15 Business Card Design Tips to Help You Craft a Winner
How can you make sure your business card gets seen? By making it unforgettable. Sleek. Creative. Here are 15 business card design tips you need to consider!
There were 30.2 million small businesses in the United States in 2018.
If you own a business in America, you need a business card. Think business cards are old-fashioned relics? Actually, business cards are still relevant and widely used today.
Important information can sometimes get lost in the digital shuffle. Business cards are an easy way to give out your contact information.
If you're thinking of designing a business card--or if you want to revamp your old one--this article is for you. Keep reading for 15 business card design tips.
Do We Still Need Business Cards?
Maybe you're thinking everything is digitally stored these days. Messages, emails, receipts. However, there's still a need for print material.
In fact, 9 out of 10 shoppers believe there's a need for printed material. There is something about the tangible feeling of paper that is comforting to people.
For example, look at the e-book versus printed book debate. Book lovers claim that it's not the same feeling to curl up with an electronic. With a physical book, you can touch it and turn the pages.
The same can be said with a business card. It's more personal for someone to hand you their business card than for you to type their name and number in your phone.
What if you met 3 Johns last year and input their name and number in your phone. How would you know who works for what company unless you take an additional step to add a note in your phone?
You won't have that problem if you have each of their business cards. A business card serves as a physical reminder.
Top Business Card Design Tips
Does the design and quality of your business card matter? Nearly 72% of people say they judge a business based on the quality of their business card.
Design matters. Here are tips to make your business card look good.
1. Reflect Your Brand
Before you design your card, think about your company's brand. A company's brand is more than its color scheme and tagline. It's everything your company represents.
Your brand is your products and your services. It's your customer service. It's what people think about when they see your logo or company name.
Consider how you can reflect your brand in a business card. This may seem like too much to reflect in one small piece of paper.
However, if done right, you can design your business card to give people a taste of your brand. You want them to look at your card and have an idea of what your company is about.
2. Don't Go Crazy With the Colors
It might be tempting to design a business card with crazy, neon colors so that it can stand out. However, you should choose colors that are a part of your brand.
You also want colors that complement each other and make it easy for people to read the text.
3. Use Both Sides
With business cards, make the most out of all the real estate and use both sides.
Sometimes you may get a business card and put it face down in your wallet or somewhere on your desk. If the side facing up is blank, you may forget about the card or the business information it contains.
You should use one side to print your name, contact details, and other important information.
You can print your logo on the back. Or, you can print your tagline. Another option is to print an image or something eye-catching.
4. Make Sure Your Logo Is Featured
Don't forget to print your logo on your card. You should place the logo right next to the company name.
The logo should be big enough to be noticed. After all, your company logo is a representation of your brand.
5. Choose an Appropriate Font
The typography of your business card matters. The first thing to consider is the font choice. We know that font choice is important.
Think about a resume typed up using Times New Roman font or Comic Sans font. The font makes a difference. Comic Sans is more playful and less serious than Times New Roman.
Take a look at different fonts and see which matches your company's tone and aesthetic. Maybe you want to reflect a playful, fun tone. Or, maybe you want a serious tone.
One popular font choice for business cards is Helvetica. Another is Futura.
How about the font size. You want the font to be big enough to read easily, but small enough to not take up all the space. The font size should be about 7-8 pt.
6. Choose Quality Materials
Nearly 39% of consumers said they refuse to do business with someone if they had business cards that looked cheap.
When printing your business card, choose a quality paper stock that isn't flimsy. Imagine when you meet someone new and give them your business card. You want your card to feel strong and heavy when they hold it.
You don't get another chance to make a good first impression.
7. Include Important Details
Make sure to include the important details other than your company name and logo. Some information you want to include would be your phone number, email, and website.
If relevant, you can include your social media account names. This may be important if you're a marketing or if you have an online portfolio on one of your accounts.
8. Get Creative With Design
Get creative with your business card design. For example, if you own a bookstore, your business card can be a bookmark. You can include puzzles or word games on the back of your card for people to solve.
If you own a restaurant, you can include a recipe on your card. You can also make your business card a punch card or an appointment reminder card. This way, you're making your card multifunctional.
9. Consider Special Effects
There are special effects you can do to your card to make it stand out. You can add elements such as foil designs and accents. There are also see-through business card designs.
10. Choose a Shape and Size
The usual size for business cards is 3.5 x 2 inches. You might want to do a different size to stand out. However, the standard size is the best choice since they fit in your wallet or business card holder.
11. Have a Tagline
If your company has a tagline, you can include it on your card. Not every company has one. A tagline is another piece of your company's brand.
It's an idea of what your company is about. A good tagline is simple yet easy to remember.
12. Use Visuals
If you're not sure what to include on the back of your card, you can add an image. This may go well if this matches your company's brand like a professional photographer or a museum.
13. Keep It Simple
It's tempting to include all your ideas on your design. However, you don't want a business card that looks cluttered or that has too much going on.
Someone should look at your card and get an idea of what your company is about.
If you have too many ideas in your head, it helps to sketch out a design first. This way, you can see where you want to put your information and how you want to space it out.
You also want to make use of white space even on something as small as your card. If you cram all text together without white space, it will be hard to read. People should be able to spot your email or phone number without having to search for it.
14. Check Before You Finalize
Before you finalize the design or print it, check it first. See how it will appear when printed. If possible, see if you can do a test print sample.
Also, check the spelling for any errors or grammar mistakes. The last thing you want is to see that you made a spelling mistake after finalizing the order.
15. Hire a Professional Graphic Designer
When you're ready to create your business card, you should hire a professional to design it. Your business card is one of the first ways people will be introduced to your company--so you want to create a quality card.
You should also print your cards with a quality printing company. A cheap or poor quality printing job will show in your cards.
Final Thoughts on Designing Business Cards
With the above business card design tips, you can get started on your business card design.
Want to learn more about business cards and other graphic design resources? Check out more articles on our blog.