How to Design the Perfect Business Card

A business card is your printed handshake for potential clients and customers. It is the ultimate networking tool and a form of miniature advertising for your business. A business card is how you are remembered, how you are contacted and how you appear to the business world. Creating the perfect business card for your particular needs is a matter of careful planning, well thought out choices and a splash of personal creativity. Begin by thinking about all the information your business card needs to include. Of course you must include personal contact information such as e-mail address, web site link, physical address and telephone numbers for both the office and your cellular phone. It is always better to have more than one way to contact you on your business card. It spells accessibility to potential clients. Consider writing a tag line that provides an overview of your experience, products and customer service i.e. “over 30 years of friendly car repair service.” If you offer a variety of services consider creating a short bulleted list on the front or back of your business card. The information should look enticing and not crowded on the card. Don’t list your entire inventory on the card; highlight the best aspects of your business. Online printers offer hundreds of different design templates to help you create your perfect business card. Think about branding colors, your corporate letterhead and logo and bring them into the chosen template. You can upload your logo design to the printer’s website or use their online tools to create one from scratch. A lot of the business card templates contain the basics of a branded card so take your time choosing the right one for your company. Consider choosing the two sided or fold over business card for your organization. Besides giving you more space, the fold over business card offers the opportunity to include appointment cards or coupons for your business. It emphasizes the idea that a business card is an advertisement. Double sided or fold over business cards are great marketing materials. When it comes to choosing colors for your perfect business card, try and stick to the three color rule. Any more than three different colored inks (minus logo) can make a business card look crowded and clumsy. Streamline your design and choose one color for text and one or two colors for the background design. Images that sell business cards to potential clients are creative, proportionate and informative. Depending on the type of business clipart, stock photos or portrait images may be more appropriate. For a focus in one on one selling, the smiling image of the business card owner reflects personality and human relationships. Images of your product or stock can entice customers into the store. Clipart can help emphasize a theme or create curiosity. Complete the perfect business card with the perfect matte or gloss finish. Combine the finish with a thick cut or even textured cardstock. The heavier a cardstock is the more reliable the business depicted appears to potential clients. It’s a tactile marketing technique that can really bring in the customers as well as keep your business card out of the trash can. Gloss finishes work better for some business such as advertising and graphics whereas matte finishes work best for antique stores or vintage booksellers. Choosing new business cards can be difficult, especially if you aren’t completely sold on your final design. Some online printing companies offer free business cards in lots of 250 to get you started. This will provide enough of the cards to tide you over until you make a full order and a final decision. It will help you determine if the chosen design is the perfect business card for you.