Potentially appealing at first, yet predominantly unoriginal and flawed
March 20, 2025 12:51 PM Subscribe
Over the years of designing and printing business cards and calling cards, there is one famous card that is referenced time and time again. This card’s celebrity status comes from a three-minute movie scene and is visible for about four seconds, yet it has become one of our most requested cards. The card we’re referencing is, of course, Paul Allen’s Pierce & Pierce business card from the 2000 horror/thriller film, American Psycho. We’re going to take a closer look at the design of this simple business card, along with the other four cards featured in the film, and try to distill why it remains such a popular and beloved card. from The Business Cards of American Psycho [Hoban Cards]
These cards are all far too busy. When I last worked at a company where we obsessed enough about our cards to get them letterpressed on the thickest stock money could buy, we aimed for the minimalism of Kaiser Wilhelm.
posted by migurski at 1:00 PM on March 20 [7 favorites]
posted by migurski at 1:00 PM on March 20 [7 favorites]
The genius touch is that they misspell “Acquisitions”.
posted by Lemkin at 1:00 PM on March 20 [8 favorites]
posted by Lemkin at 1:00 PM on March 20 [8 favorites]
Also: Norma Jennings, Audrey Horne, Felix Leiter...
posted by Saxon Kane at 1:03 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 1:03 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]
All I'm saying is that Pierce&Pierce doesn't have any kind of branding control and I am surprised that everyone was allowed to just pick rando fonts and stocks. Doesn't seem like a good place to work to me.
posted by Frowner at 1:08 PM on March 20 [23 favorites]
posted by Frowner at 1:08 PM on March 20 [23 favorites]
In case anyone hasn't seen it here's the OwlKitty remix of this scene with the business cards replaced by, well, you'll just have to look (it's entirely SFW)
posted by thatwhichfalls at 1:11 PM on March 20 [13 favorites]
posted by thatwhichfalls at 1:11 PM on March 20 [13 favorites]
how did those people get their cats jammed into their business cards?
posted by chavenet at 1:29 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
posted by chavenet at 1:29 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
Little bit off topic but I'm a happy customer of Hoban -- good customer service, quality work.
posted by Bryant at 1:38 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]
posted by Bryant at 1:38 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]
we aimed for the minimalism of Kaiser Wilhelm
If you were the emperor of Germany and king of Prussia maybe you could pull that off, too.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:39 PM on March 20 [6 favorites]
If you were the emperor of Germany and king of Prussia maybe you could pull that off, too.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:39 PM on March 20 [6 favorites]
The genius touch is that they misspell “Acquisitions”
And left out "Murders."
posted by kirkaracha at 1:40 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]
And left out "Murders."
posted by kirkaracha at 1:40 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]
(Update: We've decided to create our own corrected Patrick Bateman card as a calling card template)
in the spirit of the film's card errors, their template has too many digits in the zip code!
posted by mittens at 1:43 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]
in the spirit of the film's card errors, their template has too many digits in the zip code!
posted by mittens at 1:43 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]
Among their business cards, I notice entries for Dwight Schrute, Kim Wexler, Veronica Mars, Lester Freamon, Lester Nygaard, Elizabeth Bennet, Peggy Olson, Darryl Dixon, and no doubt a bunch of other famous fictional characters whose names I don't recognize offhand.
A bunch are from Firefly. Someone there is really into Firefly.
posted by Avelwood at 1:50 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
A bunch are from Firefly. Someone there is really into Firefly.
posted by Avelwood at 1:50 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
All I'm saying is that Pierce&Pierce doesn't have any kind of branding control and I am surprised that everyone was allowed to just pick rando fonts and stocks. Doesn't seem like a good place to work to me.
The mega corp I work for didn't have branding control anywhere close to the level you are talking about until about 2010 or later. If you wanted business cards when I got hired in 2000, you just went through a standard catalogue and picked whatever was base price (add-ons would get questioned) and could write whatever you wanted on it. So I had "Homer Simpson, Quarterback" business cards. Most people got one for their side-hustle, since none of us actually needed business cards.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:50 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]
The mega corp I work for didn't have branding control anywhere close to the level you are talking about until about 2010 or later. If you wanted business cards when I got hired in 2000, you just went through a standard catalogue and picked whatever was base price (add-ons would get questioned) and could write whatever you wanted on it. So I had "Homer Simpson, Quarterback" business cards. Most people got one for their side-hustle, since none of us actually needed business cards.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:50 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]
This remix pops up every year around pride week and I still chuckle at the absurdity of it all.
posted by JoeZydeco at 1:50 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
posted by JoeZydeco at 1:50 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
MetaFilter: Eggshell with Romalian type, but in fact printed on heavily textured uncoated paper and set in Bodoni.
posted by doctornemo at 1:53 PM on March 20 [6 favorites]
posted by doctornemo at 1:53 PM on March 20 [6 favorites]
The only trouble I have is, Daryl Dixon's "card" ought to just be a phone number and a capital "D" scrawled in barely-legible Sharpie on the back of a stained beer coaster. He is high on the list of fictional characters least like to have a business card and most likely to scoff at the entire idea.
