Calling Cards

The calling card of Marshal Foch

Taking lessons from the Age of Innocence.

The fresh demand for calling cards is driven by a number of factors. In the post-recession economy, job-hunters are finding the calling card a handy way to differentiate themselves from the masses. Another factor is the ongoing "heritage" movement—a nostalgia-tinged societal turn toward objects that last, smolder with individuality and are well-made—which has made its zeitgeisty way into the world of stationery.

And a personalized card acts as a quiet rebuttal to the white noise jabber-jawing of Twitter and Facebook. A rectangular symbol of restraint, the well-conceived card provides its recipient with just enough information.

In other words, these cards don't shout; they flirt—with potential employers, contacts and even love interests.

"A 'calling card' provides relevant information about where to reach you, but also clues about your style and character," said Luke Ives Pontifell, publisher and founder of Thornwillow Press, Ltd., a bespoke stationer based in a drawing room of New York's St. Regis Hotel. "Ultimately, a personal card is a useful tool. It helps you get remembered."

This isn't always the case with electronic exchanges of information. Said Emily Arden Wells, a custom stationer in Brooklyn, N.Y., "You can text your contact details, but they just get lost in that digital device; you forget the person."

Yet it's not entirely a rebuke to the digital age—the new trend falls neatly in line with a social media, personal branding mentality. "People are associating themselves less with corporate identity," said Ms. Wells. "You have your Twitter page, your Facebook page. Everyone's creating their own personas."

For a gentleman's guide to calling cards, go HERE.

For advice on designing calling cards from Southern Accents, go HERE.

More on the history of visiting card protocol, HERE and HERE. Share