Tips to Remember When Designing & Printing Your Business Cards

* If you're serious about your business be serious about your business cards. Don't focus on the money, focus on the quality. Business cards not only provide contact details, they represent you and your organization. People you give your card to will form a first impression within seconds of receiving your business card (oftentimes before even reading it), and you want that impression to be a good one. Make it appeal to the senses.

1. Have someone in house create a catchy logo and/or design and layout for your card. If you don't have anyone to do that, hire someone.
2. Get high-quality, thick card stock that feels nice to the touch.
3. Apply foil or glossy finishes it applicable to catch their eye.

Make your card stand out. If you spend enough time and quality on your card people will believe you put that same amount of effort into your business.

* Make the most out of your cards. Don't be afraid to use them as a marketing tool. Give them to everyone you meet. In fact, give everyone you meet two or three, so that they can give them out if the opportunity arises.

* Give your business card additional value. If you wish, you can usually create a useable backing for your business card—a calendar, appointment card, coupon, referral discount —give it value and decrease the chance that it will disappear into the trash bin.

* Be creative...but not too creative. It is important to design a visually-pleasing layout for your business card. But there are times when you can take creativity too far. Nobody likes to receive business cards of odd shapes and sizes that wont fit into their Rolodex or other business card holder. Make the text big and dark/light enough to read. Don't use 'wacky' colors or fonts.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Sloan on January 14, 2009 at 1:22am: Good short article on business cards. I used to be a typesetting in Chicago in the 1980s and designed thousands of them. If you don't have a great logo for your business, a certain type of generic logo can look very respectable on a business card such as a caduceus for a medical professional, scales for a lawyer and so on. The text speaks for itself.

Be sure to proofread your cards carefully. It costs to correct mistakes and if you don't catch it till you've given out a few hundred, you could be sending plenty of potential clients calling a wrong number or fail to receive important mail.

How artistic to get also relates to profession. Artists and designers have a small opportunity to display a miniature sample of their work. For artists, a two-sided card can be very effective -- one side a striking print of your best work, the other very simple with just your contact information and what you do. Designers tend toward making the entire card a graphic masterpiece instead. An interior decorator could use a good photo of a star project.

Collect cards from others in your business and compare them. Try to combine the look and feel of the profession with your own personality, tastes and the niche specifics of your clientele. Example -- one dentist had a very classy card on expensive linen heavy stock with no logo but a good design laying out the information, simple and powerful. Another used plain white card stock, black and white printing, a two sided design with contact information and a whimsical picture, the other side had various dentist jokes and frequently explained "Caters to Cowards."

Of course I went to the silly dentist, who was as good as his word and painless to boot. So did many other people who were working people with less upscale incomes. So look at the image you're creating -- is it low, low prices or an upscale clientele who might care more about your location, furnishings and high-end perks?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kathie M. Thomas on January 14, 2009 at 1:37am: I'm sure I left a comment here yesterday but I can't see it. I had made comment about the size of font, that it needs to be readable because we don't all have 20/20 vision and also about the use of the back of the card. I also added links to two articles I'd written about the design of business cards and mentioned there is a book you can get (not mine but someone else's) to assist with the design of cards.

I'm receiving the updated messages but mine has gone missing.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by David Cobb on January 14, 2009 at 1:50am: Plenty of good ideas here. Another idea is to get the corners rounded. Most guys will know, when you try to get someones card into the card holders in your wallet, it's not the easiest thing to do. With rounded corners, they slip straight in and they're easy to get out again as well.

--Dave
www.realisticresumes.com.au; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Nelson Tan on January 14, 2009 at 2:07am: These are useful creative tips for extending the capability of a mere card. Many thanks. I have more articles on business card marketing here: http://www.internetmasterycenter.com/articles/branding-advertising-...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Nilse on January 14, 2009 at 2:43am: I think so!

Thanks for advice!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pama Lyons on January 14, 2009 at 5:45am: That is very good advice for doing business cards. Thank you for that valuable information.
Pama; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Konrad Fischer on January 14, 2009 at 6:50am: Thanks so much, Caddie, for your tips. But: If everyone has fine business cards following your recommendations, what to do? Create a still better one? But how?

My (provoking - SORRY!) tip:

Have no business card at all. Save your money. If someone is asking for my business card, I answer: 'Look for my name in Google. I'll be in the first ten (and in Google Germany I'm always No. 1, as I know in advance, in g.com ~ No. 3 ...). And there you'll get all my contacting details (and maybe he'll get impressed by visiting, that depends on my website's character ...).'

And: If I'm not able to attract the person in the meeting by personal impression so that he will remember my name, my card can't do this job better. In other words: Business cards a worthless for me, or: My website (keyword rich content!!!) is my business card ;-)

Konrad
PS: What I'm saying meets my experience - there are others!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michael Etchason on January 14, 2009 at 7:06am: Great stuff,thanks.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Victoria Munson-Engelkes on January 14, 2009 at 7:51am: Excellent information-thank you. I have not created a business card yet....and am not satisfied with
"just the typical" kind of card because they don't express who I am or what I do. You have helped more than you know!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Erin Perry on January 14, 2009 at 9:30am: I especially like the magnetic business cards, because I am seen every time someone opens the refrigerator, and my number is easily accessible, when someone needs a cake or favors.

Erin-Chocolate Rose Bakeshop, CT; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Don Egnor on January 14, 2009 at 10:33am: Your business cards will help make or break you. Many people make the mistake of putting too much information and pics/graphics on their card. Simple, but effective, is much better. Very good information and worth the read.

Don Egnor; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sarah McSweeney on January 14, 2009 at 10:55am: I agree that a biz card should be of a high quality. It represents who you are and the quality of your business. Before handing out 2 or more bizness cards to someone I would be sure that there is a commonality, or sense of interest from the other person so that the cards don't end up in the bin. When I've been handed more than 1 card from a service/business I have no need for, I'm not as inspired to hand it to someone else.
Sincerely, Sarah; ▶ Reply to This