Aspiring Designer Business Cards for Convention

Hi TwentyPercent!
I have some feedback after looking at your card.

1. You ARE a game designer! So claim it!
2. It looks a little boring of a card, to be honest. Do something colorful or bold or that somehow would stand out if pinned on a wall of cards.
3. Think outside the box. Here's what I did....
I am a game designer who just recently went to my very first game convention here in KC called "Kantcon". My game involves small tiles for which I happen to have finished the artwork. I used TheGameCrafter.com to produce larger/novelty size tiles with my info such as game name, twitter name, and website, on the back. People seemed to really like them and see them as more like things they'd want to keep as opposed to just a business card which will get thrown away. Is there something in your game that you can use as a takeaway to hand out to people? They can know they have a piece of art or a component that won't be available to Kickstarter backers or whatever channels you use.

Best of luck!

-Ben Mora
Mora Games

I agree your card could be much more interesting and inspiring...imagine if you were handed that card; would you be inspired to contact that person and work with them? You may not be an artist, but I'm sure with a little time you could create something far more impactful.

For instance it seems you're looking for partners on a specific game, so perhaps using some stock art to help bring the theme to life would work. There are some great game-specific art sites you could look into.

Maybe give the text the flavor of recruitment; you are the king looking for your elite group to help drive your game to victory! Make it a call to action, something that sounds exciting...something that will make people need to know more. Above all else, you need this card to get people to respond.

Here's a list that user Gabe was kind enough to post on another thread...hope these help!

www.thenounproject.com

www.game-icons.net

www.nga.gov

www.openclipart.org

www.oldbookillustrations.com

www.nypl.org

www.nasa.gov

www.photos-public-domain.com

Hey David,

First off, welcome to the world of game design. While business cards are a great way to create contacts it is really all about making genuine connections with other designers. We are a pretty friendly bunch so that should be easy. Be interested in their games and in them and you will be networking in no time.

Now if your game is being released next year you will want to start getting visibility now. Get mailing lists (mailchimp is good) and social media accounts set up. If you can get a website too, doesn't have to be flashy just functional.

Hope this helps. If you need any specific info drop me a pm.

Or close - I suggest putting your face on it.

If I had to guess what the place of business cards is today, it's about remembering a person you met personally. In that case, I'd want the card to trigger:

• Who you are: Hence a picture of you to help with name-to-face recognition.
• Why I'd contact you: Keywords to remind them of your skillset. The design of the card can help in this, too. Like the suggestions above of using game-tiles as cards. Though don't get too fancy, as the 'cool card' might become the focus rather than the person it's about.
• The context of our meeting: For this, I'd less worry about the style of the card, and more about what you do with it. I suggest carrying a pen or marker around with you as well, and writing "Great talking about Game X at Gencon with you!" or whatever on the card before you hand it over.

Good luck! And are you coming to the BGDF live design showdown at GenCon? Prizes! Celebrity Judges! Free stuff!

Hey Travis!

It sounds like you and I are at a a similar place with our games going into GenCon, and handling the event very similarly (I'm volunteering with Greater Than Games).

I actually debated back and forth with business cards and decided I wanted to hold off because I don't feel like my game is quite in a state to show off in that manner just yet, but I definitely came really close to getting some printed (still could at officemax if I suddenly changed my mind).

Anyway, if you were interested I'd love to meet up at the con and chat about our experiences and woes of being new game designers, even if I don't have a business card to give you!

-Alex

Hey David!

Oops! That's what I get for posting that at 1 in the morning. Sorry about the name mess-up. :)

That sounds like a very solid way of handling it. Networking and getting yourself out there is definitely important for both finding a publisher and crowdfunding (not that I'm in an expert's position to actually say that of my own experience).

My game (Rumors of Chaos) is in a late alpha stage where the mechanics are working well and most of the content is created and I'm about 90% done with preliminary (ie will need a lot more work before it's final) graphic design. I'm definitely planning on going the self-publishing kickstarter route because of creative control.

Are you bringing the not review ready version of King's Legion with you? I'd love to see what you've done so far. I'm in the same boat as you with not having really interacted with other designers much in person. I'll send you a pm with more contact info, and we'll make it happen!

Alex