ajue80’s Neighborhood

Freelance life can be tough. Long gaps between commissions. Accounts departments who just can't seem to find your invoice. Not to mention the ever-present need to get your work seen by the people who count.

Jonny Wan, a freelance illustrator from Sheffield, knows all about that. A graduate of the Manchester School of Art, he's constantly striving to ensure his unique illustrative style (think abstracted facial expressions, patterns, symmetry and hand-drawn lettering) snags the attention of creative directors everywhere – and he does so via Business Cards and Postcards from MOO.

MOO first caught his eye at his university degree show, where he noticed that all the students' cutest promo materials were produced by the same company – MOO! Then we tempted him with a free Business Card sample, giving him a chance to try our ordering software ("simple, logical and gives the user complete control") and evaluate our print quality and finishing ("very pleasing"). Duly hooked, Jonny ordered a set of Postcards and some Business Cards featuring a range of his work, and is preparing to send them off to art directors as we speak.

As an illustrator, working in a visual medium, presentation is very important to Jonny. "I like to make little promotional packs of my postcards and business cards", he says. "I send them out packaged in self-seal clear bags. It's good to put real thought into how the art director receives your promo materials – it's boring to just whack some cards in an envelope."

Like many creative types, Jonny's happiest when he's working, even between commissions. An example of this is his self-initiated "Can't Afford It" project. Whenever he wants an item of clothing he can't afford, he draws it instead! Eventually to be self-published as a book, working like this helps him improve his work rate, hone his Photoshop and Illustrator skills, and keep his unique style fresh and ever-evolving.

No matter how his style develops, MOO's short print runs means that his promotional materials are always in step with his latest work. "As an illustrator, your style is always changing and improving. The last thing you want is to end up with a thousand cards of the same design. You need to keep existing and future clients up to date with your freshest, latest work, because essentially they will hire you based on what they see on your promo material. It's no good for an art director to commission you only to find that your illustrative style has changed or moved on." He laughs. "After all, you wouldn't be happy buying a Jay-Z CD to find a Metallica disc inside, right?"

When designing his cards, Jonny also took advantage of a new feature that allows users to upload images for both the front and the back of the Business Cards. "Anything that gives you more options allows room for creative control – and it's that kind of flexibility that keeps me coming back to MOO. The ability to upload images for both sides of the Business Cards enables you to make the cards completely unique."

"A business card is usually the first point of contact between a new client and an illustrator, so it's important your card jumps out at people while being straight and upfront with your contact details. The fact that the cards can be individual rather than generic also gives a sense of professionalism – people can be impressed that you've put the effort into designing your own cards. A little effort can go a long way."

Jonny's constantly thinking of new ways to promote his work using MOO products. "I love the Stickers – I can see them being a very unique selling point. They're a little different and unexpected, which is beneficial in an industry where everyone strives to promote themselves in a unique way."  

MiniCards appeal to him for the same reason. "MiniCards are great because they get straight to the point and don't take up a lot of space. Art directors get bombarded with samples every morning. They open their mail and have to make snap decisions about what to keep and what to chuck."

"They're more likely to pin a MiniCard onto their noticeboard than, say, a leaflet, because they know it won't take up a lot of space. And if your work's on their noticeboard, they're more likely to bear you in mind when it comes to commissioning. And that's what it's all about!"

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Thanks for talking to us Jonny! We look forward to seeing more of your work soon.

Like Jonny's work? He's available for commissions so get in touch, and say hello from us too.

(again, this is just satire)

Yang Dipertua,

It has come to my attention that slapping is now being a culture among Malaysians, particularly amongst teachers and students for their late attendance to classes. As such I wish to propose measures to ensure equality amongst Malaysians, as per the 1 Malaysian motto’s wish to increase performance.

Firstly, since students arriving 10 minutes late to classes will be slapped, teachers who arrives late of the same duration, or leaves classes early of the same duration, will be receiving a slap from every member of the class.

