When did Marketing really begin?
Maybe during the Stone Age, maybe before. We do not know for sure, but when Man began writing it sure became a lot easier. From the time we knew how to write, the hassles associated with information dissemination were lessened. Different mediums like stone tablets, trees, fabrics and papers made knowledge within reach. Even self-expression became easier especially with lots of resources that one could use. And when printing was born, everything became even more convenient and spreading information became exponentially scalable.
One of the earliest form of printed marketing tool was the business card. Popularly known as visiting card in Europe, it was an ordinary playing card that was small enough to fit in one’s pocket. The trade card, successor of the visiting card, was slightly different. Aside from advertising functions, a trade card was also designed to give directions. Before zip codes and addresses, trade cards served as maps. Drawings and landmarks were printed on them. Although different printing methods were already applied at the time of trade cards, it still remained plain and simple because of the monotones used.
Printing made the production of business cards efficient. As various materials became available, different styles and designs emerged. Gone were the boring trade cards with maps. The conventional styles are long gone, yet the traditional guidelines for lay-outing a business card still remains intact. The Logo, company name, position and contact details still appear on cards. Alignment and positioning of details are still of high value. Some business cards are printed on different materials, e.g. sticker papers, magnetic papers and even on plastic cards. But the puropse remains the same.
The dawn of modern age helped a lot in flourishing the business card industry. Creative minds detached from the traditional materials and explored other possibilities. Thus, different production methods, styles and designs surfaced. But more important is the ease of creating and printing business cards using online printing companies.