Business cards are an industry staple. While they used to be more functional except among the business elite, they have garnered a more aesthetic prominence that was not as necessary before.
If you conduct business with people regularly, the chances are high that you come across business cards of varied sizes, designs, color choices, and even the amount and density of display information.
Contemporary business cards are no longer just information providers. They have shifted and evolved into becoming multi-purpose tools that can be put to something following what you would want from them.
Creating Business Cards – Tips for Making Them Work for You
Business cards are just as much a marketing tool as they are a contact point for potential clients. Here are a few top tips for creating dazzling business cards in design and print.
#1 Decide the Information You Will Provide
Not all business cards are meant to be informative nowadays. We are more and more frequently seeing business cards that use minimalistic designs and even QR codes to remove any need to put information on the card itself.
Contemporary businesses have multiple contact points, such as websites, email, mobile numbers, etc. Logos and brand images need to be considered as well.
Remember, space is limited, so design your business card around the information you will provide.
#2 Readability Should Never be Sacrificed
Just because you have a lot of information to tell does not mean that it should go everywhere. At the same time, you don't need to compromise your business card's legibility and readability for design and aesthetics.
If you have plenty of details, you can choose choices instead of cramming a business card with information. QR Codes are such an example.
However, readability means seeing how the card's font size and style look after it is printed and online. Business cards are typically designed with large screens while zoomed in when viewing on a screen, so it is always better to get a sample copy printed out to ensure it looks good before going for the hundred or thousand business card orders.
An 8pt font size should be the minimum size for business cards.
#3 Go Creative with Your Business Card Graphic Designs
Being limited in space often forces us to think of creative ways to utilize what little we have to make the most of it. The same is true for business cards. Designers can make use of the rectangular shape to come up with not just unique ideas in graphic design but in text, layouts, overall structure, materials used, and more.
If you have a brand to work with, you can use the brand's image, message, theme, and customer demographics to tailor business cards to those niches.
Verdict: So, the first-holiday marketing idea is to induce creativity in the offerings, and make your customers feel familia.
#4 Pick a Complementary Style
Not all business cards are created equal. Some are minimalistic. Others are simple as well. One can fill a business card with the color and bright themes if it suits them. Others can put in just a single logo image for that 'elite' persona. It is all up to you.
However, not all styles work together. White, grey, and simple, muted colors work best for private and corporate sectors. In the corporate sector, colorful business cards won't do as well.
In contrast, graphic design artists can have creative business cards to show their skills and artistry. .
3. Offer New Year Discount Coupons
High-end businesses go for simplicity, minimalism, and plain cards to showcase professionalism and seriousness about their work.
So, what’s better than surprising your customers with holiday discount coupons to make them feel the fun of vacations. Whenever we get holidays, we usually go out shopping with our loved ones and cherish the moments with fun & laughter.
Decide what impression you want to take on clients, and use the business card style accordingly.
#5 QR Codes are The Future
QR Codes are replacing not just payment links but also information and other items.
Now, product booklets come with a QR Code to save on valuable paper and protect the environment and make it easier for customers to have all their information stored online.
A QR code can remove the need for information bloat and declutter the card on a business card. It also can be a way to make it easier for customers or clients to connect with you, as it bridges any gaps between printed information and online services.
#6 Add a Different Finish-ing Touch
If you have a brand to represent, you need to have high-quality business cards. Appearance matters in this regard, and you need to showcase the quality of what you are providing to your clients by showcasing your quality through your business cards.
Special finishes such as metallic inking, foil blocking, and spot-UV give your business cards that premium look that you might need to get yourself that extra bit of visual impression for clientele.
#7 Use 3D Effects to Your Advantage
You can make your business card appear 3D despite being two-dimensional with some clever styling and designing. Make it look as if it has different surface dimensions, bringing a new elegance and style to your already stellar-looking business card!
#8 You are Not Limited to Paper
Business cards aren't just made on paper. Sure, you can do that, but you don't have to, especially if your brand fits there.
If you own a furniture store, for example, and you sell high-quality desks, cupboards, and closets, then a business card design choice should be to use laminated wood. It gives your business card a unique look, but it also fits your brand's aesthetics, which is primarily around wooden products.
Similarly, you can use a myriad of materials or even combinations of them. Wood, plastic, metal, slate, and more creative business card ideas can be used to stand out and increase your brand prestige and exclusivity indeed.
#9 Simplicity Over Information or Design Overload
The largest and most successful businesses use less and less content in their business cards. Similarly, the most memorable brands are those with the shortest taglines, easiest-to-remember logos, and most familiar brand names and brand ecosystems.
When people get a business card, they typically don't keep it untouched. Some might write something on it, such as additional information, notes about that particular business, etc. It is all up to the client.
Of course, in those cases, your business card is not made of super-expensive materials, so always go for simplicity. You cannot precisely make a thousand business cards of laminated wood unless you plan to haul them in a truck everywhere you go!
#10 White Space Says More Than You Think
Name, contact information, and any other information might help the client understand what you do and what company you represent. Beyond that, data isn't necessary.
Business cards also have a front and back. You can use this to maximize white space in the front and put the necessary information in the back while still keeping tight control of the white space.
This will remove unnecessary elements from your business card while also decluttering it and giving it an elite, minimalistic look that only the top-most executives might carry.
#11 Ensure the Technicalities are Not Missed
While you are focused on design, make sure that you might not be familiar with technical aspects, such as not designing in the bleed area and ensuring that there isn't misalignment of the borders during trimming. Other technicalities that make it free of errors are considered.
You might not be familiar with them, but your business card maker should be. Ask them for a print sample before you proceed with the final printing approval.
#12 Call to Actions Can Do Wonders
This is more of a hit-or-miss thing, but if you can incorporate a call to action on your business card, you should do it.
This gives your clients a purpose and direction when they want your services, but it also serves as a marketing tool to help differentiate you against your competition.
#13 The Logo
While this should be higher on the list, we considered not putting it in here because it is such a fundamental necessity of any business card.
Logos are always necessary. You don't want to work in Google without putting that logo on your business card. You want people to know that.
That is because shapes and logos are the first things we see when glancing at something. So, choosing a suitable logo, and putting it in the right location, can do wonders.
#14 Logo and Text Placements
Most people put business cards in their wallets, purses, or bags, where mostly the top of the business card is visible.
You can use this to your advantage. Save the top for the logo or information necessary enough that your clients immediately glance at your business card and logo when they open their wallets or purses.
This can also be an excellent place for your Call to Action (CTA).
#15 Fonts, Fonts, and Fonts.
Different fonts have their readability, legibility, and style. A Comic Sans font is not as professional as Times New Roman.
You can also use different font sizes to differentiate your information on the business cards. The company name should be the most prominent unless you are someone like a lawyer or a solo practitioner offering your services.
The most crucial aspect of your business card should be where the eyes fall at first, and a way to do that is to make the font 2-3 sizes larger.
Conclusion | Tips For Creating Dazzling Business Cards
Business cards are not just about contact details but also a marketing and information booklet. They have been integrated with a brand identity and advertising models so that every aspect of their design helps create the desired brand image.
However, if you got some questions in mind feel free to share in the comments section for a quick response!