Inara Sera's card is spot-on though, if it had been presented to me as "this was an actual prop from Firefly" I wouldn't really doubt it.
posted by mstokes650 at 2:14 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
Inara Sera's card is spot-on though, if it had been presented to me as "this was an actual prop from Firefly" I wouldn't really doubt it.
posted by mstokes650 at 2:14 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
MetaFilter...set in Bodoni [wiki]
*immediately heads to feature request form*
posted by HearHere at 2:19 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]
*immediately heads to feature request form*
posted by HearHere at 2:19 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]
And Elliot Alderson, too. Never had much use for a business card, but I will say I appreciate their taste in media.
posted by Smedly, Butlerian jihadi at 2:22 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
posted by Smedly, Butlerian jihadi at 2:22 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
Designing business cards was one of my favorite things to do when I worked in design.
From getting the composition just right in classic cards (kerning by hand, subtly modifying the font, geometrically off but visually centered words) to wild ones using all kinds of materials and printing techniques.
You learn a lot about how people see themselves and how they want to be seen when working on their personal cards.
I wish they came back in fashion. With a QR code or something to get into your phone, but still a physical object.
posted by Dr. Curare at 2:30 PM on March 20 [5 favorites]
From getting the composition just right in classic cards (kerning by hand, subtly modifying the font, geometrically off but visually centered words) to wild ones using all kinds of materials and printing techniques.
You learn a lot about how people see themselves and how they want to be seen when working on their personal cards.
I wish they came back in fashion. With a QR code or something to get into your phone, but still a physical object.
posted by Dr. Curare at 2:30 PM on March 20 [5 favorites]
My org has switched from physical business cards to digital ones (on an app/platform called HiHello). Does it make more sense than physical cards in this day and age? Probably. Does it save my org a bit of money and our graphic designer a shitload of time? Yes. But I still hate it, and hate that my title changed after we switched so I couldn't even just save the box of old ones I had. And now we just moved office locations so the address isn't correct anymore either.
posted by misskaz at 2:34 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]
posted by misskaz at 2:34 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]
Reportedly, the French humorist Alphonse Allais had a calling card that read "Alphonse Allais - abonné au gaz" (Alphonse Allais - gas subscriber).
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 2:53 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 2:53 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
I love typesetting and design, so really enjoyed this. As always, I wish I needed letterpress business cards because of their calligraphy models really speaks to me.
That said, I have neither seen nor read American Psycho and this scene is hilarious. I might need to watch it now.
Or, reminded by the names on their samples, I might just re-watch Firefly.
posted by Well I never at 3:34 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]
That said, I have neither seen nor read American Psycho and this scene is hilarious. I might need to watch it now.
Or, reminded by the names on their samples, I might just re-watch Firefly.
posted by Well I never at 3:34 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]
Also spotted:
Lester Freamon
Kaylee Frye
Shepherd Book
Lester Nygaard
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 3:38 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]
Lester Freamon
Kaylee Frye
Shepherd Book
Lester Nygaard
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 3:38 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]
Meanwhile I got myself a tiny moo.com set of business cards that I never used much that said something like "that girl you met somewhere, probably wearing something colorful" and my contact info. Super cute, though.
On a related note, here's Elle Woods.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:42 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]
On a related note, here's Elle Woods.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:42 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]
I always thought the whole point of the American Psycho business cards was that they were generic and uninteresting, but imbued with extreme significance, just like the people they represent.
Anyway, I will never not think letterpress is cool, no matter what.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 3:48 PM on March 20 [11 favorites]
Anyway, I will never not think letterpress is cool, no matter what.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 3:48 PM on March 20 [11 favorites]
I always thought the whole point of the American Psycho business cards was that they were generic and uninteresting, but imbued with extreme significance, just like the people they represent.
Yeah I think that is the point. The cards are obviously bland as hell but the guys are making a big deal over them because they too are bland but think they're important.
posted by Liquidwolf at 4:02 PM on March 20 [7 favorites]
Yeah I think that is the point. The cards are obviously bland as hell but the guys are making a big deal over them because they too are bland but think they're important.
posted by Liquidwolf at 4:02 PM on March 20 [7 favorites]
One of my favorite business cards was given to a colleague many years ago, and it reads:
Mr. Van Dyke Parks
apologizes for his behavior on the night of
_________________________________
and sincerely regrets any damage or
inconvenience he may have caused.
contact info
Someone else posted a photo of it online, here.
