The MOO MiniCards Networking Hack!
If you have ever struggled to swap business cards without coming across as a complete networking n00b, then this hack is for you!
I accidentally stumbled upon this hack at a conference; my pockets were full so I clipped my MOO MiniCard Holder to my lanyard.
Someone spotted the holder and asked what it was, so I flipped it open to reveal the MOO MiniCards inside; they got a kick out of it and asked if they could take a card—pretty slick don’t you think?
Why it Works…
The MOO MiniCards networking hack is pretty simple yet effective for two reasons:
- First, the holder is discreet yet unique enough to make someone take notice and hopefully wonder what it is.
- Second, the MOO MiniCards themselves are extremely unique; I have yet to see someone react negatively or indifferent towards them.
Obviously, not everyone asks about the holder, yet people still find amusement in seeing you reveal the unique cards that hide inside.
Also, there’s no substitute for old-fashioned networking and mingling—MOO MiniCards will help you make an impression but they won’t do all the work for you.
Designing Your Own…
Thankfully, MOO provides a myriad of ways to design your own MOO MiniCards; currently you can upload a custom design, you can select from a set of ready made designs, or you can import photos from Flickr and a slew of other social networking sites.
Personally, I went with a simple retro look based on Fruit Stripe gum; although I’ve seen some really neat designs like Jeff Moriarty’s MOO MiniCards.
The striped design was created in Adobe Illustrator, although you could easily do something like this using any image editing software like Photoshop—you could even try using PowerPoint or Keynote if your resources are limited.
Design Tips
If you’re a DIY kind of person, then here are some important things to note:
MOO provides a PhotoShop (PSD) MiniCard Template for you to use. When I first created my MOO MiniCards, I created them as jpegs that were about 10 times larger than the template dimensions to make my edges sharper. Since then, MOO now has the option to upload a PDF of your artwork and that’s what I’ve been using (that’s also what MOO recommends).
Design Resources
It wouldn’t be The Closet Entrepreneur blog if I didn’t have some freebies to give, so here you go:
- MOO MiniCard PhotoShop PSD Template – okay, maybe this isn’t truly a freebie since it’s provided by MOO.
- Retro Fruit Stripe Gum Style Template – this is the actual MOO MiniCard design I created in Adobe Illustrator CS3—simply color in the stripes to your liking and replace my name with yours.
NOTE: The retro Fruit Stripe style template is being provided free under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. Basically what that means is:
- You’re free to copy, distribute, and remix the template.
- If you do alter, transform, or build upon the template, then please distribute the resulting work under the same or similar Creative Commons license.
- You may not use the template for commercial purposes.
- Lastly, give me some props by attributing the template to ‘The Closet Entrepreneur’ and provide a link back to this blog post on your blog/site.
Design Ideas
There are hundreds of business card galleries out there, but here are some of the latest ones I’ve come across:
- Card Observer is a gallery of great business card designs.
- Dailypoetics’ Business Cards Set on Flickr is a must see.
- The MOO MiniCards Pool on Flickr has a variety of designs specific to MOO.
- You can find more examples via my delicious business card bookmark.
In Conclusion…
I’m a huge MOO MiniCard fan, although I wish MOO would let us create MiniCards using their 100% post-consumer chlorine-free recycled paper. Regardless, the MiniCards are printed on elemental chlorine free (ECF) paper sourced from sustainable forests so I’ll remain patient for now.
So have you had any success with a unique business card design, or do you have any networking hacks that you’ve employed successfully? If so, then feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur
» This entry was filed under Advice and tagged with: branding, businesscards, networking, Tutorials
23 Comments
Ezra Hilyer
Cool post, I found your blog after looking through Moo card photos on Flickr. I am adding you to my RSS feed, and look forward to reading more.
-Ezra Hilyer
http://www.straypoetry.com
Mar 27th, 2009
GoEverywhere Team
Now that is one of the simplest, most effective little networking tools I have seen in quite a while. It gets attention, it stands out, and it still communicates the things that you need to communicate.
I guarantee you I will be heading over there shortly to see what they have to offer. Thanks for the review!
