The other day I read a post by a designer who posed the question: “Should we be including mailing addresses on business cards?” He stated that out of 38 cards he viewed on a design site, only 6 included mailing addresses. I didn’t want to take this guys word for it. So I went online and looked through some of the sites that I use for inspiration. Sure enough, only 6 of the first 30 samples in the gallery had a mailing address. Has this total stranger lifted the vail from my eyes?
I’ve designed my fair share of business cards. Historically, clients supply address, phone, fax etc. — you choose type, font size and design away. Done and done. But I’ve never found myself stopping to consider that maybe by not including a mailing address we can increase communication for ourselves, and for our clients.
New technologies are being invented almost every month, getting us closer and closer to being in the same room without actually being in the same room. When you have biz phone, cell phone, email, Skype, texting and iChat to choose from… who is going to use a stamp?
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I did some digging, and here is something to consider. According to statistics taken from USPS.com: mail volume in the fiscal year 2008 declined by 4.5 percent compared to the previous year. And is stated to be the largest decline since 2002.
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Like every other debate; there are pro’s and con’s to this simple idea. Maybe the address itself is a big deal. Or maybe your client is proud to be locally owned and operated and they want to promote it. This isn’t a right or wrong blog post. This issue is not about to save the world. It’s probably not about to be the big WIN with your client. But as an art director it seems it might be something we should start considering. Taking the time to consider any issue we can that ensures the success of our clients. Which in-turn will make you, or your agency more successful. Something to consider.
