Who Knows Your Company Name in Brentwood?

 What do you do for a living and how can people reach you?   No, do not answer that question.  That interrogative sentence is actually what one can see in a business card.  Indeed, business cards have been a useful and indispensable weapon of practically anyone— most especially those who are in the trade.  Any standard business card contains your name or the name of your company, the contact number, fax number, email address, and the business address.  This portable piece of paper, usually 3 x 2 inches, is now as common as the pebble on the ground.  Ordinary it is, it has an interesting history.

 Business cards were thought to have originated in Asia especially in China in the 15th Century.  The early Chinese regarded the card as an annex of a person and it must be treated the way one treated the card owner.  To complicate things, the giving of cards is done as a customary rite and harsh punishment awaits those who do not comply. 

 Things got better during the 17th Century where the business cards were introduced in France as Visite Biletes, or visiting cards.  The visiting cards had been a part of royalty and nobility where the attendant of an eminent person had to give it out to others in anticipation of the important person’s arrival.  Also, the cards were used in the same way we use fancy papers now—  for writing notes and brief messages.  King Louis XIV had elevated the importance of the visiting cards to a higher level.

 Furthermore, these cards had already been embellished with fancy decorations and designs and are placed and stacked in special plates in houses to hold the record of those who had visited that particular house.

 In the 18th and 19th Centuries, a more elaborate ritual was observed.  The guest had to give his visiting card to the servant and then the servant had to show it to the woman of the house who then decides if she would or would not like to see the guest in person.    While the guest waits, he is obliged to go through the stacks of cards and examine the names of the visitors who came before him.

 In London, the business cards were used for advertising one’s company including road maps that point to the location of the establishment.
 In recent years, the card has evolved into modern usage with modern look and is now an important force in international business operations.  We still observe important protocols when giving out cards:  they should look smart, professional and immaculate like the owner.  To achieve that, quality production and printing of cards are a must to businessmen because after all, these cards, though tiny, are powerful factors that can make or break any business deal.