How To Design A Business Card
Unless you have a keen eye for graphic design, homemade business cards are going to look homemade. And unfortunately, when you’re an entrepreneur trying to win new business or secure capital, the homemade look isn’t going to cut it.
Your business card is a key part of your brand identity.
It’s usually the second thing (trailing only your physical appearance) people will notice when you’re meeting them for the first time.
That means you need a clean, professional design that quickly and effectively articulates who you are and what you’re all about while also making it incredibly easy for someone to contact you—no small task when you only have a space approximately 3.5” wide x 2” high to work with.
Let's get into my tips for designing a business card. As a disclaimer, I use affiliate links for some of the products listed. They are all products I absolutely love and trust and would recommend regardless of whether they have an affiliate program.
Don’t skimp on printing
I know you can save a few bucks by using your trusty inkjet printer or ordering cheap cards from Vistaprint or Staples, but the quality just won’t be the same.
I’ve had an amazing experience using MOO.com business cards. Their print quality is absolutely stellar to the point where people always stop to feel the cards every time I give them out. Just happened to me again yesterday.
Don't skimp. Your business cards reflect your business and your brand. If you haven't tried MOO.com business cards before, they're definitely worth a look! I love MOO's original business cards, matte finish.
Use both sides of the business card
List your name and contact information on the front and your company logo or tag line on the back. If you don’t have a logo or tag line, find a talented designer.
Cutting corners by inserting a stock logo or clip art almost always diminishes the look of the card.
Choose the right font
There might be thousands of choices on the Web, but most of the more professional looking cards I’ve seen use fonts in the Arial, Calibri, Courier New family with few exceptions.
Steer clear of Comic Sans and other similarly cartoony fonts unless you’re going for a more whimsical look and feel or want your small business to be perceived as a joke.
If you don't have a font picked out, check out these business card design templates to see what you like.
Include the best number at which you can be reached—not your daytime, home, cell, evening, direct, and main. Let’s be honest—who wants to have to go through a calling tree to leave you a message? Not me.
Whether it’s the first, second, third, fourth, or hundredth time someone flips through their old fashioned rolodex, stack of business cards, or online cache of scanned in copies, they’re going to form an impression of you and your business based on that card. Make it count!
By: Shawn Graham
[Image: Moly Yim]
As a disclaimer, I use affiliate links for some of the products listed. They are all products I absolutely love and trust and would recommend regardless of whether they have an affiliate program.
Leave a comment