Let’s get real. Business cards are tricky things to design. They’re small in size and you have to fit a ton of direct and subliminal messaging.
So what makes a good business card?
A good business card embraces the format yet represents you. Handing over a card takes a few seconds, so it should be simple enough to be digested in that time. Impactful—but not distracting.
Here’s 5 tips on how to make “The Perfect Business Card”:
- Understand the Purpose of of your business card
The way your card looks as well as the information written on it is very dependent on what you want it to do. A more established businessman, say a mortgage broker, may be more selective regarding his or her phone number and job title. He or she may choose to place their email and the title “business owner” as opposed to their actual position.
- Keep your business card simple
Make sure your card is readable. Stay away from too much clutter and use a readable font. Ideal and standard fonts examples are Hevetica and Myriad, but there are other industry-specific fonts that stray slightly from the norm without being completely unreadable. Twelve-point is an ideal font size but never stray below six. That extra space creates a need to fill the card with unnecessary information and detracts from the point.
- Work within your limitations
A great business card doesn’t have to break the bank. Use the customizable templates that printing companies offer you to create a dynamite card with any budget.
- Make sure the contact information is accurate
A business card with inaccurate information is useless. Giving people an outdated card sends the wrong impression right off the bat; counter intuitive to the its initial purpose. Be sure to include several options on how people can reach you – everyone has their preferences and you should be versatile.
- Keep your business card professional
One key factor in displaying your professionalism is your email address. You may be one of those people with a funny or unusual one, but finding something like greeniepinkieprincess@yahoo.com or puddin_pants@aol.com on a lawyer’s business card doesn’t exactly send a professional message.
Make sure your card is free of smudges, stains and rips. Don’t make it seem like it’s been living in your back pocket or purse for ages!