posted by nikoniko at 5:34 PM on March 20 [4 favorites]
Mr. Van Dyke Parks
apologizes for his behavior on the night of
_________________________________
and sincerely regrets any damage or
inconvenience he may have caused.
contact info
Someone else posted a photo of it online, here.
posted by nikoniko at 5:34 PM on March 20 [4 favorites]
I really like The Mechanic (Kaylee's card, though a .gov email address? Seems unlikely)
posted by Mitheral at 6:02 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
posted by Mitheral at 6:02 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]
I like the idea of a business card that goes blank after a few days.
posted by jamjam at 6:25 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]
posted by jamjam at 6:25 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]
Someone also likes Freaks and Geeks: Bill Haverchuck
posted by scruss at 7:53 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]
posted by scruss at 7:53 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]
Really pleased to see Felix Leiter on here.
Molly Hooper is from Sherlock (I'd query that her card is a little out of character; embossing? but it's pretty).
Veronica Mars being Veronica Mars
Eric Foreman from House MD; the job title on this is hilarious if you've seen later seasons (in which Foreman gets fired a lot).
posted by ngaiotonga at 3:21 AM on March 21 [1 favorite]
Molly Hooper is from Sherlock (I'd query that her card is a little out of character; embossing? but it's pretty).
Veronica Mars being Veronica Mars
Eric Foreman from House MD; the job title on this is hilarious if you've seen later seasons (in which Foreman gets fired a lot).
posted by ngaiotonga at 3:21 AM on March 21 [1 favorite]
My workplace refuses to print business cards. They print appointment cards. So it looks like a business card on the front, but the back has a calendar-type grid for people to write down appointment info even though no one in my entire org chart takes appointments so that’s nice. It’s clearly a local policy, as people from other locations in my large federal organization can order business cards.
Anyway we can’t pick anything other than what name we want on it, but the quality control on the cards is utter shit. In a rack of cards for personnel in our office, we have middle initials with a period, middle initials without a period, middle initials followed by TWO periods, degrees with and without periods, and mixed bag (Ph.D - I mean, either put the periods in or don’t, why be a fence sitter?) This happens no matter what the requestor puts into the order form, the guy in the print shop is … well, he’s not very good at his job and has very little attention to detail, which is sad, as the guys who used to work in the media design shop were very good, but they didn’t do the actual printing.
Mr. Bateman would be unimpressed.
posted by caution live frogs at 6:14 AM on March 21 [2 favorites]
Anyway we can’t pick anything other than what name we want on it, but the quality control on the cards is utter shit. In a rack of cards for personnel in our office, we have middle initials with a period, middle initials without a period, middle initials followed by TWO periods, degrees with and without periods, and mixed bag (Ph.D - I mean, either put the periods in or don’t, why be a fence sitter?) This happens no matter what the requestor puts into the order form, the guy in the print shop is … well, he’s not very good at his job and has very little attention to detail, which is sad, as the guys who used to work in the media design shop were very good, but they didn’t do the actual printing.
Mr. Bateman would be unimpressed.
posted by caution live frogs at 6:14 AM on March 21 [2 favorites]
When I worked for Big Computer Company in China and Taiwan, business cards were a kind of shibboleth. They were always double-sided with Chinese on one side and English on the other. You passed the test by handing the card to your counterpart with two hands and an imperceptibly slight bow with their native language facing up. You must also receive the card with both hands. The whole thing took only seconds.
Placing the received card in a pocket failed the test - you had to then demonstrate respect for the card by doing something with it that indicated you'd use it later like place it in a case, folder, or near to hand. I usually stackenblocken-ed them next to my notebook.
What you got for passing the Chinese business card test was a bit of trust and respect, because it meant you had mutual respect and understanding for the culture. It made a very big difference if your reason for the meeting was anything but a meet and greet - it helped when you needed things to get done.
It's been 5 years since I've done the Chinese Card Test and I'm not sure how common it is anymore. I still have a few copies of my own double sided card that I treasure, mostly because it reminds me how people used to laugh at my Chinese name which is a kind of three-way joke: a self-deprecating joke in English and also Chinese that also happens to sound a bit like my name in English. It was good at breaking the ice.
posted by Enkidude at 6:39 AM on March 21 [9 favorites]
Placing the received card in a pocket failed the test - you had to then demonstrate respect for the card by doing something with it that indicated you'd use it later like place it in a case, folder, or near to hand. I usually stackenblocken-ed them next to my notebook.
What you got for passing the Chinese business card test was a bit of trust and respect, because it meant you had mutual respect and understanding for the culture. It made a very big difference if your reason for the meeting was anything but a meet and greet - it helped when you needed things to get done.
