When you go out into the world to promote your business, your business card is usually the first thing a prospective new client sees. And, in order to make a lasting impression you should make sure that your business card is memorable. And, not only that, but make sure you actually have one! In order for you to stand out and your business card to leave potential clients wanting to know more, you must follow 5 simple rules to creating a well-designed business card that’s professional, distinctive, and makes a lasting impression.
1. The Copy
When creating a business card design the first and most important thing to consider is the information you want to be placed on the card. Obviously, you want to put your name on there as well as your company logo. Before getting started on creating the business card you first want to make sure you have all of your copy ready so you won’t forget any important information that must go on your business card. Our experience with creating business cards for clients, I’ve noticed that all business cards should have your name, job title, email, phone/cell, and the company name or logo. Today, people don’t really have a need to place their physical location on business cards, and you don’t have to. If they should ever need to meet up with you, you can provide them with the location and your address should always be on your website if your business has a physical address.
2. Readability
Business cards are not usually jam-packed with a lot of information. However, if you do have a lot of information you want to be displayed, don’t be so tempted to decrease the size of the font in order to make sure it all fits. Simply go over your information again and start trimming the fat. Take time to remove some of the unnecessary information, be mindful that some content can be found once a client reaches your website. In general, the font on your business cards should never reach below 8pt. Also, don’t be tempted to use fancy fonts such as calligraphy. Yes, fancy fonts are pretty, but they’re not practical for business cards because the font has to be small. And if potential clients are not able to read your business cards how will they find you?
3. Bleeds and Borders
For print purposes, it is best to always leave a bleed around your business card design, preferably in the color of the background. For those of who us who don’t know, simply put a bleed is the space around your design so that it is not cut by accident. Most printers recommend you leave a 3mm bleed, that’s about a 1/8 of an inch. However, you should definitely ask your printer their preference before you get started because if you leave too much of a bleed that was missed space for your content.
Color Guide
4. Branding
Also, when creating a business card design you don’t want to get carried away with borders. Yes, borders are nice, we love them. However, when getting your design printed you never want the borders to come out lopsided. Sure, the border was straight when you sent your business card out for print. But the printer may not be aligned properly that day, and you don’t want any costly mistakes that could have been avoided from the rip.
I’m sure you want to make your business card memorable and like I always say first impressions are everything. Other than yourself your business card is usually the first thing people see as it relates to your business. Before creating a business card or any other marketing materials you should create a branding board. This is simply a guideline for your company to make sure all products and marketing materials are cohesive. Your business card should complement the image you want you company to project. So take the time to figure out the proper branding for your company. This includes picking the right typefaces, color pallet, and design elements.
5. Simplicity is Key
While creating your business cards you may be tempted to use lots of fancy fonts, textured paper, and other unusual materials you just shouldn’t use. Now if you do this your business card will definitely be memorable, but not for all the right reasons. Have you ever heard the saying “less is more?” This is definitely the case when it comes to business cards. In earlier years people often filled their business cards with a huge amount of information. However, during these modern times, a clean and uncluttered business card is definitely the way to go. With business cards all you need is just enough to get your point across. And, if need be you always have the back of your business card to space out all the information you may have. Just be sure to keep all key info on one side.
Designing a business card using these rules will be simple. And, if you’re still unsure about creating your business card design yourself, give Lidyr a call at 215.550.5054 and we’ll design one for you!
