Good Business Card Design

Whether you’re an established business owner or someone who has just stepped into the world of entreprenualship, it’s inevitable that, at one point or another, you’ll be developing a business card design. In fact, if you own a business and don’t have business cards, it’s probably a good idea to order some immediately after reading this article. Business cards are so inexpensive these days, there’s really no reason to be without them. And the applications available for business card design have made it amazingly easy to develop.

When your developing a business card design, it’s important to keep in mind what the intended use of the card is. Business cards are not meant to act as a product catalog, nor are they designed to give extensive information about the history of your company. What they are intended to do is provide a convenient means of supplying the public with basic contact information in efforts to generate business.

The anatomy of a business card should be made up four informational blocks, with only the information that applies to your specific business. Your company logo and slogan, the business card holders full name and title, phone, fax and cell numbers, physical address, and optionally, an email and web address. The business card design should display this information in a sensible fashion. It’s important to emphasize the importance of certain elements by designing them to attract more attention. Visually, the company logo should be the first thing noted. You want the recipient of the card to easily identify the company they’re doing business with. Secondly, you are the one who they have become familiar with as your company’s representative, so your name should hold the next level of priority. Using a bolder or larger font for the name on the card will make it stand out from the rest of the information.  Phone numbers would come next, followed by the remainder of the information. At this point, the order of the information is not as important as it’s visual appeal.

When developing your business card design, balance is key. Whether you decide to use a low key, minimalist business card design, or one that contains high-impact, full-color graphics to make it pop, maintaining an aesthetically pleasing flow will give the impression of professionalism. Be sure to keep the information simple, and utilize fonts that are easy to recognize and read. There’s no point in providing contact information if your clients are going to have to decipher hieroglyphics. Phone numbers, names, and addresses should be easily identified as human typography, not abstract art, unless, of course, you’re an abstract artist. In that case, you can do what ever you want.

There are many free tools available to help you develop a good business card design. Take a look at Image Media’s online business card designer. It’s a free application that allows you to select from industry specific templates and add your company’s information. It also allows you to select from different text layouts and color palettes. It doesn’t require any design knowledge, yet allows you to create a business card that’s both professional and pleasing to the eye. If you decide that you’d rather have a professional design your card or can’t find a template you like, Image Media also has a full service design department available to assist.

Business cards are a great introduction to marketing your business. Once you get started, you’ll find a world of opportunities available to help your business grow.