Mar 27th, 2009
TOMAS
@GoEverywhere Team – You’re welcome and definitely check them out! 🙂
Another nice thing about them is that small quantities can be purchased—so if you’re the kind of person that likes to make changes to business cards often, then you don’t have to worry about ordering too many cards that will eventually be thrown out.
Mar 27th, 2009
Vince
I have been wanting to get some minicards, I love how customizable they are!
Also, I love the shirt, I have that shirt and it’s one of my favorites.
Mar 27th, 2009
TOMAS
@Vince – The MOO MiniCards are definitely worth a try! I totally hear you on the shirt too; I was so glad to see it win that weeks derby. 🙂
Mar 30th, 2009
Rob
Whoa, thats a woot! shirt! I wanted that one!
Apr 9th, 2009
TOMAS
@Rob – Yeah, I jumped on the deal the second that shirt showed up in my feed reader. 😉
Apr 9th, 2009
Roy Vergara
awesome suggestion! this is one of those “why didn’t i think of that” solutions. putting minicards in your wallet probably doesn’t hold up as well as this does 🙂
Apr 13th, 2009
TOMAS
@Roy Vergara – Thanks! BTW, don’t abandon the MiniCards in your wallet idea; I’ve run out of MiniCards before and now stash a few extra in my wallet just in case I run out again. 😉
Apr 14th, 2009
Ricardo Bueno
Personally, I like moo cards. They’re different…unique. I’ve heard others react in a negative way but whatever, I like them. They invoke a reaction from people and the reaction is what I’m looking for. That has a bigger impact in my opinion than no reaction at all.
Apr 29th, 2009
ben
I guarantee you I will be heading over there shortly to see what they have to offer. Thanks for the review!
Apr 30th, 2009
TOMAS
@Ricardo Bueno – Thankfully, I have yet to witness someone react differently to them, then again I’ve busted them out during events catering to creative and design folks—it would be interesting to see how they fare in ‘professional’ environment. 🙂
@ben – You’re welcome. 😉
May 7th, 2009
Joy Argow
Hey mate
great blog. I would totally agree that the little card holder + the cards is a sure way to grab peoples attention. That’s how I got hooked myself! I even like the little plastic box the spare cards come in to be honest. I never was a fan of vista prints cardboard boxes that get wrecked in their travels!
There’s a pic of mine at http://www.aussiejoyslife.com
Onya
Joy
Jul 30th, 2009
TOMAS
@Joy Argow – Nice Moo MiniCards Joy, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Aug 2nd, 2009
Scott Letts
Great review! Moo cards are great because you can print each card with a different design! I decided to take advantage of this by using a different design for each industry that I target with my designs. For example; I approach the construction industry, plumbers, lawn mowers, sparkys etc. Having a design for each industry gives the impression that I am solely designing for them.
Here are some examples of what I mean:
http://www.scottletts.com/moo_minicards.php
Oct 26th, 2009
fortrelly
MOO uses terrible quality paper stock – you will look like an amateur using these guys to print your designs. In addition, their customer service is absolutely abominable and they are not cheap for what you get. There are MUCH MUCH better companies out there if you do your research. MOO will take your money and send you crap (probably late and in some cases, the wrong order). Too many people have complained about these guys. Go elsewhere!
Jan 31st, 2010
Bryan Gyg Jebavy
The lanyard is neat and I’m glad it works well for you. Personally, I’m not a fan of MOO cards or any dramatically offsized business card simply because it goes from standing out to being obnoxious to keep track of and file.
Jul 10th, 2010
Sandra
I did read bad reviews about Moo’s customer service and a few delays or order mistakes but I wouldn’t say their paper quality is terrible…
I don’t use them anymore because of their price and matt finish that darkens the designs too much, colors are not popping out…
I found another company that does minicards http://www.myminicards.com and they’re definitely cheaper than Moo
I’ve placed a few orders in the past year or so and have never experienced a single glitch.
Sandra
Jul 12th, 2010
Claire
How is this a ‘hack’ exactly?
Sep 13th, 2010
Meme
I so love all of your info, You have inspired me! Thanks sooooo much!!!!
Jan 30th, 2011
Jeff J
Thanks for all of the help. Its ridiculous to search Moo’s site for that template. That helped me immensely!
Mar 31st, 2014
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