Business card designing should take into account several things to create the right card for the business. Find out how to create a unique business card here.
All businesses need business cards to represent the brand of the company and exchange contact details. It is a more personal way of sharing your information with your current and potential clients than forwarding the details digitally.
When designing your business card, it is essential to understand that this card would convey the overall image of your business in one glance. While many people neglect putting much thought into business cards, it is something you should plan before getting the cards printed.
Here are ten factors and tips to create ideal business cards:
1. Examine the Card Designs Across Industries
The first thing you should do before designing the business card is to do a bit of research to determine the type of cards being used in the industry. Gather as many business cards as you can and study the layout and design to discover new business card design ideas.
Take note of the things that attract you and things that don’t work. Also, focus on your competitors’ business cards. Which card stands out more than the others, and what is the reason?
You can use some of the qualities of these cards that stand out to you. However, you must stay unique and avoid copying anything from other cards. It is essential to make your business card stand out from the crowd.
2. Consider Your Brand Image
Your business card should reflect your brand image. Therefore, select the images, layouts, font, colours, and contrasts accordingly. You can make the most of the rear side of the card by adding your logo or other relevant images.
Your business card represents you and shows people who they would be doing business with. It is essential to ensure it reflects your business and brand image, while also reflecting the industry.
3. Go Through Basic Principles of Design
The basic principles of design should be applied to business cards. Here are the things you should keep in mind:
- The copy should be within 5mm from the card’s trim edge
- The minimum text size should be legible
- Work at 300 dpi and design in CMYK to attain the best reproduction quality
Using a grid to get the right layout of the card is also recommended.
4. Decide the Shape and Size of the Card
Traditionally, a horizontal rectangular shape is used for business cards. That certainly doesn’t mean that you have to use the same shape and size. There are several other shapes that you can consider an organic shape or a geometrical shape as well.
The right size and shape of the card depending on your brand image and the information you want to include. If you don’t want to do something drastic, consider going with a vertical card since they are less common and will certainly set you apart.
5. Make the Card Useful
One of the major problems we face is that paper is everywhere. Many people keep each and every piece of paper they receive which means your card would get lost in the paper mountain. On the other hand, some people recycle all paper.
To avoid this problem and ensure you are not wasting paper, try to create a design that people would find useful. For instance, a card that can hold hair clips, has a measuring scale in the borders, can be folded into a small box or can be folded into a phone holder.
This will ensure that your business card survives longer with the people and is memorable.
6. Avoid Common Mistakes
Be sure to avoid the commonly made mistakes by businesses when designing business cards. Some of them include:
- Lack of branding
- Not using the colours of the logo or brand
- Poor image quality
- Bad card-stock quality
- Too much clutter
- Unreadable print
- Odd proportions of the design
- Harsh colour schemes
Make sure to check that everything is in order before sending the cards off for printing.
7. Carefully Proofread
This is extremely important. How would you feel about a business or an individual if find incorrect information or spelling mistakes on their business cards? It is certainly off-putting.
Be sure to do a spellcheck and proofread the content. Double and triple-check all the details to ensure they are all accurate.
8. Double-Check the Artwork
Often a design looks great on screen but might not be what you were looking for when it gets printed. Therefore, double-check the artwork you want to add to your business cards. Get it printed on paper to see how it would look. Check all the details before you send it off for printing.
9. Keep Things Simple
You don’t have to come up with a different design to keep it unique, keeping things simple can showcase sophistication that could also work for your business. A properly laid-out card is much better than a completely cluttered card.
If you need to add more information to the card, avoid adding everything at the front. You can make use of the rear side to add more information and keep it neat.
10. Add Correct Contact Details
The main aim of the business card is to give your potential customers the details to get in touch with you. Consider which information do you want to give to them. This can be different for each company but the standard information to include is as follows:
- Name
- Designation
- Company name
- Phone number
- Email address
It is essential to add to your social media channels. No need to add in all of them as one or two main ones would be sufficient. You should check and recheck the information you provide for printing as even a slight mistake can cost a lot once the cards are printed.
Many businesses neglect to give much attention to business cards and get them done in a hurry or from the cheapest option they can find. That might be a big mistake. Having a professional and unique business card can leave a good impression on your current and potential clients or customers.
Be sure to give it thought and use high-quality material to give your cards a crisp and high-end feel. Consider these tips to successfully create a great business card that sets you apart from your competition.
