Your business card is often a potential client’s first contact with your business; you would like to engage with them and encourage them to discover more about you and everything you do. Among the best ways to do this, is using a well-designed, easy to comprehend card. Follow the suggestions below to make distinctive, professional business cards, which packs a punch!
Who, What, Where, Why? Try to remember the key questions a future client may ask.
- It might sound obvious, but the first (and most important!) thing to think about when choosing a business card design is the information you need to convey. Ensure that your name, job title and business name or that your emblem is clearly displayed. Think carefully about that contact details to include — you want to strike a balance between providing sufficient points of contact, without making your card seem cluttered. From our experience, your site, email address and telephone number are crucial. Many companies no longer include an address on their business cards, so if you are fighting for space, you might choose to remove this from your own business card design.
Make it Readable
- If you have got a great deal of information to show, you might be tempted to shrink the size of your text. But beware, little text may often look readable onscreen, but become an illegible smudge when published. If you want to be sure your print design is readable, as a general guideline, do not go smaller than 8pt. In addition, don’t neglect the font itself: keep it simple and professional — don’t hesitate to use Comic Sans, or a comprehensive calligraphic font that’s not possible to decipher. Just consider special printing first to see how it has printed, and if the font size needs to be adjusted at all.
QR Codes
3) Another way of conserving space is to create a QR Code for your card. They supply a neat means of including plenty of information on a company card, without making it look cluttered. It is also a simple way to make a connection between your printed and online content. As all you have to do is scan the barcode; by scanning the code, individuals can automatically be sent to your site with all your contact information, and even your resume. There are loads of free QR code generators online, so getting technological does not have to break the bank.
Colourful or Plain?
4) Vibrant colors; when used properly can make a business card stand out, and look distinctive. This tactic is commonly used by creative and design businesses, with the intent of appearing fresh, original and exciting. But don’t underestimate the power of simplicity. A plain black and white layout is often as memorable and striking as a colourful card and can often be viewed as more ‘trendy’ too.
Embossing
5) If you are concerned about a black and white card appearing dull, try embossing the words. Embossing creates a raised, 3D effect, which adds elegance and style to a business card. Embossing also makes the card more tactile. Research indicates that engaging more than one sense at a time can enhance recall of an item, so people are more likely to remember your company.
Colour Choice
6) It is prudent to keep your business cards in accordance with the rest of your company’s branding. For those who have company colours, highly consider using them. Needless to say, if you do not have any specific colour scheme to utilize, you will have free reign in your cards. But, take care to select complementary colours – clashing colours may look tacky and unprofessional on a business card. If in doubt, use an internet colour matching tool.
Visual Content
7) Pictures speak louder than words. This is true for business cards. While you will need to have written articles on one side of this card, consider saving another for something more visual. Maybe you could use the space to display a picture of your product, or something associated with your business. Or, put your organization logo on the back of the card. Whatever you do, do not leave it blank — it is often claimed that people do not examine the back of business cards, but that is not really correct. Just think about how often you’ve been given a card, and flipped it over to test…
Borders and Bleeds
8) Do not use boundaries in your card layout. This is for a purely practical reason regardless of how much care is paid, printing is not 100% completely exact. A perfectly symmetrical edge on your screen may come out lopsided, due to instant moves in the printing system. Printers advocate leaving a 3mm bleed; a place the exact same colour as the background, round the edges of your card, purely because of this.
The Safe Area
9) Along with the bleed, printers also usually specify a “safe place” at the middle of the card. Keep any significant information — such as contact details — in this region, to prevent it being cut off during the printing procedure.
Paper Thickness
10) Consider the depth of your business card. Thicker cards have a tendency to feel more costly, which makes your company seem more professional. When business cards printed on paper thinner than 300gsm they may look rather thin, which may make them feel tacky and cheap. Try thinking of your card as you would a handshake, no one likes a limp handshake, so why would they enjoy a limp business card?
Keep it Simple
11) You may be tempted to use an unusual material for your business card. There are many different materials to choose from when designing your artistic business card; plastic, wood, metal, or even wire work are just a few examples of the different textures and stylistic effects you can have on your business cards. 3d wire forming also can give your card that extra effect you may be looking for. While this will definitely be memorable, keep in mind the practicality of your preferred medium and who you want your audience to be.
