culled from:creativemarket.com
Who, What, Where, Why?
1) 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. 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.
QR Codes
3) Another way of saving space is to create a QR Code for your card.
They provide a neat way of including a lot of information on a business
card, without making it look cluttered. It’s also an easy way to create a
link between your printed and online content – by scanning the code,
people can automatically be sent to your website. There are plenty of
free QR code generators on the web, so getting technological doesn’t
have to break the bank.
Colourful or Plain?
4) Bright colours – 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 colourful
card – and can often be seen as more ‘stylish’ too.
Embossing
5) 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.
Colour Choice
6) It’s wise to keep your business cards in line with the rest of
your company’s branding. If you have company colours, use them. Of
course, if you don’t have any particular colour scheme to work with,
you’ll have free reign on your cards. But, be careful to choose
complementary colours – clashing colours can look tacky and
unprofessional on a business card. If in doubt, use an online colour
matching tool.
Visual Content
7) 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
8) 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
colour as the background – around the edges of your card, purely for
this reason.
The Safe Area
9) Along with the bleed, printers also usually specify a “safe area”
in the centre 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
10) 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
11) 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.
