A business card is a small, printed piece of thick paper with information about you and your company or services. Although I am not telling you something you do not already know, people can sometimes get all wacky with the design and miss the point of what that card is supposed to do. There are numerous studies on the internet and in business books and magazines about what the most effective business cards should look like, but I just follow a basic set of guidelines when designing a new one - guidelines which make the final card effective, not just pretty.
I think technology is great. When I first saw an electronic business card in the shape of a small CD with it's sides shaved off, I thought: "Wow! This is pretty cool!" You could put your whole resume and website on one of these, and maybe a few small videos. Then, I thought about it and I decided against the idea. The reasons were simple - a) people often lose business cards, b) electronic information is almost never finished (ie; never perfect and thus continually modified), c) I can't carry as many CDR's as I can paper business cards, d) I could simply print a traditional card and direct people to my website for updated information, e) Those tiny CDR's don't work with some disc trays (like sideways trays or Mac-style trays where the cards get 'sucked in').
Even with the argument that it depends on the industry and some people are better off with nifty new electronics cards, bear in mind that all novelties wear off eventually (stereo, 3-D, surround sound, cabbage patch kids, etc). Nothing replaces a well-designed paper business card.
Initial Design of the Card
I suggest doing a mock-up of the card with cut and paste methods, either on a computer or with actual paper. Do a few of these and look around at what other people have. Compare, compare, compare. Write ten different tag lines, if you want a tag line, and try a few different fonts and colors. Be sure to make a version of the card at normal business card size so you can check that the text can be read. In some industries, the text should be a little bigger and clearer, depending on who will be looking at it.
Stay away from tiny, fancy fonts because when people want information, they want it fast. I usually choose a sans serif font like Arial (I know, boring, right?) or Humanist 521, Calibri or something that has a bit of style, but can be read small. I like to add a logo or picture and keep the colors the same as all other promo stationary so the brand is consistent. Make sure it works, it doesn't have to catch the eye like a magic fireball, but it should look very well designed.
I don't believe a person must get a card professionally designed, unless they just don't want to bother creating one. I prefer to do mock-ups, wait a few days while I ponder the card and overall message, then consider changes, then fine tune it.
Fine Tuning the Card
In this stage, you have decided on the best design for you, maybe you have let others look at it (a good idea, don't fall in love with everything yet!) and now you are ready to commit to a design. Fine tuning is like the final edit - check each and every word for typos!!! Let others look over it to see if words or phrases are used correctly and that they are in proper context. Let them tell you if they think it makes you look like a hack or even too ostentatious with a glorification of all your top achievements emblazoned across the top.
Ensure any pictures are exposed well and sharpened if they need to be. A 3/4 angle works very well for a publicity shot (profiles don't work and frontal face shots show no depth to a face). Make sure any logos are high enough resolution so they will look good when printed. Small jpegs look fuzzy, even when made small.
Avoid printing free email accounts and websites, if at all possible. It looks cheap. Buy a domain name, even if you are hosting somewhere else, and you should get a free email account with it. Redirect your URL to wherever your web page is and consider 'masking' it, so your URL always shows when a person goes from page to page.
Printing the Card
I prefer to use online services for printing because I get great deals often. I also wait for specials so I can take advantage of free offers like glossy front (I always use glossy fronts, they look great) or free shipping. I get 250 at a time so I am not stuck with an outdated design.
I find computer-printed cards are always cheap-looking because of the fuzzy edges, misalignment or spotty ink. If you have created an electronic version of the business card image for printing, check to make sure the image will fit on the card properly. Ensure you have enough edge space for color bleed. I choose to do WYSIWYG designs online at Vistaprint.ca and I usually always use white as a background so I have no 'bleed' issues.
Get a Card Holder
Nothing looks worse than a dog-eared business card with slight soiling on the surface. A nice card holder will guarantee a perfect card handed out every time. It says something about you.
Evolution of Your Business Card
If you are a freelancer, artist, musician, etc, chances are your card design will evolve. Creative types are never satisfied, so go for small orders until you are confident enough to stick with a design long enough to justify ordering 1,000 cards at a time. You may get a new website, new publicity shot, logo, tag line or whatever, and want to get some new cards because it is exciting. And, if you run out of new cards, you can still use the old ones a back-up!
Hope this helps!!! By the way, here is an example of my newest card for public speaking:
- Buck Moore
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