2.3: Card & Letterhead Submissions

Wrapping up Lesson 2, we’ve finished up our business cards and letterheads for final review!

My final business card and letterhead did not evolve a whole lot, I admit. I probably could have pushed farther, but my sketches for pattern, shape, different white space, etc. felt like forced decoration more than actual contributions to the overall design. I do firmly believe that a nice pattern used consistently throughout material could add a sense of dynamism that echoes the gold logo “swoosh.

The final business card doesn’t really deviate from the original. I made slight adjustments to positioning and filled in some details. I also double-checked the color to ensure it was consistent, and now I’m sure the dark blue (Pantone 294C) should be the same in print even if it’s not displaying on screen correctly.

The letterhead has some minor changes to the margins around the sidebar text, logo size, and positioning, but it also didn’t change much at this stage. I made the margins for the body more consistent with the sidebar text, as well.

Projects in which my solution is simple make me feel conflicted. The professionals I’ve been lucky enough to work with taught me that less is (usually) more, yet sometimes, I can’t shake the sense that something more might push it forward. Additionally, my perfectionism gets in the way of progress at times like this. I want my work to be precise and accurate. I want it to look great. I can do that by emulating great ITS design from the 20th century, but am I really making a difference by repeating those principles? It’s a difficult call. If I started over on the project, I’d force myself to push through and try something more drastic, but I’m afraid of… being afraid. Hopefully, I’ll let myself branch out more in coming lessons.

‘Til next time!

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Written for PR Publications course at the University of Oklahoma, Lesson 2.3