The cobbler’s children have new shoes and I have new business cards…finally. If you aren’t familiar with the cobbler fable, it’s about a shoemaker who is so busy making shoes for his customers that he neglects the needs of his own children. The reference is often used when someone with a specific skill seems to ignore their own needs – a painter whose own home needs painting for instance. In my case, the designer without current business cards.

Designers are typically their own worst clients. We can represent ourselves in any style and probably over think our personal design problems. Often, in the middle of working on our own projects our attention is redirected back to the needs of our clients. Just like the busy cobbler.

I’ve attempted to design the card several times without success. It wasn’t good enough to simply present the Public Image Design branding and contact information in a well structured layout. I wanted something special. Memorable.

One of the challenges was accommodating social media information. I’m active on Twitter and LinkedIn and wanted to add those references without crowding the card. The solution was a two-sided card with a corporate side and a social side. Twitter was easy. I used my avatar image and simple @Daryl_Woods username. LinkedIn was harder to deal with. The written link is really long and just didn’t fit my design. Then I read a post by Chris Brogan about using QR codes. Specifically, his article provided a link to a website that creates a QR code that connects to your LinkedIn profile. Perfect!

The QR code on my business card does more than solve my layout issue. It demonstrates my awareness of new technology. I watched carefully as I presented the new card to a client. Within seconds he flipped it over and enthusiastically commented on the code. Apparently he had just been involved in a discussion about them. I’m not sure how successful QR codes will be in the marketplace but for now, anyone with a reader on their smart phone will likely respond well to my QR enabled card. Try it now! Right from your screen.