Last week I attended the beer festival, which was fantastic. Unfortunately, time constraints mean that for me to do it justice you’ll have to wait till the next issue to read about it in full, but I thought I’d talk about one of the things that set this recent beer festival apart from previous ones I’d been to. This time I had my own business card to give out to people.

It’s a curious thing, the confidence of officiality that you can claim when you have your own business card. It gives people the impression that you are organised, have formal processes set in place and of course that you have some importance in the industry. Needless to say, I enjoyed the effect of having my own cards, which are nicely designed to match my newly redesigned website (www.bier.co.nz). In fact, the quality of the card design also factors into improving peoples impressions.

I’m reliably informed that bad design is important, as it lets people understand the need for good design. Well designed labels and cards and websites certainly can go a long way toward improving public image, just as bad design can really put people off or simply get in the way of the message that is being portrayed. This applies to any industry really, but especially in very marketing dependent industries like the beer industry.

In a way, I’m forced to swallow a bitter irony with my redesign. For so long I’ve been an advocate of quality over image, especially when it comes to beer. Yet I’ve had my own branding redesigned, and I love it. An altruistic part of me certainly would like to think that people would rate my column based solely on the quality of my writing, but I have no doubt that the new design will be a factor. Especially with the ever present desire to expand the number of people who read what I have to say.

So I guess that in due humbleness, I must ask you not to judge me based solely on appearance, on sleek, well balanced layout, my dashing good looks, my beautiful eyes or any of those other things that are not really my doing. I must ask you to judge me based on what I say and write, and hopefully these are the things that you will enjoy and remember for years to come.

– Stephen
29 MARCH 2011