Last Updated on March 18, 2021 by Filip Poutintsev
Many times, after meeting a contact who may be one of your customers in the future, the only way to communicate with them is to present a business card. For this reason, creating an effective card is definitely worth the time and expense. It makes you stay in the customer’s mind and makes you more professional. They are also a great way to show off your personal brand and can be used as the best marketing tool. In fact, it is better to design a targeted card for yourself so that you can use it in terms of marketing at the same time.
While all work and communication are done online in the digital world today, the visiting card is still in the world. A business card is created for initial communication to develop a long-term relationship. In the digital world, sending information is done through email and SMS, but the impact of providing a visiting card due to real communication is many times greater.
Is the business card a still object of proud and proof of success like in the American Psycho movie, or is that a thing from the 90s?
1. The most important points in business card design
Target market
You have to consider your audience. A typical business card is very different from a fancy and special business card. A card for artwork is also very different from a card for law-abiding jobs. It is clear that before printing, it is important to know who the target market is for the services and products and the design and color of the visiting card.
Creativity in design
The type of designs and color combinations used on the business card somehow reflects the nature of your brand. Many audiences value you, your products, and your services, rather than the layout and quality of your card paper or other promotional items, rather than your advertising slogans and slogans. So spend time and sensitivity to choose these designs. The design used should be creative and not similar to common and everyday designs.
Simple design
Attractive and creative design and at the same time simple design. Simplistic designers deeply believe in the phrase “less is definitely more”. Business cards designed by this category are very popular and very popular. In fact, the simple design does not mean that you design your card without attractiveness or endanger your identity and brand. Instead, you should design your card in a way that is very attractive and effective at the same time.
The importance of the brand
With the good design and quality of the visiting card, your brand would be instilled in the audience.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the business card
The number of calls you receive from recipients, the impact of designs, new types of paper that can be used, and new configurations for printing are some of the things that should be constantly evaluated and monitored.
2. The most important points in the text of the business card
Complete, Effective, and Concise.
What you write on the visiting card largely determines how effective it is. The message should make it easier for you to achieve the goal you are looking for. In other words, this message should be exactly what your target audience is, and you should directly or indirectly indicate that you are the sole provider of that product or service.
Expressing communication channels
Be sure to note that stating the details of the company and ways to communicate with it on the business card is not enough. Your visiting card should have an appeal that engraves your brand in the minds of the audience. So if you are going to dedicate one side to the introduction of communication channels, be sure to write an attractive and effective sentence on the other side.
More space in the design
Our suggestion is to summarize the content that you are going to write on the visiting card as much as possible so that it can be placed in the same standard space.
Transparency in design
The business card should be designed to clearly introduce your products and services.
3. Select the appropriate paper and type
- Using quality paper instills a greater sense of confidence in the audience. Audiences will not believe your big claims when they are written on a low-quality visiting card. Even the weakest phrases, when written on a quality card, are far more effective than the effective phrases that are presented to the audience on poor papers.
- Ensure print quality and color sharpness. For this reason, choosing a reputable printing company can say the last word about your success or failure in printing visiting cards.
4. Minimalist business card
If you want to be higher than your competitors and more visible, a minimalist design with excellent custom space can dazzle the eyes of any viewer towards your card.
Beauty at the same time simplicity
If you feel a white card makes you feel tired, you can print your design on a dark background or use linen, matte velvet cellophane, or velvet laminate cards. Such cards increase the beauty of your card while being simple.
Increasing the self-confidence
Minimalist business card printing will build the trust of the audience in your company and brand. Great designs will challenge the curiosity of your audience and you will encourage them to connect with your brand.
Improve readability
Take special care in inserting content and images and remove unnecessary content from your card. On the other hand, visiting cards are a great opportunity for small businesses to create a good image.
5. Types of business cards
Business cards are offered in various types based on paper, size, cover, and design with special cuts and each person can choose one of the thousands of samples according to their taste and type of business.
Business card size
There is no universally standard size for business cards. Most countries have a specific size for their business card. But in the same countries, different sizes are designed and printed by some companies, individuals, and businesses. The personal style of the customer or designer and the printing facilities are two important factors that have a direct impact on the business card dimensions.
The type and manner of printing the card, maintaining the necessary margins on the sides of the visiting card at the time of design, and the common dimensions in the target countries all affect the choice of the card size.
Business card sizes vary in the US and Canada, Western Europe, Australia, or China. Of course, the use of unusual professional card sizes, including small and square cards, is now common, and these cards display the creative ideas of designers.
See the image below for suggested business card size in mm or cm and inches and compared to a standard credit card. When choosing the size in pixels, make sure that the resolution is high enough.
Business card material
Business cards have different lifespans based on the paper and cardboard they are made of and are offered in the market under various names such as glass, linen, wood, metal, leather, and plywood (glass) at their own prices.
Design and format
Using business cards with different and special designs and formats (such as embossed cards) can introduce your business to your audience in a tangible way.
Special cut
This type of card can be a good option for those who are looking to be different and unique. In this case, you can leave out the simple and general sections and suits the type of business.
Coverage
Coverage can affect the longevity of a visiting card and even its attractive appearance (e.g. UV coating, matte and glossy laminate, cellophane coating, and no coating). In this case, depending on the type of cover you choose for your card, you will be able to choose the extent of its effectiveness and durability.
Type of printing
In some cases, you need a type of card that can be simple and even special cuts, to accommodate another type of charm and attract more attention. Cards with gold, silver, and colored hot foils can easily do this.
6 Two-sided or one-sided?
Most business cards are printed both one-sided and two-sided. One-sided cards have the advantage that because they are empty on the back, especially in some situations (such as trade shows), it gives the recipient space to use it to write your notes and your business. Also, using the card as a discount coupon, introducing outstanding prizes, and also introducing special services or products can be considered as the most important cases of using the back of the card as an effective marketing tool.
7. Pros and cons of business cards
Pros
- Business cards are a great way to attract customers, make your brand visible and more effective.
- Cards are available face-to-face when communicating with people.
- The card is a great way to build strong personal and meaningful relationships. In general, people are accustomed to exchanging visiting cards when communicating.
- Printing them is not expensive.
Cons
- You need the services of a professional graphic designer to design a good visiting card.
- The average cost of a graphic designer varies from $ 50 to $ 70 per hour.
- If you change your phone number, email address, website address, or any of your contact information, you will need to reprint a visiting card.
- To manage calls, a business card scanner is required to send people’s contact information to a CRM or online call management platform.
- Research has shown that 88% of business cards are discarded in less than a week.
- Paper visiting cards are not environmentally friendly
