Business card is not just a simple piece of paper, it’s the face of your company or business. Everyone who need to introduce their company/business to customer need a business card. Every business card should present who you are and what your business do clearly to your customer. Often time people make mistake by focusing on the design of the business card and forget the main ideal of the business card is to state loud and clear about your business. So fancy design does not make a business card memorable.
1. Business cards 101
Ask your self these questions when you look at someone’s business card for 5 seconds:
- What’s the person’s name?
- What’s business/industry he’s in?
- What kind of person/business he is?
- Is this the first person I should call when I need this kind of products/services?
If you can answer correctly all four questions then that design of business card is a success. If not then the business card need to redesign to fix the problem.
Why only 5 seconds you asked. Because 5 seconds is the time you have for your business card to be read. If you can not enter those information into your customer’s mind then your business card fail to deliver those vital information about your company/business.
Step in your customer’s shoes when you design your business card. Don’t get fool by all those fancy design and forget about the main purpose of a simple memorable business card.
2. Designing of the business cards
The first and most important rule of designing a business card is “hard pressed your message into customer’s mind”. To complete this rule you must first have your message. Most small business owner and self employed often don’t have any clue about what they want to pressed into customer’s mind. Get your self sometime to think hard about what you want your customer to remember about your business. Depend on your business and industry it can be for example: a warm feeling, secure, strong, fast, best or on time delivery. Your message can be short as one word or can be as long as a phrase but remember the 5 seconds rule. Every element of your business card should and only present your message.
Once you have the message in your mind then you can think of the technique of business card designing to press your message into customer’s mind. The following techniques in designing can be used to express your message to your customer:
- Using of color: The color of the business card is the first thing that reach your customer. Without even reading a single word on your business card your customer still get your message strong and clear through the color/combination of color on your business card. Different color has different meaning thus by choosing the right color or color combination can state your message loudly. Further more your business card can be found easier if the customer is impressed with you card’s color.
- Pattern: This technique is also powerful in business cards design. The pattern is the second thing which come into customer’s mind after the color element. Chosen pattern should stick with your message and in harmony with your business card’s color. Each pattern has different meanings, some can be elegance, strong, attractive or expensive. Choose your business card’s pattern wisely because you shouldn’t send a confusing message to you customer by combining unmatched colors and patterns. Such unmatched can be using strong color with weak or soft pattern.
- Information: So you have impressed your customer with good use of color and matched pattern only now he has the time to look up on your information on the business card. The customer already have a vague ideal about your business, your information should reconfirm your message to him. Your information can be your logo, your company’s slogan, pictures and extra information you use on your business card.
- Paper type: The type of paper you use also affect your company’s image so in general rule please use paper with good durability and do not use paper that make your company look cheap.
- Business card size: a good business card design should always have usual size. There are many different size of business card but the rule is that it should be small enough for customer to keep in his wallet and big enough for him to not lose it.
3. Business card printing
Printing business card now a day is an easy job which is offered by many printer. However for you to see what exactly how your card look like once it got printed you should use some online provider which offer easy customization of business cards and instant preview of your cards. Zazzle is one of the best online business card provider. With the vast amount of business card templates and design you can sure get everything you need from them. Further more they also offer wide range of printing papers for you to choose from. Head to their website here to find out more.
