In a world where everyone seems to have a business card for everything, it’s even more important to have one that is thoughtfully designed and quality constructed.
Cheap business cards are easy to spot, so whatever you do, don’t skimp out. A business card speaks volumes about its owner, and will inevitably leave the recipient with an impression — good or bad.
1. Find the Right Design
If you’ve been working with a professional designer for your marketing collateral, we suggest having them take a shot at also designing your business card. This will ensure consistent branding across all of your identity pieces, including your website and letterhead.
Don’t have a professional designer? Don’t fret. There are printers out there that provide really sleek, professional designs. See #2 below for our favorite printer (and beware of some other sites, whose templates can look elementary and DIY). If you don’t want to use a template, consider investing in a design program like Adobe Illustrator. It can be pricey but will allow you to design and save your file in .ai or .eps formats for high resolution printing. Standard .jpg and .png files are not sharp enough and will compromise the quality of your business cards.
2. Find the Right Printer
We love Moo.com for its variety of creative and professional designs. They allow customers to upload their own designs, but where this company really shines is in its offering of modern, high-design templates. Moo’s designs are sleek, professional, and creative — nothing like the DIY look you get from some other print shop templates.
We’ve used Moo for a few different businesses and organizations, and the quality of their cards cannot be beat. Moo offers a few different options for card stock, but all options (including their base standard) are thick and substantial feeling.
Bottom line: From our experience, you might spend a little more at Moo than you would at other online printers like Vistaprint, but once you see the print quality and feel the card stock, you’ll be glad you spent the extra couple bucks.
3. Sizes, Shapes, and Colors – Oh, my!
Size: We highly recommend sticking to the traditional business card size. In recent years there has been a trend toward “mini” everything — including business cards. Keep in mind, though, that while mini cards are cute, they’re not very professional and are more likely to get lost.
Shapes: It is almost guaranteed that oddly shaped cards will either get (1) stored separately from all other business cards, or (2) tossed in the trash. Don’t give people an excuse to lose or toss your card. If you’re looking for something a little different, try a vertical card or rounded edges. And if you want to add a really cool design element, experiment with colors and textures.
Colors: Don’t be afraid to experiment with color! Using one main accent color makes a huge statement and will give your cards a real pop. Using too many colors at once can make your card look messy and overstuffed. On the flip side, don’t be afraid of white space. Strategically paired with the right fonts and images, white space can make for one of the sleekest business cards you’ve ever seen.