Guide to Designing the Perfect Business Card

example of business card designs


Anyone representing a business needs an effective advertising tool to promote brand recognition, encourage customers to respond, and provide contact information. A business card may be small, but it is a mighty tool that can serve these purposes. One of the many advantages of business cards is their small size. You can always have several to pass out and create a lasting impression on people you meet.

What Is a Business Card?

A business card is about the size of a credit card and is printed on card stock. The card contains pertinent details about you and your business, including the company logo, name, and contact information. Think of a business card as the visual representation of your brand. A business card should be designed to be personal to you and your company.

Before You Start

Whatever your business situation or position, consider your business logo and brand color scheme before designing your business card. Your logo and color scheme are the most important decisions for business branding, and these elements will heavily influence the overall design of your business card.

Know Yourself

Consider what you want to communicate with your business card. What is your brand as an individual or business? What should the text and design of your business card communicate? Taking the time to reflect on your personal brand will help you answer design questions that will determine the overall look of your business card.

Designing a Business Card in Eight Steps

After choosing a logo and brand color scheme and thinking about what you want your business card to communicate, you are ready to begin designing your card.

  1. Choose the shape. A rectangular business card is the standard shape. However, you can design a business card virtually any shape you want. Consider rounding the corners of a standard rectangle business card. Or you could also make your business card into the shape of a product you sell. Creative shapes can convey a fun personality for you or your business. However, if your business is more formal, it may be best to stick with a standard business card.
  2. Choose the size. The North American standard size for business cars is 3.5 inches by 2 inches. Consider the bleed area, the outermost part of the card that is usually removed during printing. Ideally, you should plan to keep essential parts of the logo and text inside of the outer quarter-inch of the card.
  3. Add graphics. The logo should be the main visual element of the business card. You can add secondary graphics as well if you wish. One option is to use one full side of the logo's business card and the other to feature your contact information.
  4. Add necessary text. The contact information you provide on a business card depends on your business. If you're a freelancer, you won't need to include a business address as a brick-and-mortar business will. Most business cards include your name, job title, company name, phone number, email address, website URL, social media profile(s), business address (if applicable), and possibly a QR code and/or slogan.
  5. Choose the typography. The typography on the business card needs to be easy to read. The size of the text should be at least 8 points. You might make the most important information larger and use a smaller text size for other details. Choose a font that represents the personality you're presenting, whether it's clean and modern or classic and timeless. Choose text colors that are used in your brand color scheme and logo. Opt for high contrast between the background and the text for easy reading.
  6. Decide on special finishes. Printers offer a variety of special effects that can enhance business cards. Embossing makes some text or elements stand out, and letterpressing pushes the paper down during printing. Foil stamping adds a shiny and reflective touch to the text, and spot UV coating adds a smooth sheen to areas for visual contrast.
  7. Consider hiring a designer. Even if you think you've come up with a pretty good design on your own, you may want to get a professional opinion to ensure that the final result is the best it can be.
  8. Finalize the design and have it printed. Review a mock-up of your business card to ensure you like all elements. If you're working with a designer, have them send you a vector-based PDF and a vector file to preview. What do you notice first when you look at the card? How do your eyes move over all the information presented on the card? Make sure the card doesn't look cluttered. Fewer elements are better than too many. Check for typos, and make sure the colors work together cohesively. And don't allow any elements to be positioned too close to the edges of the card. Once you're satisfied, have your new business cards custom-printed.

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