I’ve got a confession to make. Of all the pieces that make up an identity package, my favorite by FAR is the business card. Why? The sheer flexibility it offers. There are NO limitations to what you can DESIGN with a business card. Any style, any shape, any color, and outlandish thing you can imagine can actually WORK as a business card.

There is no other single design piece I’ve found that offer’s so much flexibility. We’ve talked before about fake finishes design tricks and cheap ways to make a big difference, but let’s look at some ideas that you can use to display your text.

Text. We know that a business card HAS to contain information, and more often than not, it has to contain LOTS of information. Information that is ESSENTIAL to a strong business card. This alone, may sound like an overwhelming task, but what it REALLY is, is an overwhelming opportunity to do something great.

Let’s look at some inspiration for just such an occassion:

Orientation. Dare to be different. Change the orientation of your business card from horizontal to vertical. And don’t forget the front AND the back.

Right Alignment. Contact information right aligned is probably the most common of ANY alignment style for a business card. However, you can still pull it off with class:

Left Align. While the alignment may be common, this design is anything but. When you “create” a business card every detail is important.

Diagonal. These cards show a different kind of alignment– go DIAGONAL. Arrange the content and the text in such a way that it creates a design itself.

For more inspirational business cards visit Daily Poetics Flickr stream.

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Usually, on this blog I showcase others work, but today I thought I’d share some recent business cards I had the opportunity to design. As always feedback is more than welcome!

Enjoy!

Splinters

SliceOThePie.com

Collipsis Web Solutions

Southern Ladies Showcases

Paige1Media

Jeff Bardel

Life Triumphant Church

ECommerce For Beginners

Paige1Publishing

Graphic Illustrator

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It’s true. The world as we know it is struggling financially. And while it may seem that everyone around you is tightening their belt and closing their doors, keep in mind that good design does NOT have to suffer just because you’re client’s budget might.

What can you do to continue your standards of superior design on a tight budget?

1. Faux finishes. If you can’t afford it, fake it. Finishes that is. I recently attended an excellent print show in Tulsa, put on by CP Solutions. There were several paper vendors there with many exciting papers and finishing options that had all us designers ‘oohing’ and ‘aaahing’. But what if you’re client cant’ AFFORD a clear varnish or laminate finish?

Try this– adding a simple layer of partial opacity can make a dark design shine with extra sheen creating the illusion of a varnish or laminate.

2. Cut it out. Wanna create an awesome die cut effect without the cut? Try placing the design on a dark background (preferably black) when viewed at a distance in dark card holder the card will JUMP off the table and trick the viewer with the illusion of being die cut.

3. Simple arrangements. Nothing screams “CLASS” like something simple. Sleek. Elegant. On your next card project, convince the client to go with the “less is more” approach. The card will look sophisticated and expensive without the extra price.

Got some special design tricks of your own? I’d love to hear them!

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Sometimes it seems that as designers we are asked to do the impossible. Recently I had this experience with a client. While designing their business card the client kept thinking of things they wanted to add. A logo. Title. Name. Phone Number. Email. Address. PO Box. Another photo. OH! And only a one-sided card!

I squeezed and rearranged. I struggled and brainstormed. But in the end? The business card turned out very well and I was glad that I had one more card to add to my portfolio.

Never write off a client’s demands as an impossible task. Attack it! Conquer and you may just be pleased with the result. Let’s have a few more miracle working designers out there!

Wanna see some of MY business cards? The card I’m referring to is somewhere on this page! Happy hunting!

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Every design we create serves a purspose. Is it up to us to determine that purpose? Or does each piece innately have a purpose?

Well, unfortunately I think there is truth in both. Our job is to amplify the innate purpose for each piece. Confused? Don’t stay that way, let’s examine the pieces we create on an everyday basis and the function they should serve.

The Business Card.

