ideas for modern day calling cards
November 10, 2023 11:28 AM Subscribe
Just for fun: I'm thinking of having a few cards printed up distinct from my business card, mostly just name and number and I suppose email though perhaps email is as antiquated as calling cards. Things jut to hand to someone I meet and want to keep up with or make music with or what you will. Wondering what would be an amusing bit of text that would feel in character with a calling card. Ideas?
I did this many years ago to easily be able to give my number to parents of kids my kids met. My youngest son's adoption had just been finalized, and the paperwork specified that my partner and I were "reputable persons of good moral character," so I put that on the cards.
posted by Well I never at 11:52 AM on November 10, 2023 [12 favorites]
posted by Well I never at 11:52 AM on November 10, 2023 [12 favorites]
I met someone years ago, when we were both teenagers, who handed me a business card that just had his name and phone number and the phrase "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and a picture of a stegosaurus. Not sure if you want to go around guaranteeing satisfaction, but I found it hilarious and still remember it all these years later.
posted by SeedStitch at 11:52 AM on November 10, 2023 [12 favorites]
posted by SeedStitch at 11:52 AM on November 10, 2023 [12 favorites]
"Professional Expert"
posted by bondcliff at 11:56 AM on November 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 11:56 AM on November 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I actually have letter-press calling cards! They are twee but whatever, go to hell. They don't come in handy often, but they say "you know me from:" with a space at the bottom.
Last time I used them was when my teenage son, who's learning to drive, ran into a brick cart corral at Target, so I got to write "Target parking lot" on the one I gave to the Asset Protection guy.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 12:04 PM on November 10, 2023 [14 favorites]
Last time I used them was when my teenage son, who's learning to drive, ran into a brick cart corral at Target, so I got to write "Target parking lot" on the one I gave to the Asset Protection guy.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 12:04 PM on November 10, 2023 [14 favorites]
"A guy with a card"
posted by SaltySalticid at 12:10 PM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by SaltySalticid at 12:10 PM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
A couple of other ones that come up in law in case you find them more amusing:
"Person skilled in the arts" is used as part of a standard for inventiveness in patent law.
"Objective observer" comes up when you want the perspective of someone a reasonable person, but someone who wasn't directly involved in a particular scenario.
"Saucy Intruder" is someone who doesn't necessarily follow established norms.
"Officious Bystander" is a test that was used in contract law when reading implied terms into contracts.
Those are more like roles for a business card, though.
Calling cards, if they included text other than names, and such, were likely to include details like the day that a family typically received guests, so including something like 'At Home Tuesdays' would be in the line of things, and would probably sufficiently bemuse current readers that they would be memorable. Lines like 'Greetings' or 'Forget Me Not' were sometimes included in the more fanciful Victorian visiting cards.
There was also a whole era of men handing out flirting cards offering to see women home, but that is maybe not a thing to be emulated.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:12 PM on November 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
"Person skilled in the arts" is used as part of a standard for inventiveness in patent law.
"Objective observer" comes up when you want the perspective of someone a reasonable person, but someone who wasn't directly involved in a particular scenario.
"Saucy Intruder" is someone who doesn't necessarily follow established norms.
"Officious Bystander" is a test that was used in contract law when reading implied terms into contracts.
Those are more like roles for a business card, though.
Calling cards, if they included text other than names, and such, were likely to include details like the day that a family typically received guests, so including something like 'At Home Tuesdays' would be in the line of things, and would probably sufficiently bemuse current readers that they would be memorable. Lines like 'Greetings' or 'Forget Me Not' were sometimes included in the more fanciful Victorian visiting cards.
There was also a whole era of men handing out flirting cards offering to see women home, but that is maybe not a thing to be emulated.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:12 PM on November 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
I made social contact info cards for myself. I just used a fun business card template from vista print. They say:
I’m so glad we met.
Firstname Lastname
555-867-5309
Email@email.com
I give them out when I meet someone I’d like to get to know better. It feels like a concrete way to express my interest. (I know this might be too odd for some people… but they wouldn’t be a good match for me anyway.)
posted by theotherdurassister at 12:46 PM on November 10, 2023 [10 favorites]
I’m so glad we met.
Firstname Lastname
555-867-5309
Email@email.com
I give them out when I meet someone I’d like to get to know better. It feels like a concrete way to express my interest. (I know this might be too odd for some people… but they wouldn’t be a good match for me anyway.)
posted by theotherdurassister at 12:46 PM on November 10, 2023 [10 favorites]
I'd be really tempted to put "Math Enthusiast" on there, but I'm no "Bad Ass M.C."
posted by advicepig at 12:51 PM on November 10, 2023
posted by advicepig at 12:51 PM on November 10, 2023
I got those Moo calling cards for a conference I went to, said something like "that weird girl you met somewhere," which is appropriate for me. Nobody ever contacted me from them, though!
