A good business card looks attractive, underlines your professionalism, and is pleasant to feel. Creating a great business card can give your business image a boost and an edge over the competition even before you have started to explain the merit of doing business with you. Because business cards are important, you need to pay attention to their design and quality. Some useful tips:
Decide On the Shape and Size
Even though most people choose a conventional rectangular shape for their business cards, there is no reason not to look at alternative custom shapes made possible by advanced die-cutting techniques. However, you need to think hard if the shape goes well with the kind of business you are in and the image you want to project. Also, keep in mind, a custom shape may make it difficult for people to keep the card in their cardholders. Different countries have standardized on different sizes. For example, in North America, the standard size is 88.9 × 50.8 mm while the European standard is 85 × 55 mm. However, by resorting to folded business cards, you can double the space available. Be careful to include all vital information within the trim and safety lines to prevent anything important from being left out when the card is cut.
Figure Out the Visual Elements
How good a business card looks depends mainly on how the logo, graphics, and text are used. While the logo should always be the most important visual element in the card, you can use additional graphics to boost the aesthetics. When placing the visual elements and the text, try to achieve the best balance by using both sides of the card. Many people place the logo on one side and all the other information on the other while repeating the logo in a smaller size. Depending on the kind of business or industry you are in, you can either stick to a minimalist look with lots of white space or fill your card with visual elements for a busy and fun look. The selection of the color palette is important as you can use it to underline the brand image.
Decide On the Text
Earlier, most people included their name and designation and the name of the business, the address, phone number, fax, email, and website address on their business cards. However, many businesses that now only operate virtually prefer to include only the person’s name and the email address, social media handles, and website address. Yet others like to include only a QR code that contains all the relevant information. You can also consider adding your company tagline to assist in building the brand identity and personality. According to Forbes, business cards are still the most convenient way of exchanging information.
Conclusion
Even though you may not readily appreciate it, a business card is a miniature work of art with the additional responsibility of conveying important information. It is, therefore, important to focus on the aesthetics as well as the content so that people can readily access it when they need to contact you.
