The Essentials of Business Card Design

Business cards can seem trivial in a time when everything is moving digital, yet these small cards are very significant. They’re a representative for your business, going forth from your hands to people’s pockets, desktops and (hopefully not) their trash can. The design of your business card is often the deal-breaker, determining whether people hold onto it or not. Business card design is a way to make your card truly effective.

A business card must be functional and one-of-a-kind. As a core piece of branding material, business cards need to be functional and effective first. Clearly stating your contact information is a must. It needs to be legible and accurate, ensuring people are able to refer to it later and contact you. In addition to being effective, a well-designed card is one-of-a-kind that represents your business.

The first way to make your card unique is by making it consistent with your brand. Including fonts and colors on your card from your brand identity will distinguish it from others while making the colors consistent with your other branding materials will also allow people to associate it with your business in a visual way.

Secondly, a unique business card is achieved through a creative design. Printing can be creatively used to enhance the design as well and there are many different types of printing that can be used to make your card stand out. This article from Design Bolts explains the various types of printing. Briefly, printing techniques include spot-uv coating, embossing (letterpressing), foil printing, die cuts, and lamination (special finishes).

Make your business card useful. Adding a function to your card is another means of making it a unique and effective tool for marketing your business. Do you provide a service? Design your card so that it acts as an appointment reminder. It can also be made useful by including a call-to-action! This initiates a response from the person who is on the receiving end. Check out this article from American Express on how to create an “irresistible” call-to-action, such as by including an incentive.

photo from SpeckyBoy.Com

Here’s an example of a card that includes a call-to-action on the backside by offering $10 off. It’s a smart way to take advantage of space and to bring in business.

Another way to be creative in your card design is through use of color. Does your business card contain contrasting colors? Do the colors convey the mood you are trying to achieve? For example, using specific colors can communicate that your business is welcoming. Maybe you’re trying to achieve a modern look, in which the use of black and white would be appropriate.

Thrive Support Services came to us in need of a business card. We created a card that fits the energetic and exciting feel they have as a company. Their goal is to hire people who have the same values and are respectful to their clients but also have fun doing what they do. This required a complete redesign with a new logo and website as well. This card true to their brand identity, using bright green from their color scheme as a background color to give it a fresh, energizing and modern feel.

The green draws attention to the name of the card holder, accents the logo, and makes the card pop. The use of color is bold, yet doesn’t distract from the information. The layout is also what makes this card effective. This card has a modern look and clearly displays how to get a hold of them. We created a business card that Thrive feels confident handing out to represent who they are.

Investing in quality business cards will demonstrate that you care about what you do and that you invest in your own business. We develop creative and functional designs that grab attention and make your business card a keeper. Contact us now to discuss how we can improve your business card!