EXAMPLE 338
Forceful business-card treatment exemplified by band-lettering
EXAMPLE 339
Gray-brown stock is suitable for unconventional effects of this kind
EXAMPLE 340
The black monogram has much to do with this card’s attractiveness
BUSINESS CARDS
Polite society requires that a visitor shall be announced by a card bearing his or her name, and the courtesies of business call for this same formality. The man called on unexpectedly is placed at a disadvantage if he has not understood the visitor’s name and has no idea of his business. A card that clearly tells both name and business prevents embarrassment and misunderstanding.
The card makes it unnecessary for the caller to explain who he is. Without the printed information he would likely need to introduce himself thus: “I am James Johnson. I am president of the Johnson Manufacturing Company. We manufacture machinery for the making of paints. Our office is at 320 Broadway. Our telephone number is Worth 4653.” But with all this neatly printed or engraved on a card, dignity is maintained and embarrassment avoided.
The sizes of business cards are far from being standardized. Examination of about one hundred business cards showed a range of sizes from 3 × 1½ to 4 × 2½ inches. The size of which there were most and which gave an indication of standardization was 3½ × 2 inches. Fully one-quarter of the cards were of that size. From this investigation it would seem logical for printers to use that size unless the customer orders otherwise.