).
Im in the same boat, none of the people I have met at GDC ever turned into anything much as I have more time to get to really know the people here on Polycount and they have that chance to get to know me.
I honestly gave out of first professional business card last weekend when I was in some pizza place and some guy noticed by Naughty Dog tshirt and we started chatting. Things arent that important beyond the fact that they look dope as shit ha.
I feel the same with linked in, I know only 1 person where Linked In actually helped them. Most people I know get jobs through hard work and constantly showing off there stuff on Polycount or just keep applying till they get that break. Then you use your friends you make at studios to help you get another job if need be.
I agree, the only artists who i've ever seen/heard of handing out business cards are noobs at conventions trolling every booth with their portfolios trying to get a foot in the door.
So there is most certainly a negative connotation with business cards in the games industry, at-least on the grunt-level, I'm sure its much more common on the management/marketing level though.
Artists get hired by knowing someone at a studio, sending them their portfolio, or by emailing the jobs contact at a studio with your portfolio. An online portfolio is really the most important thing you can have as an artist, a business card ranks somewhere below having a memorable website URL for your portfolio. I've never once been in a situation where having a bussiness card would have helped me get work, as others, I've gotten virtually all of the work in my ~8 year career through contacts with various people on polycount.