This also applies to students and lecturers in our higher learning centres.

Similarly, this culture must also be implemented in the workplace to encourage performance of employees as well as employers.

The slapping of employees arriving 10 minutes late to work will be encouraged, as will the slapping of managers by all his subordinates for arriving late of the same duration.

This culture will also be implemented into contractors who are late in their construction projects. For every 10 minute delay, the government, or owner of the project, and the financiers, are allowed to slap the contractor and members of the crew.

Similarly, to encourage the culture within the government, all government projects that are delayed will be punished with a slap for every 10 minute delay for the minister whose signature approved said project. The rakyat will also be allowed to take part in this culture. If the rakyat were to meet an MP that has yet to keep an electoral promise within his area, he is encouraged to slap the fellow MP for each 10 minute delay he has made for implementing his promises.

Yang Dipertua,

If somehow slapping a student for being 10 minutes late will encourage him to come in early and be on time, then I suggest, with our culture being one that wishes to put ‘performance now’, then we as the government should be the first to experience and put this into practice.

*slaps Anwar for failing his government takeover last September 16*

After giving you the story behind Perch's MiniCards, we thought we should catch up with photographer, Simon Warren. Also featured on our MiniCards page, he's been taking advantage of the latest features and comparing them with the larger Business Cards he's been using (and loving) for a while. Here's what he had to say:

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Simon Warren is one of the UK's top location photographers. He's been using MOO's Business Cards to showcase his outstanding graphic images: bold exteriors, sleek interiors, arresting construction shots and more.

Though happy with the size and scope of the Business Cards, he's recently been experimenting with MiniCards, with positive results.



A hardcore Business Card fan, Simon was initially worried by the slimmed-down dimensions of the MiniCards (about half the size of a full-size business card.)

"At first, I was concerned that the cards would be simply too small to showcase my photos effectively", he explains. "But actually, this can work very well. The cards show snippets of images – almost abstract – giving a hint of information, but (quite literally) not the full picture."

Rather than being a hindrance, this fits well with other design aspects of his brand. "My website works in exactly the same way – visitors are shown an interesting or intriguing section of an image, which they click to see in full. It’s a simple but effective way to get people involved and interacting with my work." 



He also likes the impact the MiniCards can have when shown together. "Once you have a whole bunch of cards spread out on the table, the viewer is able to get a better impression of your work than a single image can provide, so that's how I like to show them. Then I let the viewer choose whichever one they want. The fact that they've been involved in the choice often helps them remember your work better than if you simply thrust a card into their hand.

"I often refer to my MOO Business Cards as my ‘mini-portfolio’. My MiniCards are now my mini-mini portfolio!" he laughs. "Sometimes when you're carrying a full set of business cards around in a holder, it can be a little clunky. At a very basic level, they're physically easier to carry around with you. As a photographer, you carry so much equipment with you - that's a big plus."



Simon's also pleased with his MiniCard holder. "It swings open sideways and then you push the cards out with your thumb. It's unusual and I think people like that.

"At networking events so many people are handing out conventional business cards in conventional holders. Sometimes that's what you want, but other times it's good to stand out a little. MiniCards can help you do just that."

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Thanks for chatting with us Simon!
Find out more about Simon's work, or check out his portfolio.

Road Recommendations for 1Malaysia

Yang Dipertua,

For those who may be clueless, Malaysians are among the most creative drivers in Asia.

This is based on the fact that they put their rude and thoughtless acts when they’re in person and follow it through behind the steering wheel as well.

I think it was about two years ago that I ranted on the perfect Malaysian car for sale in this nation.

First and foremost, it’s got to be cheap, since this is what Malaysians will always look for.

In lieu of the constant experiences on the road I actually came up with some suggestions for the Malaysian automotive industry to follow to make cars cheaper.

First and foremost, Malaysian cars should only have one headlight, since this appears to be the trend among Malaysian drivers. Also, remove the signal lights. Nobody uses them.

