Five Tips for Designing Stunning and Effective Business Cards

Is success in the cards for you? It could be, but only if you’ve got a well designed business card to back you up. Even in today’s world of online networking and Linkedin recommendations, a good old-fashioned business card is still one of the best networking tools out there. Whether you’re marketing yourself or your company, your business card should be a reflection of your brand – a pocket-sized piece of personality, if you will.

Like any other piece of promotional material, graphic designing a great business card requires creativity and careful planning.  In order to create a memorable business card, you need to think past the paper and beyond the border. Simple and generically designed business cards are easily tossed in the trash. However, if you can successfully create a mini artifact of your company – something that people will want to hold on to – that’s when you know you’ve built a stunning and effective business card.

It’s About a Memorable Experience

The best business cards don’t just offer up contact information – they provide a unique and memorable experience. With that being said, balancing information with inspiration can be tough on such a small marketing piece. The following are five tips from our branding experts that outline the basics of an unforgettable business card design so you can stand out from your competitors and leave a lasting impression.

#1 – Less is More When it Comes to Design

When it comes to business card design, our team of branding experts all agree: you need to keep things clean. A card that’s packed with information or overwhelmed by different fonts and graphics will come across as cluttered. What’s more, it will hide your message and overshadow the meaning of your brand. Avoid an overpowering design by opting for readable text and clean lines.

Of course, “clean” doesn’t have to mean “plain”. In fact, a clean graphic design can actually be quite innovative. Experiment with shape, texture and design in order to come up with a unique representation of your company.

#2 – Give your Business Card a “Wow” Factor

You know a business card is doing its job when other people want to share it. The trick to creating something that’s shareable? Crafting a memorable design. Remember when we said your business card should be an experience? The best business cards make you want to share that experience with others. What’s more, when people remember your business card, they have a much better chance of remembering your business… and you.

#3 – Make your Card Valuable

Connecting with people is easier than ever these days. A quick Google search is all that really stands between you and another person’s contact information. So why not reserve your business cards for important contacts only – the folks who really strike a cord and connect with you on a deeper level? This approach will make your business card all the more valuable. A memorable card isn’t just about design, after all; it’s also about delivery.

#4 – Use Quality Materials

A poor quality card can undermine even the most engaging conversation. So don’t be cheap! Make sure that your business card looks polished and professional – whether it’s printed on paper, metal or fabric! Experiment with different patterns, textures, and colors in order to create a more tactile experience. Emboss or embellish – the options are endless! Just remember to keep the look and feel inline with your industry. Doing something wild and crazy might sound like fun, however it could cheapen your brand if the finished product isn’t aligned with what your customers have come to expect from someone in your line of work.

#5 – Own Your Business Card

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if you have a wildly creative business card. What matters is that you own it and are proud to distribute it. Great graphic design can go a long way when it comes to making a good first impression, but so too can confidence. You know your company rocks, so what are you waiting for? We can create a memorable business card that will help you conquer the world – one contact at a time!

Let ZOO Media Group help you build a better business card. Contact our office today to book a free branding consultation.