THE BLOG

Aug 1st '08 2 Comments

The basic purpose of a business card is to represent yourself and your company. Many times people brush off the purpose of the business card and just settle for the templatized business cards from the local Staples, but really they are just sabotaging themselves! Read on for tips everyone should know when designing your business cards…

Business cards are a medium used to communicate how people view you and if they will remember you, just like a postcard, billboard or magazine ad. Your cards should not only have text with your contact information and your company logo, but visual elements and conceptual design to make a lasting impression. You don’t need to get too fancy, especially if it’s non-standard for your industry, but those little elements can determine if your business card will stay on the desk or make its way into the circular file.

Here Are a Few Elements That Are Often Overlooked
(In order of importance)

• Typography - The most important part of your business card is the typography. What font are you using? Is it bold or thin? Serif or Sans-Serif? Do you want your font 12pt or 8pt? Is 8pt too small? A lot, I know, but each of these typographical decisions are extremely important. Get it just right and your card will flow well and just plain feel right.
• Color - What color is your card? Does it fit in your industry? Example: if you work in the floral business, it would be odd to use a black and neon red card. Instead use colors taken from your logo/products/other items in your business to keep a consistency.
• Paper - There are many different options today with paper. Everything from die-cuts to rounded corners to an aqueous coating can be added to your design. Just because you think something would be “cool” doesn’t mean it works conceptually. Take into consideration what the different options are communicating to your prospect. For example, if you are a photographer/film maker, you could cut a square in your business card to serve as a scene frame (see below for example). Be careful you don’t get to gimmicky!.

Don’t waste your time and money on business cards that will just get thrown out. Take these design elements into consideration when designing your business card and you’ll stay memorable to the people you pass them out to.

Here Are A Few Examples of Great Business Card Designs to Get Your Creative Juices Flowin’

Tags: business cards, design tips