Thirdly, make the car a two seater with a fast revving engine that can cut into any queue in a traffic jam. Also, attach a claxon loud enough so that when someone vents, they can press the horn loud enough to attract the attention of the traffic police riders, which are nonexistent or merely there to escort VIPs.

Recently, their duties have added the additional need to become traffic lights for municipalities and town councils who are too cheap or stupid to switch their ancient timer systems to sensor technology.

In addition to this, all roundabouts should be flattened and made into crossroads, since every person driving from out of Shah Alam doesn’t know how to determine which lane to take while using one. And even then, they have a problem with queuing and even waiting for traffic lights.

Roads in Putrajaya will come with walls instead of dividers to avoid cars flipping over to the other side while driving too fast and losing control, to simply kill the idiotic driver instead of having the reckless driver survive and kill off an entire family which cushioned her fall as she flipped over.

During the festive season, while it is a tradition to give out coffee at rest stops, I suggest that we just get along with the fact that these acts are not lessening deaths on highways. Therefore, I put forth a motion that we stop bothering to give people coffee, and start handing out body bags instead to quicken the clearing of the highways to avoid massive jams.

In fact, whenever an accident occurs, perhaps we could get all those roadwork video screens to post pictures of the accident to stop people from needing to slow down to look at the accident. Furthermore, the picture must also show the license plates of the total vehicles clearly, so that some of us can get to the nearest 4D store and buy their numbers.

Heck, let Sports Toto open a booth right at the accident site.

All toll lanes are to be equipped with Smart Tag, Touch n Go and cash payment methods, since Malaysians being idiots can’t seem to understand just which lane to get to while reaching the toll plaza. This will increase the speed of traffic at toll gates, thus removing traffic jams caused by confused morons who can’t even be bothered to determine their lanes because they have to reach the toll gate driving 100 km/h.

Further improvements to be made would be to permanently attach the Smart Tag to people’s foreheads to avoid them from reaching for the device last minute while driving into the gate and thus causing the system to malfunction.

A change in the law is also necessary, especially in the case of motorcycles and tailgaters.

Cars that crash during tailgating when the forward driver suddenly breaks will be considered suicide and will be charged with manslaughter caused by extreme idiocy.

Similarly, motorcyclists that die on the highway will be labelled as suicide by idiocy and, if he survives, will be charged with reckless endangerment. Should there be more than one person on the bike, it will be labelled a mass suicide.

Should tailgaters and motorcyclists survive, they shall be put on a blacklist in which every salesman approached for a vehicle purchase by these individuals have a right to defecate on them, slap them, piss on their foot or even spit on their faces .

Yang Dipertua, the government needs to accept the fact that stupid is what stupid does. As such, there’s no dealing with stupid, then to let such lives expire due to their own stupidity and arrogance.

As you are probably aware, Royal Mail have scheduled further strikes this week. Please note this only affects "Standard" delivery to UK addresses, not Express.

Local delivery services and the sorting office at Royal Mail HQ will be closed this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We want to make sure that your order doesn't get caught in the backlog and we have some alternatives for you to think about when placing your order.

Express
At checkout, you can choose our Express service. This is a guaranteed, signed for service, which is totally unaffected by the strikes. UK Express starts at £10 and is definitely value for money. You will be able to track the delivery online and the service is 1-3 days guaranteed (once shipped).

Collection
During the strike action, we are offering a special collection service. If you are based locally to our Clerkenwell warehouse in London, please send us your order number via the contact form, quoting COLLECTION in the subject line. We'll then flag your order for collection and give you instructions on how/where to collect your order. This is for a limited time only, so be sure to get your order in ASAP!

In the meantime, fingers crossed for a speedy resolution to these disputes.

As you know, we've updated the features on MiniCards. You can upload an image for the front and the back - and there are some other neat features too. On the MiniCards page, you'll find some images of real cards. Ones our customers have made - like these, from Perch:

We contacted Perch after seeing their cards at dConstruct, a conference in Brighton. We liked them so much, we wondered what they'd do with the new features we had planned for MiniCards. The cards above are the ones they made, and this is the story behind them.

