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A business card is not just a piece of paper containing contact information.
It’s a visual representation of your business and something you must pay attention to.
A well-designed business card markets your brand and helps generate sales.
Its a simple yet effective tool to drum up interest in your business.
We want to examine 5 essential design rules for business cards.
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Keep the design simple and clear
Simplicity is a strength when it comes to designing business cards.
The fewer elements on a card, the easier for the reader to absorb relevant information.
Resist the temptation to place many design elements on a card and overcrowd it with information.
The contact details should be clear and precise.
A generic admin@companydomain is fine, but name@companydomain feels more personalized and nicer.
Choose good typography
Typography is another vital factor to consider when designing business cards.
Avoid fancy fonts that are difficult to read.
They look aesthetically pleasing but will likely confuse whoever you give your business card to.
Incorporate your brand colors
Every brand has unique colors that people associate with it.
Incorporating brand colors in your companys business card makes the card more memorable.
Using your brand colors builds consistency and makes people remember your company whenever they see your card.
Use only a few colors to avoid confusing the card recipient.
Any card not in line with your brand colors might confuse the person you give it to.
Use high-quality paper
The quality of your business card’s paper says a lot about your brand.
Like it or not, a low-quality card hints at a brand that should not be taken seriously.
If a business cant invest in items that make it look professional, why should it be taken seriously?
is a typical thought process.
Thick paper feels luxurious and makes the recipient keep the card longer.
Some people use metallic cards to give an elegant feel, but thats not necessary.
High-quality paper will suffice to give people a good impression of your brand.
Personalization
it’s possible for you to add a personalized touch to make your business card stand out.
Consider the business card in the image below.
A photography studio issued this card with a transparent side resembling a camera.
The uniqueness can amuse the recipient and make them more likely to remember the details.
Below is another creative business card styled like a mobile phone.
Anyone you give such a card will likely appreciate its uniqueness and keep it as a long-term souvenir.
There are endless ways to express creativity with your business cards.
Adding something different will increase people’s interest in your card and boost conversions.
Should I design the business card myself or get a professional designer?
you could find a local graphic designer or hire one online.
For example, Canva is a popular visual design tool that helps users create numerous documents and office items.
This platform has over 16,000 business card templates cutting across different industries.
Canva also lets you create a business card from scratch.
It provides tens of thousands of virtual elements to personalize your card.
After getting the perfect design, you could download it as a PDF for further editing and printing.
With your PDF document set, printing the card is the next logical step.
it’s possible for you to find a local outlet that prints business cards and other graphical items.
Check reviews to see what previous customers say about the outlet.
Does the printing shop use high-quality paper?
Do they offer top-notch assistance?
Do they deliver on time?
Remember we talked about high-quality paper as a major design consideration.
Hence, abstain from any print shop with a history of using substandard material.
No matter how well-designed your business card is, substandard paper quality will ruin it.
The alternative to a local print shop is to use a print-on-demand service.
Print-on-demand services take away the stress of visiting a physical print shop and haggling with personnel.
Every interaction takes place online.
Youll provide the design and your specifications, i.e., size, quantity, and quality.
Once confirmed, wait for the business cards to arrive at your doorstep.
A print-on-demand service is preferable for printing a large number of cards.
Online printing services have access to more sophisticated equipment and expertise than local print shops dealing with smaller orders.
But dont just choose any online printing service.
Read reviews to see what previous customers have to say about the service.
They include:
1.
Name
The name should be your business card’s first and most prominent feature.
It should have both your name and your company’s name written clearly.
Write your formal name, not nicknames, and your job title.
Use legible and bold fonts so the card recipient can quickly notice the name.
Address
If your company has a physical address, don’t hesitate to put it on your business card.
The address should be written clearly so that whoever you give your card to can easily locate it.
Phone number
The card should include your business phone number so people can contact you.
If your business has multiple phone numbers, the most direct line should come first.
Separate phone numbers with commas, hyphens, or periods to make them readable.
Use a consistent font for the phone number and other text elements on the business card.
Email address
You should include your companys email address on the card so people can contact you.
If you have multiple business emails, the one you use most should come before the others.
The email address(es) should be very visible to the reader.
Web address
Virtually all businesses in this era have a website.
After viewing a well-designed website stating your value proposition, they might be compelled to do business with you.
Social media icons and handles
It is becoming more common to include social media handles on corporate cards.
Tagline
The card should describe your business briefly and precisely.
Anyone who reads the description should be able to understand what your business offers.
Use yourself as the test casecan you discern the value proposition after reading the tagline?
If the answer is no, you need a clearer description of your business.
you’ve got the option to also include a small list of the services you offer.
Call-to-action
Your business card can have a call to action to drive clients to take a specific action.
A call to action helps clients remember your brand and take the required steps to interact with your business.
TechRadar Pro created this content as part of a paid partnership with Vistaprint.
The content of this article is entirely independent and solely reflects the editorial opinion of TechRadar Pro.
