Do Animators Still Need Business Cards?

At the recent VFX Festival in London's Shoreditch a number of our students were meeting with recruiters from some of the big VFX houses such as MPC and Framestore. I asked the students - have you brought business cards?

Almost none had. In this digital age, you might think that business cards might be a little old-fashioned, but actually, they're still an important part of the jobs toolkit.

An attractive business card is still the best way to hand over your details to a stranger. Especially when you meet a recruiter, it's important that are able to easily access all the important information they need to know about you: your name, email address, phone number - and a link to your website or blog. The easiest way to do this is via a business card - better by miles than writing your phone number on a cocktail napkin or a scrap of paper.

The good news is that business cards are nowadays very cheap to make. I generally use Moo.com; their interface is simple and easy to use, and within a few minutes you can place an order for 50 cards for just £15.

Wherever and whenever you go, and especially when you meet recruiters at events like the VFX festival, students and graduates should always make sure you have a polished demo reel, and up-to-date CV or resume, and a sack full of business cards.  If you are making contacts (which is a good thing), you will be handing out a lot of cards.

A well-polished business card is still the best way to say "here is who I am" and "don't forget me tomorrow".

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our BA/MArt in 3D Animation, follow this link.  To apply for our storyboarding evening class, visit this page here.  For the next 12 week animation course, click here. And to apply for the next evening class in Producing Animation, see this page.