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Perch is a "really little" content management system. (Their words, not ours!) It's designed to be simple, straightforward, and easy to get running, so that even internet novices can edit content on a small website with no muss and no fuss. The really little CMS also has a really neat little price and, confesses Drew McLellan, Director and Senior Developer at edgeofmyseat, the company behind Perch, a slimmed-down marketing budget to match.  

Despite this, Perch have been using their MiniCards to do mighty things. Things that might have carried a hefty price tag with another printer. Prior to launch, Perch produced a batch of MOO MiniCards with a special 20% discount code on the back – a time-tested, traditional way to promote a product, which gave people a reason to hold onto the card until the company went live.  

After launch, they began to look at new ways to market themselves, by sponsoring conferences, and speaking about Perch at events. In order to test the effectiveness of such activities, they needed a way to track where their site visitors had heard about the product - and this is where the mighty MiniCard things started happening.  

Rather than the general discount card they'd used previously, Perch ordered some new MiniCards, with unique discount codes on the front where the photo normally goes. They wrote some software to generate the codes, and output an XML file that they then "mail merged" into their images using the Data-Driven Graphics tool in Adobe Fireworks. This created 100 unique images for each batch of MiniCards, which they then uploaded as part of each order.

"The ability to have 100 unique cards in a run of 100 has been fantastic for us", says Drew. "Doing it any other way would have been a nightmare. Firstly it would have been difficult just to find someone able to do it, and you can bet it would have been expensive - probably too expensive to be worth doing! Now when someone uses a discount code, we can tell which event they picked up the card at by tracking the code back through our systems."

Perch also find MOO's short print runs to be very handy, because each batch they order is a small commitment both financially, and in terms of strategy. Fresh illustration work, a small tweak to the logo – all can be incorporated into the MiniCards next time a batch is produced. "The fact that we order 100 cards at a time means it's no hassle to make that sort of change", says Drew, "and it's great to order up some new cards knowing that the wastage from the old cards is really minimal. We've probably got about £5-worth of unused old design cards sitting around, which is nothing. If we were printing traditionally at volume then you're tied in and can't stay nimble."

"MOO's generally our first port of call when we need something printed", says Drew. "We've been really pleased with the quality and the ability to click a few things on a web page and have something physical that you've created turn up at your door is awesome."

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Thanks to Drew for taking the time to talk to us - and thanks to Anne-Marie for writing this up. Find out more about Perch and what it can do for you, or make some MiniCards of your own.

Well, my birthday was yesterday on the 19th of October. I'm 26. In other words, I am old and I have the gray hairs to prove it.

Or that could be the results of writing about politics.

So....what should I write here?

Let's start with this..

That's right, I got a ring. In fact, it's the first ring I've ever worn, given to me by the guy I love.

That was what the weekend was about. Getting to know a guy I've been head over heels for the past 2 months, who I've known for at least 4 months.

An interesting development, I'd think.

It was also the first time he offered me the papers to keep up with national politics and I turned it down. It wasn't a time for me to get all pensive and consider what to write, when I only have a weekend with him since he's working out of town.

You've been asking for improvements on our first ever product and we’re excited to say they're finally here. MOO MiniCards now offer even more creative possibilities - and some of your most requested features.

There’s now the option to choose from a bigger range of fonts, colours and templates to personalise the ‘details side’ of your cards. We’ve also added the option to upload your own logo, or choose an icon from our brand new selection.

Want to upload an entire image for the details side of the card? No problem. Just like our larger Business Cards, you can now upload a full JPEG or PDF.

 At the end of the process  check your cards (text and images) on a brand new preview page – another chance to check your spellink  spelling, and make sure you’re happy with your images.  

