Why aren't there more "cool" CC designs?

[wasCB14]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Thanks for the replies thus far everyone, but I'm not really hearing an answer above as to why CCCs don't take looks into consideration more in terms of attracting new customers and making more profits.

Honda may make some of the "best" cars in the world in terms of reliability, but if they didn't look good [to the people that buy them] how much do you think their profits would suffer?

When it comes to product sales, any product really, I think it would be very difficult to make the argument that a less aesthetically pleasing version would generate more profits than a better looking version.  Now, if a better looking version costs more to produce (or more relative to the additional expected profits) I get not doing it. 

These don't need to be earth-shattering, costly differences.  You don't need a card made out of 14K gold or with a diamond border here.  A card with some glittery crap could be a huge hit for younger females, for example.  Maybe something that had mirror effects.  Maybe a piece of plastic that changes colors depending on temperature.  I don't know, I'm just thinking out loud here. 

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A demographic with little disposable income...and the ones with good jobs probably wouldn't find it appealing.

There was a Kardashian prepaid card of some sort. I think it had high fees.

[Moneyklutz]

Your thread made me ponder a bit then I remembered Cap 1 allows you to upload a custom pic for any of their cards...

Sooo... a quick phone pic and a subsequent upload later means I'll have the smiling face (grumpybutt) of my dumb cat adorning my QS card to admire and foist upon all that care to see.

You're the best BBS, thank you for making my card 'cool'   

[Anonymous]

I work with interior designers, architects, and graphic designers on a pretty regular basis. I also run in investment circles, so I see the cards those people tend to carry. No one in either of these groups admits to carrying a card for looks; both groups talk about functionality when we happen to discuss.

The designers I work with tend to carry cards like CSP, Venture, BOA Travel Rewards, or the Citi TYPremier. They're generally well paid, travel a lot, and functionality driven. The investors almost all carry the AMEX Platinum backed by a CSR for places that don't take AMEX. They tend not to care about anything other than having their transactions go through and reach for the cards that make that most likely.

I do think that all of these people would appreciate better visual design on cards. Sadly, the cost of designing and focus grouping these new designs is much higher than you might think. Getting a cool design that would appeal to me, my mother, my wife, you, and the people that work for me would be an impossible task. Narrowing too far in on a demographic will result in lost opportunities from customers that would ordinarily pick your card or the requirement to market different designs to different groups.

The only design feature I'd seek would be a personal or business logo imprint on premium cards. I know issuers like Cap1 do this. Unfortunately, I'd want this on a true prime card and with a print and material quality high enough to be considered 'good design.'

[Anonymous]

As a parting thought, here is a great visual design:

The limitations of the card, airline, and the issuing bank mean that few will carry it. Even really exceptional design work won't change that.

[Moneyklutz]

...The only design feature I'd seek would be a personal or business logo imprint on premium cards. I know issuers like Cap1 do this. Unfortunately, I'd want this on a true prime card and with a print and material quality high enough to be considered 'good design.'

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And therein lies the conundrum...appealing to both the masses and yet coming up with that one magic image that appeals to each individual and makes them feel special and important whenever they pull it out.

Me thinks the new metal cards are an attempt to do this and from reading the responses on this forum they've been successful.

Holograms next?

[Moneyklutz]

quick addendum...

Your visual design IS great!

...grumpybutt however wins round one  

[driftless]

I don't like cards that stand out, my favorite card in that regard is the CSR particularly when dining out.  The only downside is that if I put the CSR down at a bar, or a table without a white tablecloth to signal to our server that we are wrapping things up, the server frequently does not see the card.    The Platinum, or PRG, would be easier to see but the CSR is my dining card and a lot of my everyday spending card.

[wasCB14]

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@driftless wrote:

I don't like cards that stand out, my favorite card in that regard is the CSR particularly when dining out.  The only downside is that if I put the CSR down at a bar, or a table without a white tablecloth to signal to our server that we are wrapping things up, the server frequently does not see the card.    The Platinum, or PRG, would be easier to see but the CSR is my dining and a lot of my everyday spending card.

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I once had my CSP mistaken for a "Black Card" in the dim lighting of a restaurant, leading to a letdown upon closer inspection.

The examiner (an acquaintance in my group) was not particularly interested in what I started to say about partner transfers.

Still, I took her cash and got a lot of URs that night.

[Anonymous]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

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A demographic with little disposable income...and the ones with good jobs probably wouldn't find it appealing.

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Little disposable income now, perhaps.  Attacting new customers to a product in many ways is an investment for the future.  While they may not be overly profitable today, a few years down the road when their income/spend increases having them on board could be very beneficial. 

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Getting a cool design that would appeal to me, my mother, my wife, you, and the people that work for me would be an impossible task. Narrowing too far in on a demographic will result in lost opportunities from customers that would ordinarily pick your card or the requirement to market different designs to different groups.

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It's not necessary to appeal to everyone, though.  There's no reason a CCC couldn't offer 1 or 2 different design options.  As stated earlier in this thread, Discover offers about 50 options.  While that's obviously overkill, I don't think it's outrageous to suggest that a CCC could offer 1 or 2 different design options outside of the "standard" one (that likely appeals to the majority) that could potentially draw many new customers in.