Business Cards

The little details you need to know

Coming up with a business card design can be tricky work. Before you even get to the appearance of your card, you have to figure out what information you want to include. Then there’s the task of choosing between all kinds of different sizes, shapes and looks!

Remember that, while you want to be creative, you shouldn’t make your business card inconvenient for those you’ll be sharing with. Keep the size reasonable so that they can be kept in binders or other card holders. Use colors, fonts and sizes that are easy to read. Don’t get too busy in your design – you don’t want to overwhelm your audience with too many images or too much information.

Before you get lost in the sea of choices available to you, consider:

• What is your business? The level of creative freedom you have in designing your cards depends on your type of business. Feel free to go crazy with colors and graphics if you’re a web designer, but if your business relies on traditional professionalism, such as law or health care, you’ll want to stick to the basics.
• Who are you giving the card to? Your business card will feature different information, and will even look different, depending on whom you intend to share it with. For cards that will reach customers’ hands, you want a lot of details about how they can get in touch with you and your products. That probably means highlighting things such as your address or your website. You also want your business name to be prominent so that customers remember you. On the other hand, if you’re going to be handing the cards out to suppliers or other business partners at trade shows, your own personal contact information is probably most important. That means drawing attention to things such as your name, phone number and e-mail. Don’t forget the technicalities of your audience, as well - consider including more than one language and pay attention to the wording you use so that you’re sure your audience will get the point.
• How can you stand out? Is there a picture or image that says a lot about you that you could use in place of a word or slogan? Are you well known in the community and so could skimp on some information to highlight your logo or name more prominently? Use the numerous design resources available to you to figure out something that speaks to you and your business.