 

And, last, but not least, all that goodness is packed into a very smart new MiniCard presentation case! Designed in-house by Paul, our product designer, it’s sturdy but recyclable card.

Enough already? Go take a look at the New and improved MiniCards for yourselves!

Matthew Handy knows how. He's a private maths teacher, providing tuition to individuals and small groups to help them pass their Maths and Further Maths A-levels. He helps with undergraduate courses with mathematical content, and advises pupils on UCAS, including Oxbridge. He also designs some rather nifty business cards – take a look at these Bauhaus-inspired beauties...

His cards feature mathematical theorems and diagrams in classic red, black and white colours, turning what might have been a potentially dry and challenging business card into a beautiful visual object that can also, of course, double up as a study aid. We got in touch with Matthew to tell him how much we liked his cards, and to find out how a maths guru like him developed such a knack for canny self-marketing.

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We love the design of your cards – very creative and graphic. How have the cards been received? Do they seem to stick in people's minds?

The first print run (of 200) ran out within a week! Students love them because they cover the topics that they have the most difficulty remembering. Although mathematics is about understanding, it is much easier if you've learnt the building blocks. For younger students it's the times tables. At A-level, it's the material that I've put on my cards. I got so frustrated at writing out those formulas over and over again and this seemed the perfect way of promoting my services and demonstrating how useful they could be.

If you don't mind us saying, graphic design and self-marketing is not normally a skill you associate with maths tutors, yet you seem to have quite a flair for it. How do you come up with your marketing concepts?

I've always been fascinated by page design. As a young kid I used to collect headed notepaper. I would write to big companies, just so they'd write back and I could add to my collection. I first discovered the Apple Mac at university - it blew me away - and since then I've worked on a number of design projects: from books and newspapers, to corporate image work for schools, a restaurant and a record company.

You founded Ivory Tower magazine at Cambridge, and launched MXpress, a newspaper for young people, after you graduated. Is the creative and practical side of magazine publishing something that appeals to you?

I love the whole process of producing something printed. Watching the first copies of MXpress coming off the presses was incredible: this huge room-sized machine, manned by half a dozen people, churning out tens of thousands of copies of something I'd created. It was like watching the birth of my first child. I love print.

Speaking of print - paper finish: Green or Classic for your Business Cards?

I've so far always opted for the Classic. It's beautiful. That's part of the pleasure I get from print: the physical feel of the material. I really should try the Green, though.

Did you find MOO's creation and ordering process easy to use?

I'm a control freak, so I love the process. I can change things as often as I want without annoying anyone!

Any plans to use MOO cards in other ways in the future? For example, have you thought of doing a set of 50 and giving / selling them as a complete set of study tips?

That's certainly on the cards (excuse the pun!). I've also thought about using the MiniCards as key-ring crib sheets.

Are MOO's short print runs useful to you?

I'm a huge fan of MOO. Everything is so stylish, and it's all done with a real sense of fun. The small print runs allow experimentation and flexibility, which is terrific for a small business like mine.

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Thanks to Matthew Handy for chatting with us - for more information about his tuition or to book yourself a lesson, visit his site.

And for those who are confused by the 's' on the end of the word 'math' - that's just the way we say it in the UK ;-)

As some of you may already know, there has been extensive industrial action  by Royal Mail workers in the UK over the past few weeks.

This is only affecting our UK based customers, not everyone purchasing from the UK store.

Customers have been experiencing small delays and we encourage anyone based in the UK to allow a little extra time for delivery.

If you want to avoid the strikes altogether, please use our Express service, which is fully trackable and usually delivered the day after the items are dispatched.

Intermittent local and regional strikes by both collection and sorting services, plus your personal mailmen, are ongoing and at this point no resolution has been reached. At a recent Royal Mail member's meeting 76% of postal workers voted for a national strike, which at this point has not been finalized or scheduled. We will be doing our best to keep UK customers in the loop.

For daily updates on the UK Royal Mail strikes, and how they might be affecting you, keep an eye on the Royal Mail site.