There are many schools of thought about what makes a good business card design, but most are agreed on two things – they should easily fit into a wallet (so they don’t get lost) and your contact information should be easy to find on it. But that isn’t all there is to designing a good business card, many elements need to be considered.
Your business card is a tiny snapshot of your business; it gives the receiver an impression about your business and what you can offer as well as a means for them to contact you. Ideally you want it to be memorable, so that you come to mind when they are looking for a particular service.
Although having your card a different size or shape to the “norm” may seem like a good idea to help make you that bit more memorable, if it doesn’t fit into a wallet you risk the business card being lost – along with the chance of you getting the business. Rounded corners help the card look better for longer as they won’t catch and “dog ear” as easily as the standard squared corners.
There are many ideas that you could use to make the most of your business card, if you have a pictorial logo then incorporating that into your design will help reinforce your company branding for instance, you could have your design as a double sided business card or maybe leave some “blank” space in case you need to add an alternative phone number, or the address of a meeting place for the person you are giving it to.
You could even place a “mini mission statement” on the back of the card, explaining a little more about what you do and why they should choose your services. But when working on such a small area it is important that you choose what goes on it with care, as it is easy for them to look cluttered.
Tempting as it may be, it is inadvisable to add your latest offer or current prices to the information on the card, as you would need to print a new batch if this information changes which adds an additional cost to your business.
But it isn’t just the design and information on the card that will make an impression, it is the materials you use and the way you use them. You might want to use a heavy-duty paper, or a good quality card as a base, and then have it die-cut, foil blocked, or embossed, to add a certain “feel” to it.
As with all things it is best to shop around and get a few quotes to ensure you get the best deal, but buying your business cards online may help cut the cost, not to mention the hassle, down even further.
Some companies specialise in printing business cards, and so can offer an affordable, bespoke service that is fast and hassle free services to their customers. They even have the facilities to allow you to order online to add to the convenience, giving you more time to concentrate on your other business needs.