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:28 PM on November 10, 2023
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:28 PM on November 10, 2023
I did this as a fairly plain card that could be used for business or personal. I used Moo Cards in the business-card size, put my name at the top, a generic email address and my Google Voice number at the bottom, and a line in the middlle to write more specific ways of contacting me, or "nice to meetcha" I guess. On the back is a silly sort-of riddle based on the Fibonacci sequence.
posted by rhizome at 1:31 PM on November 10, 2023
posted by rhizome at 1:31 PM on November 10, 2023
YouTube recently reminded me of the existence of an old Western I saw a few episodes of as a kid: Have Gun — Wlll Travel .
The main character, played by Richard Boone, was based in San Francisco but traveled around the West righting wrongs – and handing out a business card (pictured in the Wikipedia link about halfway down) with the image of a knight chess piece in the background with HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL emblazoned across the front, and 'wire Paladin San Francisco' below.
I think it might be amusing to make a parody of that card with a slogan like 'HAVE SONGS WILL TRAVEL' or 'HAVE FUN WILL TRAVEL' or 'LOVE SUN WILL TRAVEL' or whatever else might occur to you , together with an appropriate modification of the chess piece, such as a party hat and streamers, or musical notes and a microphone, etc., and your phone and address below.
posted by jamjam at 1:32 PM on November 10, 2023
The main character, played by Richard Boone, was based in San Francisco but traveled around the West righting wrongs – and handing out a business card (pictured in the Wikipedia link about halfway down) with the image of a knight chess piece in the background with HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL emblazoned across the front, and 'wire Paladin San Francisco' below.
I think it might be amusing to make a parody of that card with a slogan like 'HAVE SONGS WILL TRAVEL' or 'HAVE FUN WILL TRAVEL' or 'LOVE SUN WILL TRAVEL' or whatever else might occur to you , together with an appropriate modification of the chess piece, such as a party hat and streamers, or musical notes and a microphone, etc., and your phone and address below.
posted by jamjam at 1:32 PM on November 10, 2023
I have five.
I put a different job title on each. They are:
Leisure Consultant
Secret Agent
Unindicted Co-Conspirator
Philosopher King
Pancake House Cocktail Waitress
My firm rule is that they must be the highest quality I can possibly afford. Letter press. Heavy card stock. Name centered, job title immediately underneath. Telephone number and email address in the bottom right corner. On some, because my last name is Squire, I put "Better Hire Squire" in the bottom left corner, as homage of a kind to Better Call Saul. Pancake House Cocktail Waitress is my favorite, but unindicted co-conspirator is kind of true but I won't be using it any more because of Trump being an unindicted co-conspirator now. ugh.
For a number of years, I had actual calling cards (very different size from business cards) that had my name printed on them and that was all. This was so that I could give the person the information I wanted to give them and nothing else. For example, I could write down the name and author of the book I had just been telling them about, etc. but no telephone number.
posted by janey47 at 2:24 PM on November 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
I put a different job title on each. They are:
Leisure Consultant
Secret Agent
Unindicted Co-Conspirator
Philosopher King
Pancake House Cocktail Waitress
My firm rule is that they must be the highest quality I can possibly afford. Letter press. Heavy card stock. Name centered, job title immediately underneath. Telephone number and email address in the bottom right corner. On some, because my last name is Squire, I put "Better Hire Squire" in the bottom left corner, as homage of a kind to Better Call Saul. Pancake House Cocktail Waitress is my favorite, but unindicted co-conspirator is kind of true but I won't be using it any more because of Trump being an unindicted co-conspirator now. ugh.
For a number of years, I had actual calling cards (very different size from business cards) that had my name printed on them and that was all. This was so that I could give the person the information I wanted to give them and nothing else. For example, I could write down the name and author of the book I had just been telling them about, etc. but no telephone number.
posted by janey47 at 2:24 PM on November 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
oh I also used to know a man whose card read:
Name
Poet, Writer, Tall
He was tall indeed and I suppose that helped people remember him. Because you certainly wouldn't remember him from his poetry.
posted by janey47 at 2:26 PM on November 10, 2023 [7 favorites]
Name
Poet, Writer, Tall
He was tall indeed and I suppose that helped people remember him. Because you certainly wouldn't remember him from his poetry.
posted by janey47 at 2:26 PM on November 10, 2023 [7 favorites]
Response by poster: After all these good ideas, I may be going with a Cole Porter quotation. It's daft and pretentious but it may be the right thing.
posted by less-of-course at 3:17 PM on November 10, 2023
posted by less-of-course at 3:17 PM on November 10, 2023
"Person of interest"
posted by adamrice at 5:24 PM on November 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by adamrice at 5:24 PM on November 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Neat Guy
Since <YYYY>
(didn't realize the <center> tag worked here until just now)
posted by Rash at 8:39 PM on November 10, 2023
Someone gave me a round business card with the job title "dot connector" on it. So memorable!
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 5:17 AM on November 11, 2023
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 5:17 AM on November 11, 2023
I'd love a shaped card, but they always fall out of my wallet or get in the way somehow, or lost because they don't fit with other cards.
posted by rhizome at 9:22 AM on November 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rhizome at 9:22 AM on November 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
"I could tell you, but then..."
posted by jacquilynne at 7:12 PM on November 11, 2023
posted by jacquilynne at 7:12 PM on November 11, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:36 AM on November 10, 2023 [10 favorites]