It used to be that one would go visiting and leave behind an indication of having called. This was the calling card.
Usually it was imprinted with just a name and perhaps the name of the club that one was a member of. If the person you were visiting was not at home when you called, then the calling card was left on a silver tray for them to take up upon their return.
The position of the card’s placement on the tray, and the bending over of one or another of the card’s corners, held deeper meanings.
These days, the modern business card is printed with a persons name and title, the name, address and logo of their business, their telephone and fax numbers, email addresses, twitter addresses, and facebook and linkedin information. Whew.
In practice, there is so much information contained on a modern business card that it is a wonder that they have remained 2 by 3.5 inches in size and have not ballooned to the size of greeting cards.
The custom business card shown here is understated in its simplicity. Printed in one color, it has an abundance of white space which shows off the letterpress impression nicely and lends a calm and professional air to the image of this company.
Now where did I put my silver calling card tray?