10 Tips and Tricks for Creating
you own Striking magnificent Business Cards
Your business card is often a
potential customer’s first contact with your company; you want to engage with
them as well as encourage them to find out more about you and what you do. One
of the best ways to do this, is with a well-designed, simple to understand
card. Follow the tips below to create distinctive, professional business cards
that packs a punch!
It may sound obvious, but the
first (and most important!) thing to consider when designing your business card
is the information you want to convey.
1) Make sure your name, job title and company name or logo are
clearly displayed. Think carefully about which contact details to include – you
need to strike a balance between providing enough points of contact, without
making your card look cluttered. From our experience, your website, email
address and phone number are essential. Many businesses no longer include an
address on their business cards, so if you’re struggling for space, you may
want to remove this from your design.
Make it Readable
2) If you’ve got a lot of information to display, you may be
tempted to shrink the size of your text. Beware – small text can often look
readable onscreen, but turn into an illegible smudge when printed. As a general
rule of thumb, don’t go smaller than 8pt. Also, don’t forget about the font
itself: keep it professional and simple – don’t be tempted to use Comic Sans,
or a detailed calligraphic font which is impossible to decipher.
Colorful or Plain?
3) Bright colors - when used correctly - can make a business card
stand out, and look distinctive. This tactic is often used by design and
creative businesses, with the aim of appearing fresh, exciting and original.
However, don’t underestimate the power of simplicity. A plain black and white
design can be as memorable and striking as a colorful card – and can often be
seen as more ‘stylish’ too.
Embossing
4) If you’re concerned about a black and white card looking 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 has shown that engaging more than one sense at a time
can improve recall of an object, so people would be more likely to remember
your business.
Color Choice
5) It’s wise to keep your business cards in line with the rest of
your company’s branding. If you have company colors, use them. Of course, if
you don’t have any particular color scheme to work with, you’ll have free reign
on your cards. But, be careful to choose complementary colors - clashing colors
can look tacky and unprofessional on a business card. If in doubt, use an
online color matching tool.
Visual Content
6) Pictures speak louder than words. This is true for business
cards. While you need to have written content on one side of the card, think
about saving the other for something more visual. Perhaps you could use the
space to display an image of your product, or something related to your
business. Or, put your company logo on the back of the card. Whatever you do,
don’t leave it blank – it’s often claimed that people don’t look at the back of
business cards, but that’s simply not true. Just think about how many times
you’ve been given a card, and flipped it over to check…
Borders and Bleeds
7) Don’t use borders in your card design. This is for a purely
practical reason – no matter how much attention is paid, printing is never 100%
completely precise. A perfectly symmetrical border on your screen may come out
lopsided, thanks to minute movements in the printing machine. Printers
recommend leaving a 3mm Bleed – an area the same color as the background –
around the edges of your card, purely for this reason.
The Safe Area
8) Along with the bleed, printers also usually specify a “safe
area” in the center of the card. Keep any important information – like contact
details – within this area, to avoid it being cut off during the printing
process.
Paper Thickness
9) Consider the thickness of your business card. Thicker cards tend
to feel more expensive – making your business seem more professional. A business
cards printed on paper thinner than 300gsm look and feel rather thin, which can
make them feel tacky and cheap. Try thinking of your card as you would a
handshake – nobody likes a limp handshake, so why would they like a limp
business card?
Keep it Simple
10) You might be tempted to use an unusual material for your
business card. While this will certainly be memorable, bear in mind the
practicality of your chosen medium. People often write extra details on
business cards – such as where they acquire the card. This is much more
difficult to do on metal, wood or even meat.
