| French Furniture, The Empire Style | | | | Napoleon's name initial. |
| In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte had himself | | | | In conclusion, it is relatively easy to |
| anointed and crowned Emperor of France. | | | | recognize the Empire style of furniture |
| The furniture style known as Empire is a | | | | with its massive appearance and |
| style of majestic grandeur that Napoleon | | | | overbearing ormolu mounts which usually |
| felt fitting to honor his glory. He | | | | depicts Egyptian, Greek and Roman |
| considered himself the greatest world | | | | themes. This style is a step backward |
| ruler since Julius Caesar. The Empire | | | | from the simple but elegant Louis XVI |
| style is the last of the great French | | | | style. |
| styles that widely influenced furniture | | | | Business Card Design - How to Stand out |
| design throughout the world. During his | | | | and Get Noticed |
| rule, Napoleon conquered Italy and | | | | One of the most powerful, yet over |
| Egypt. He was overwhelmed by his | | | | looked weapons in your marketing arsenal |
| conquest of these countries. He brought | | | | is your business card. If designed |
| back to France archaeological wonders of | | | | properly this little 3 x 2.5 piece of |
| Egypt, the long-forgotten ancient | | | | paper will not only let people know how |
| empire. He was proud of his conquest of | | | | to contact you it will also tell them |
| Italy and Egypt and proudly considered | | | | why they should contact you. In order to |
| himself as the first worthy successor to | | | | be effective and get you more business |
| Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. | | | | your Business card must stand out, and |
| Furniture designed in this period was | | | | get noticed. |
| meant to imitate the designs of these | | | | How a distinctive business card resulted |
| great empires. Napoleon commissioned the | | | | in a $5,000 Sale |
| greatest artist of Europe to create | | | | A friend of mine and his wife recently |
| architecture and decoration that would | | | | went furniture shopping. By the end of |
| equate the grandeur of Greece, the glory | | | | the day they had gone to 8 stores and |
| of Rome and the massiveness of Egypt. | | | | had 8 Business cards. 7 of the Business |
| The Empire style furniture is massive, | | | | Cards were your garden variety white |
| in grand scale and very masculine. It | | | | cards with one or two color writing on |
| has a severe, heavy, masculine look with | | | | them. |
| no carving. The wood carving which is | | | | One card was a little different. The |
| very common in the previous styles of | | | | salesman, we will call him Bob, had |
| Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI is | | | | decided to make his card stand out a |
| generally replaced with wood veneers | | | | little by putting his picture on it |
| polished to a high sheen. To equalize | | | | along with a couple of color pictures of |
| the bareness of wood veneer, metal gilts | | | | his furniture. Bob's business card made |
| are used to adorn the furniture. A good | | | | an immediate impression. |
| clue to identifying the Empire style is | | | | The next day they flipped through the |
| the vulgar use of ormolu mounts. Ormolus | | | | all the business cards that they had |
| are gilt-metal decorations usually in | | | | received the previous day. They |
| different decorative motifs. These are | | | | immediately remembered Bob from his |
| usually drawn from antique sources or | | | | business card. They went to Bob's store |
| patriotic inspiration. There are motifs | | | | and spent over $5,000! All because of a |
| derived from Egyptian archeology. | | | | business card. |
| Falcon, sphinxes, cobras, obelisks, | | | | 5 Tips to make your Business Card Stand |
| winged lions are just some of these | | | | out |
| Egyptian inspired decorations. | | | | 1 - Use Full Color Printing |
| Napoleon's fascination with his conquest | | | | In the old days full color printing (4 |
| of Egypt and later on the excavation of | | | | color printing) was extremely expensive. |
| ruins by the French Egyptologists | | | | You could pay over $200 /1000 for high |
| created so much interest in everything | | | | quality full color cards. Prices have |
| related to Egypt. | | | | dropped and you can now get beautiful |
| There are also motifs derived from | | | | full color cards printed for about the |
| ancient Greek and Roman design. Vases, | | | | same price as a plain two color card. |
| lamps, torches, heads of Greek gods, | | | | 2 - Use a Tagline |
| ram's head and cornucopias are among the | | | | A "tagline" is a one sentence benefit |
| many Greek and Roman inspired | | | | statement. Think of your Business card |
| decorations incorporated into the Empire | | | | as a "Mini Billboard". Pretend that you |
| style of furniture. French Patriotism | | | | are writing a classified ad for a |
| grew stronger during Napoleon's rule and | | | | newspaper. You only have a small amount |
| it was evident in the many patriotically | | | | of space to describe your product or |
| inspired decorations which included | | | | service in an intriguing way ... what |
| laurel wreaths, eagles, swords, lances, | | | | would you write to describe it? For |
| rifles, drum and bugles. The use of legs | | | | example: A Realtor could say "Helping |
| that are shaped like animals or sphinxes | | | | Build dreams one home at a time" |
| is very typical to the Empire style. The | | | | 3 - Put a picture on it! |
| graceful cabriole legs of the previous | | | | I highly recommend that you put a |
| styles have been replaced with the | | | | picture on your business card. Studies |
| massive, more often overstated and | | | | have shown that people are more likely |
| vulgar use of legs that are shaped like | | | | to hold on to a Business card with a |
| animals. | | | | photo on it. It could be your picture, a |
| The following are the general | | | | picture of your product, or a |
| characteristics of the Empire style of | | | | combination of both. Picture cards get |
| furniture: | | | | attention! |
| 1. It has heavy masculine look. | | | | 4 - Don't use Business Card "Templates" |
| 2. Wood veneers polished to high sheen | | | | There are websites you can go to online |
| are used instead of the ornate wood | | | | where you can choose from pre-made |
| carving usually associated with the | | | | business card designs called templates. |
| previous French furniture styles. | | | | The problem with this is that the more |
| 3. The excessive use of large, often | | | | people who use these templates the more |
| badly cast ormolu mounts. | | | | you card starts to look like everybody |
| 4. Wood back chairs with upholstered | | | | else's. You want to have a business card |
| seats. These include the barrel armchair | | | | that stands out from everybody else's, |
| which is a very typical Empire style | | | | not one that gets lost in the crowd. |
| chair. | | | | 5 - Let a Professional Design It |
| 5. The use of designs inspired by | | | | Unless you are a professional graphic |
| classical Greece. | | | | designer designing your own card is like |
| 6. Mirror-back console table. This is | | | | performing root canal on yourself. Its |
| usually used by the ladies to check | | | | going to take a lot of time and you may |
| their no-longer floor-length hemlines. | | | | not be happy with the results. Leave the |
| 7. The use of motifs inspired by ancient | | | | designing to the professionals and use |
| Egypt, Rome and Greece. | | | | you time doing what you do best ... |
| 8. The use of Patriotic and military | | | | selling your product or service! |
| motifs and the use of letter "N", | | | | |