Last updated on March 9th, 2023 at 10:29 am
When you think of a business card, you likely think of a small rectangular card with someone’s personal name, business name and some contact information. While that information is important, an effective business card needs more than just that. There are so many ways to spice up that little card. Gone are the days of bland white business cards. Follow these simple steps to design an effective business card for yourself and your employees.
Only include what is important
You may be tempted to include as much information as possible. You want to educate your audience after all. While that is important, there are other marketing materials you can use for that purpose. A business card should be informative, but in a way that your audience can easily digest. Going over the top and including as much information as possible is likely to overwhelm your audience and turn them off. Instead of overloading them with unnecessary details, include only key information. The primary goal of a business card is to get someone to contact you, but there is no need to include every single social media you have. Most likely you have one or two channels that are more popular than the rest. Consider only including those primary channels on your business card.
Legibility is key
Fun fonts and different colors are fun, but you want your audience to be able to read your business card. While designing, make sure your fonts are not too small or too difficult to read. If you do need to use a smaller font, consider a sans serif font, as that will be easier to read than a script or serif font. Similarly, if you are opting to use colors, make sure you choose colors that compliment each other, rather than clash so badly they are unreadable. For example, green text on a red background, or vice versa, is particularly hard for many people to read.
Leave white space
Another reason you don’t want to cram as much information as possible on your business cards is to allow for white space. Leaving white space on business cards is important for a few reasons. The first reason being that white space allows space for notes. When handing out business cards face to face, you tend to strike up conversations with the recipients. Maybe you want to write down a phone number or something else that is not already on the business card, or maybe the recipient wants to take note of something you mentioned in the conversation. Having that white space on your business cards provides the perfect note taking space. Another reason white space is important to consider is from a design standpoint. White space helps emphasize the areas where there is a design, such as the logo or text.
Include a call to action
A business card is often viewed as a contact card and nothing else. They are overlooked as prime marketing materials, when in reality they can do so much more than just provide a phone number and website. Even a simple business card can spare some room for a small CTA. Come up with a short message to include that offers your audience a discount, some useful information or directs them to your website or storefront.
Design multipurpose business cards
Give your business cards a second purpose beyond just providing contact information to your audience. You can use the backside for something such as appointment reminders, loyalty stamps, etc. For example, if you are a dentist office, you could create a space on the backside to fill out upcoming appointment details, such as the date and time. There are so many ways you could repurpose your business cards, ensuring they last longer and make an even stronger impression.
Print them professionally
Printing business cards yourself might be tempting. You may save yourself a few dollars, sure, but you will be sacrificing a lot by going that route, and in the end it won’t be worth it. Business cards are not the place to cut corners and try to save some money. They really aren’t that expensive when it comes down to it. A professionally printed business card on quality material will speak volumes to your audience as opposed to homemade and likely low quality business cards.
By using a professional printer, you are opening yourself up to endless possibilities when it comes to materials, coating and more. Printivity offers six unique business card styles, from classic to kraft to ultra durable triple layer stock. You can also choose from uncoated, gloss, matte or soft touch finish for many of the options. Want to get really fancy? Opt for rounded corners for a striking finished product. Impress your prospective client with quality marketing materials, starting with your business cards.
Ready to get started?
Whether you are ready to place your order, or you have questions about the process, Printivity is here for you. Not sure where to start designing? Consult Printivity’s in house design experts to get your business cards looking top notch. Contact Printivity at 1-877-649-5463.
Don’t have time for to design your business cards? Printivity has you covered! We are offer graphic design services to help you get your designs ready and printed quickly!