It's been 5 years since I've done the Chinese Card Test and I'm not sure how common it is anymore. I still have a few copies of my own double sided card that I treasure, mostly because it reminds me how people used to laugh at my Chinese name which is a kind of three-way joke: a self-deprecating joke in English and also Chinese that also happens to sound a bit like my name in English. It was good at breaking the ice.
posted by Enkidude at 6:39 AM on March 21 [9 favorites]
The business card exchange protocol is still very much a thing in Asia and in America with Asian visitors. The most important thing I teach my people before the first time they do it (after using both hands!) is that you are supposed to read the card you just received before you respectfully put it away.
posted by MattD at 7:00 AM on March 21 [5 favorites]
posted by MattD at 7:00 AM on March 21 [5 favorites]
kinda want to get business cards printed up with just my name and absolutely no other information, but:
- i’m pretty sure someone in fiction has done this
- i’m pretty sure whoever it was was a real jagoff.
It's amusing that the actual printing on the cards is at odds with what the characters say is printed on the cards. I guess the director of American Psycho wasn't the sort of detail obsessed weirdo that would ensure that a card printed in Boldini would not be described as "Romalian type" and that a watermark would be present on Paul Allen's card.
And that "acquisitions" would be spelled correctly. Yeesh.
I can imagine James Cameron picking out, and possibly even making, the paper for the cards himself.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 10:50 AM on March 21
And that "acquisitions" would be spelled correctly. Yeesh.
I can imagine James Cameron picking out, and possibly even making, the paper for the cards himself.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 10:50 AM on March 21
okay here’s the deal here’s what i’m gonna do i’m gonna get business cards with just my name and no other information whatsoever and it will be in comic sans
posted by Sperry Topsider at 11:06 AM on March 21 [1 favorite]
posted by Sperry Topsider at 11:06 AM on March 21 [1 favorite]
> MetaFilter...set in Bodoni
That’s already a thing, isn’t it?
> Classic and Plain theme allow you to customize the size and font of different text types. You can use any font that's installed in your computer, just enter the name. (If a font name isn't working, try copying the exact name of the font as it appears in your computer's Fonts folder or library.)
Wait I used to do this here! Is the setting gone now? It was my favorite weird little corner feature of MeFi for years :) Or the setting could only show on desktop..
posted by Callisto Prime at 11:14 AM on March 21
That’s already a thing, isn’t it?
> Classic and Plain theme allow you to customize the size and font of different text types. You can use any font that's installed in your computer, just enter the name. (If a font name isn't working, try copying the exact name of the font as it appears in your computer's Fonts folder or library.)
Wait I used to do this here! Is the setting gone now? It was my favorite weird little corner feature of MeFi for years :) Or the setting could only show on desktop..
posted by Callisto Prime at 11:14 AM on March 21
It's amusing that the actual printing on the cards is at odds with what the characters say is printed on the cards. I guess the director of American Psycho wasn't the sort of detail obsessed weirdo that would ensure that a card printed in Boldini would not be described as "Romalian type" and that a watermark would be present on Paul Allen's card.
I'm guessing they just used the names of the typefaces from the book (it's been ages since I've read it, but I think they're the same), and those are just names BEE made up, so either you change the lines, or you just use some kind of bland typefaces that could fit those names. Fair point on the watermark and the other minor errors, though.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 12:17 PM on March 21 [1 favorite]
I'm guessing they just used the names of the typefaces from the book (it's been ages since I've read it, but I think they're the same), and those are just names BEE made up, so either you change the lines, or you just use some kind of bland typefaces that could fit those names. Fair point on the watermark and the other minor errors, though.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 12:17 PM on March 21 [1 favorite]
I'm considering some cards from moo.com, but they're going to be book promotion cards that I can put on the flyer table at a convention to get attention. Someone can grab it, stick it in a pocket, then go "oh hey" after the con.
posted by mephron at 1:29 PM on March 21
posted by mephron at 1:29 PM on March 21
kinda want to get business cards printed up with just my name and absolutely no other information, but:
i’m pretty sure someone in fiction has done this
i’m pretty sure whoever it was was a real jagoff.
Stephen King did something like that in the latter Dark Tower books: not with a business card, but one of the later characters was from a law firm so reputable that their letterhead read simply DEEPNEAU. (He wasn't so bad, but his friend Calvin was absolutely a tool.)
posted by Halloween Jack at 3:40 PM on March 21
Since we are talking about business cards, I'd like to resurface this Kevin Mitnick business card. Mitnick was a convicted hacker turned security consultant; the business card is made out of aluminum with precut lockpicking tools in the face of the card.
posted by BlueTongueLizard at 7:29 PM on March 21 [2 favorites]
posted by BlueTongueLizard at 7:29 PM on March 21 [2 favorites]
... to get business cards printed up with just my name and absolutely no other information, i’m pretty sure someone in fiction has done this...
I think Robert Fulghum said he had done this.
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 10:43 PM on March 21
I think Robert Fulghum said he had done this.
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 10:43 PM on March 21
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posted by Saxon Kane at 1:00 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]