Business cards serve as one of the most important tools for business communication. In order to make the best impression possible, successful professionals need to include a few key elements in every business card design. The following design fundamentals help to ensure that each card conveys the right message to potential investors, clients and business partners. You also need to be careful to balance practicality and beauty.
This really should be a no brainer, make sure to include both the name of the company and the person giving the cards on it. After all there is little point in having contact details if you don’t know who they are for! The individual name is particularly important as it gives recipients a face to associate with the company. It will help if the business name stands out, and for this reason it is often on both sides of the card. After all if you have two sides you might as well use them.
You should of course also include your logo, however business cards with just a logo and essential information are unlikely to stand out. On the other hand going overboard with the graphics is likely to make the card look cluttered and messy. A great way to stand out is to pick an image or colour associated with your industry. A good way of doing this is by using the shape of the card itself, so long as you make sure it is still convenient to store. Folded cards may look nice but are easily damaged and often don’t fit into wallets and holders. You will also really help yourself if you include some space to add notes.
For this reason it is also vital to consider material carefully. For example metal cards will stand out and survive a lot of abuse. But unless you happen to carry an etching kit around you will probably find it hard to add any notes to it. Similar points apply to plastic. This is not to say that metal and plastic don’t have their place. For example if they suit your industry or you are sure that the impression will memorable without any extra notes to remind people of who you are and why they took your card.
Business cards can be great chance to showcase artistry and design skills and they work best when combined with practical considerations. After all there is little point in making a fantastic design that gets thrown away because the recipient can’t put it in their wallet, or takes it home and then can’t remember why they wanted it!
