Top Tips For Designing A Business Card

After you've created your website you might want to consider getting yourself a business card. A unique business card can prove to be the ideal finishing touch for your business. Business cards are extremely useful when networking and are a great way to advertise your business, making you accessible and contactable.

They serve as a valuable marketing tool which could make all the difference

to your company’s success. Being portable, they can be kept in a wallet and distributed just about anywhere, whether it’s at a conference or when you unexpectedly bump into a potential client.

Objective

Your goals and aims for your business card should be similar to that of your website. Both are designed for the same audience and will therefore have very similar marketing elements. Have a clear-cut vision in mind and stay focused on your objectives.

Think about the sort of people you will be distributing your business card to and what would really appeal to them. What is going to catch their eye and make them want to get in contact with your company?

Dimensions

Most business cards are rectangular but there’s plenty of room to be creative in terms of shape and size. You could have curved edges, cut-out features or even go for a different shape. Business cards can also be folded, adding a slightly different dimension and allowing information to be displayed in different sections.

You should probably make your card no bigger than the standard size (approx. 3.5” x 2”) otherwise it will not fit easily into wallets and holders, making your card more likely to get lost or thrown away. This does not mean you can’t play around with sizing and shapes but avoid making your cards completely impossible to store.

Design

The good news is that having a company website will make it very easy to carry your website design over. The obvious thing to do is to use the same colour scheme and font style as your website. This is a good way to brand your company as you are keeping the design consistent and letting your clients make a connection between your business card and your website. Even if you don’t want the two to look exactly the same, you may still want it to have similar elements so that they reflect each other.

Like your website, you want your business card to represent your company accurately. Try and make it memorable, leaving a lasting impression.

Content

Play around with the layout of the font. It could be written at an angle or vertically down the card. Depending on your company, you may want to play around with colour. However, avoid getting carried away and going over-the-top. It is possible to be creative at the same time as keeping it simple. Make sure the design is always relevant and professional looking.

The main purpose of your business card is to get essential company and contact information across to your clients. The way in which you display your content is imperative as it needs to incite your client to get in contact after receiving your card. The vital information you need to include is: company name, your name, website address and contact information including an e-mail address and telephone number. It’s important to provide clients with more than one form of contact so that they have different options to reach you.

Finishes

It can be hard to decide on a finish for your card. You could opt for a shiny, glossy finish or go for a matte option. Having a coating applied can make your card more durable and last longer. It really is a personal choice and it also depends on what will work best with your design. Different textures can be applied which will add different elements to it. You may want to include some raised or engraved effects to give your cards a more dynamic effect.

Create a company website at BaseKit and get some inspiration for your own business card with our large range of designs and templates.

Top tips for designing a business card