A business card is a compressed resume. It is your ultimate self-marketing tool. As you design your business card, remember that it might well be your only chance to create a long lasting impression about your business activities. Business cards are as personal as National ID cards. They should be unique, informative, and inspiring at the same time. One fact about business cards is that they are only genuine when you design them yourself. They are meant to make you noticeable to prospective business partners. To make a lasting impression, you should learn how to design a business card, or at least collaborate with your professional design. Below are five tips doled out by experts on how to make your business card rock.
#1 Decide on What to Include on Your Business Card
I may be stating the obvious when I say that before you design a business card, you should know what information to include on the card. However, it is not always easy to decide on what to include in a business card. Crammed business cards are off-putting, and depleted ones are just as ineffective. A good business card should contain your name, job title or position in the organization, your company’s name, and relevant contact information. The company’s logo is also desirable. As for contact information, your business card should have your website, email address, and phone number. If you wish to give your personal cell phone, you might do so provided you have enough time for that. The company’s physical address is no longer included on business cards.
#2 Your Business Card Must be Readable
Having too much to say on the business card will force you to reduce the size of your text to make fit on the template. Some business cards are illegible unless put under a magnifying glass. A good business card should be easy to read. What is the need of having a top-notch business card design when no one can read it? One common pitfall related to font size on business cards is that the font size on the screen looks different from the printed outcome. Experts recommend a font size between 7 and 8 for the main text, 9-10 for the person’s name, and 12-13 for the company’s name.
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#3 Choose Attractive Colors
Bright colors, even if they inspire freshness, are not always the correct choice. There are two points to remember when choosing the color scheme for your business card. The first and foremost, the colors should match; avoid using the same color tone for the foreground and the background of your card. For instance, if your use bright colors for your text or company’s logo, make sure you use a dark color in the background. Second, one convenient way of matching your color tones is using those colors that best represent your company. A good way to achieve this is using the same colors used to design the company’s logo.
#4 Use Visual Effects
Pictures make business cards stand out. In the world of business, people receive hundreds of business cards every day, especially in official meetings. We are more likely to remember those business cards with visual content than others. Pictures are usually used on the backside of the business card while the front side is used to print the text. Deciding on what kind of an image to include on your business card is as important and delicate as deciding on what text to include on it. For instance, some people choose to put pictures of their product to introduce it to potential customers. Your company logo might be another option. Just make sure the picture you put on the card is related in some way to your business activities.
#5 Choose the Right Paper Size and Paper Thickness
The content and design of your business card must be innovative and idiosyncratic. Innovation makes you stand out in the crowd. When it comes to size and paper type, the standard form is more likely to create a lasting effect. Business cards are by definition pocket-size; 2″ x 3.5″ and rectangular in shape. Sticking to the standard size will help your card to be recognized as a business card. The same applies to paper thickness while a thicker than usual paper can be very expensive, a thinner than usual paper quality will make your card look cheap and shabby.
Sourced from: Entrepreneur
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