Critique please!

[kidphc]

Sorry for the long winded post ahead of time.

 

Currently, applied for a vanity call sign. The previous owner was my social studies teacher from 8th grade and Ham Club Sponsor and operator, many moons ago. I recently went looking for him to tell him I finally got my license. Nearly 40 years after I walked out of his club doors. I could tell in a later conversation with he was disappointing that I stop attending.

 

Sadly, I found he had died on 9/11 at the Pentagon. We lost a great man.

 

At that moment I looked up his call sign at it had laid expired and dormant since 2007. At that moment I chose to apply for his call sign. I want to get his call sign back on the air, and from someone that knew him. So no I am waiting, studying for my General as well as CW.

 

I have started working on a QSO card to remember him by. My dilemma is I am not sure if I am even close to proud on the work. Any suggestion or input is appreciated.

 

Thanks ahead of time.

[Jones]

I would put the "We will remember" part directly under his photo, and perhaps put a border around that section of the card, to separate it from your information.

 

Also, I have no idea of what you are trying to represent with the artwork in the upper left corner.  It looks like a river going up into a land area, but only a local, or a geographic expert would be familiar with it.  To me, it doesn't look like the Potomac, or Maryland, or DC - I can't figure it out.  Maybe the text box cutting it off with that 90 degree white corner is the problem, or those yellow and black diamond graphics, which I believe are part of the flag of Maryland, but it isn't represented well.

 

I would say start over on the left corner graphic, but the rest of the card is on point.

 

I also think your teacher would be very honored.

[kidphc]

I would put the "We will remember" part directly under his photo, and perhaps put a border around that section of the card, to separate it from your information.

 

Also, I have no idea of what you are trying to represent with the artwork in the upper left corner.  It looks like a river going up into a land area, but only a local, or a geographic expert would be familiar with it.  To me, it doesn't look like the Potomac, or Maryland, or DC - I can't figure it out.  Maybe the text box cutting it off with that 90 degree white corner is the problem, or those yellow and black diamond graphics, which I believe are part of the flag of Maryland, but it isn't represented well.

 

I would say start over on the left corner graphic, but the rest of the card is on point.

 

I also think your teacher would be very honored.

Thanks for the input. The state is actually shaped that way. The right edge the 90 degree in fact isn't part of a text box, it is where Delaware is. The flag, was causing me problems to begin with. It has been worrying me a bit, from what I get a lot of people don't know where MD even is.

[marcspaz]

In general, I like the idea. I would move the remembrance text under the photo and put your grid locator with your address. Then I would make your call sign larger and put the QSO info on the back.

[kidphc]

I am using QSO maker, which is limited. I like the idea of the QSO info on the back. I will probably add a photo of the family, including myself from Great Falls later. 

 

The ugliness that is now.

 

[Jones]

Thanks for the input. The state is actually shaped that way. The right edge the 90 degree in fact isn't part of a text box, it is where Delaware is. The flag, was causing me problems to begin with. It has been worrying me a bit, from what I get a lot of people don't know where MD even is.

Ah, Delaware. Sorry, but a lot of people, including myself, are quite ignorant to the shapes of state borders. I would like to blame that on our educational system, but I think it was just a matter of me screwing around and not paying attention in class. Instead of learning geography, I was doodling electrical schematics in my notebook.

[kidphc]

Ah, Delaware. Sorry, but a lot of people, including myself, are quite ignorant to the shapes of state borders. I would like to blame that on our educational system, but I think it was just a matter of me screwing around and not paying attention in class. Instead of learning geography, I was doodling electrical schematics in my notebook.

lol. I have lived here almost all my life and had to do a double take when I first saw the image. So you aren't the only one. 

 

Hmm.. Something now looks really off. I do have space to add my person picture now. Its more then the spacing under the pic.

 

[Jones]

Increase the font size just a bit on your information to fill more space. 

 

Get rid of the "www." in front of that QCWA web address.  Having WWW. in front of everything was cool in the 90's, but it isn't needed anymore, and all modern browsers will automatically add that if needed.  Radio and television don't even use that anymore.  They finally figured out that "double yoo double yoo double yoo dot" wastes 10 syllables and 2 seconds. That's almost 7 percent of the available time in a 30 second commercial.

 

The lower third of that card could be a photo of you and your station, or your family, whatever... cropped to a 1:4 aspect ratio. - ultra wide-screen.

[kidphc]

I like this one iteration a bit better. Thanks all for the input thus far.

 

[kidphc]

Happy camper now. Got my vanity approval at 2:49 A.M. via e-mail. Odd time in my opinion but end result makes me happy!

[n4gix]

What a very nice tribute to your former Elmer!

[WRCW208]

I love this thread, a nice story. I wonder what was your final design. 

[kidphc]

I love this thread, a nice story. I wonder what was your final design. 

Still tweaking it but very close to the last photo. Almost all the text is grey, except on the right side. Mostly because it was limited by what eqsl.cc would let me do.

[ArdRhi]

The cards are just fine. You've got a good eye for design.

 

I used CheapQSLs.com for mine. They do very good work. They've got some very basic styles that are about $10 per 100, not counting shipping. By the time you do the shipping, you might as well get a couple of other features, so I got their basic style #110, but with the report on the back. Paid about $20 with the back report and shipping for 100 cards. I think I've used 3 so far. I tend to use eqsl.cc for most of my QSL reports, or the logbook on QRZ.com. At one time I put a lot more effort into them. Way back when, I got a case of sprocket-feed, micro-perforated pre-cut cards for my printer, and I printed a custom card for every QSL. It was a ton of work and not really worth the effort. About 3/4 of the case of card stock is in a closet in my old shack upstairs, untouched in about 18 years.

 

And yes, it's QSL card. Not QSO card. A QSL acknowledges a QSO.

 

73,

Gwen, NG3P