Business Card Design: What to do and what not to do

Business Card Design: What to do and what not to do

When you get to the point where you need a business card, you'll likely go with the cheapest option with a pre-made design, which isn't always a negative thing because you get business cards but it's never a great thing because you may not look as professional as you could be.

A business card is just like your website, people judge you based on a first appearance basis, and that's crucial when it comes to sales or building up a business.  This means you need to know what to do and what not to do when it comes to business card design, and that is:

What to do
Use a simple design
You don't want to get too fancy with your design, mainly because you don't have much room to put images, so go with a minimal design and an image or two in order to get seen as a professional.  If you're using something that's overly designed and has a bunch of images, the person reading it will get drawn all over the place when trying to find your name and phone number that they will just ignore your card completely and maybe go with the second card they were handed.

Utilize the back of the card
You'd be amazed at how many people don't use the back of their business cards in order to get some more information on there.  I personally like to use an eye-catchy logo on the back paired up with my domain that is formatted like www.DomainHere.com so it's easily recognizable as my website.  I will capitalize the first letter of each work, which usually means 1 or 2 words are being capitalized.

As for the image on the back, I will usually have some sort of mascot within my logo or on my website that is easily recognizable, which is what will go on the back.  Most of the time I will have a logo made that is enough to put on the back, but sometimes I will need the mascot type image to go on there instead if I have a basic logo lol

Add the right info
You don't need to get too crazy when it comes to a business card.  There are people out there that add their Twitter URLs, Facebook URLs, LinkedIn profiles, etc. 

All you need is your name, position within your company, your phone number, and an email address so the person reading it will know who you are and what you do within the company listed on the card.  They will then call or email you with the information they have.  If you have too much info on there, the card will look overfilled and you likely won't get called.


What not to do
Don't be cheap
If you're a professional, you'll want to be seen as one at first glance, so use thicker card stock and high quality images as well as a great looking font.  If you're using the cheapest options possible, making images in MS paint, and thinking you're going to be taken seriously... you're not.  Don't cut corners when it comes to your business cards, they only cost like $25 or less and you get 500 lol. 

Don't use someone else's images
If you're going to be a professional, you need to use your own images on the business cards.  If you're an SEO agency or Website Designer, use your own logos and images instead of putting the Google logo or something else the person will notice, because it's not professional.

If you don't have images to use, you can always hire a designer to make some for you.  There are plenty of designers here that can do just that and you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars like you would if you went to a design agency.

Don't use old cards
Many people will get 500 cards made and use them until they run out.  If you're handing out 500 within a few months, this is fine, but not many people are doing that.  You'll want to update your cards every 6 months or so, simply because you'll look fresh and updated whenever someone gets your card and they had your old one   You'll look like you're evolving as a person as well as a company, and that's always a great thing in the eyes of a potential partner or client


In conclusion
Don't skimp when it comes to your business cards.  I actually spend closer to $250 on business cards every 6 months because I use plastic business cards that are as thick as a credit card.  I spend a premium on them because whenever I give one to a stranger, I always hear "Oh wow, this is a great business card!" and they usually remember me.  If you go that route, you'll get 50 for $250 lol.  Anyway, you need to stop using other peoples images and stick with your own so your card isn't confusing.  You will also need to be simple with your design and only add the right information to it, NOT your social media profiles lol.

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Thanks!

Tommy Carey