Part salesman, part reminder, part secretary. The business card created correctly can accomplish all these tasks in a single stroke. Often the most used piece of identity branding, too often businesses use a cookie cutter design and expect customers to take notice. Does it work? Maybe if your business is Office Depot. But if you’re a designer branding yourself or a client you want to think outside the box to make a business card that will really get the attention it deserves.

I like to think of the business card as a pocket sized billboard. It should scream at the consumer and burn a hole in their pocket!

As the designer it’s up to you to decide which information should be included and HOW it can be included to best represent your client and provide as the Heath brother’s (Author’s of "Made To Stick") would phrase it, "Stick-Ability" in the mind. (You want the customer to remember it!).

Chuck Green lists a Business Card Checklist that you might find useful to help you determine WHICH of the following bits of information is most vital to your client. Remember, you can’t possible include EVERYTHING. So you’ll have to pick and choose:

Business card checklist

Here are some of the many details you might include on your next business card.

PEOPLE
Name of person
(Nickname)
Title
Affiliations
Professional/academic designations

PLACE
Pronunciation of unusual names
Department/division name
Organization street address
Floor/suite/mail stop
Alternate P.O. box address
City/state/state abbreviation
Zip+four/postal code
Country
Home street address

COMMUNICATION
Voice phone/extension number
Toll-free phone number
Mobile phone number
Pager number
Fax phone number
Home phone number
E-mail address
Web site address

DETAILS
Office hours
Time zone
Appointment fill-in
Map/directions

ORIENTATION
Name of organization
Mission statement/business description
Product/service categories
Resource info
Special offer
Invitation
Illustration/photo
Logo
Organizational affiliations
Sponsorships

Once you’ve determined WHAT you’re going to include, try to think about ways to include it that will make a statement!

Have you designed business cards you’re proud of? Email them to me, and I’ll showcase them in an upcoming post with links back to your site!
 

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While it may not shock you, it never ceases to amaze me how often clients want to "pioneer" something new. Something perhaps, like a "bigger’ business card. Their reasoning? Well, if it’s bigger, it has to be BETTER! Right?

Wrong.

A "bigger" business card (one that is larger than the standard 3.5" x 2" dimensions) makes for a poor business experience. A larger card doesn’t adequately fit into standard business card holders, will not work in wallets well and ultimately will end up in the trash much faster than their standard-sized counterpart.

If your client is bound and determined to include the history of their business, 10 forms of contact information and all their pricing chances are you’re gonna need something a little bigger. If the client can afford it, create a card that neatly folds down into 3.5" x 2" so that you can achieve the best possible solution.

Again, as I’ve mentioned SO MANY times on this blog, don’t forget you can be just as creative and eye catching within the boundaries of a traditional business card, as always here’s a little eye candy for inspiration!

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Recently, I observed a friendly debate between colleagues discussing the pros and cons of creating a business card that relied on die cuts, embossing or spot UV coatings. Is a business card really a good investment? Will it make the difference between being thrown away and being treasured?

My opinion? It’s up to the designer and the client. While there are definitely budget constraints that should be taken into effect I do believe that money spent on designing a dynamic business card is well invested.

Unfortunately for many clients and designers, spending a large amount of money for a small business card isn’t practical. What can you do then?

Let the design ‘fake’ it !

1.    Create visual interest: So what if you can’t afford to have a die-cut? By using geometic or assymetrical shapes in a bold an vibrant way, even  a “square” card can come alive!

2.    Round off: Use rounded lines of text along with graphics to create a “warped” feel to the card.

3.    Cut them yourself: If you create a design that will allow it, make your business cards works of art. If the budget is tight, cutting the edges of your business cards a little crooked with an appropriate design is great way to get noticed! (Be sure the design makes it obvious that this intentional and not a mistake!)

4.    Have an assortment of designs. This is incredibly valuable if they are designed in such a way that people want to “collect them all”. You might also try this with a double-sided card and allow the back of all the cards to create a different image when layed out together!

5.    Go vertical: Who says a business card should be horizontal? Try out some vertical designs. They don’t cost any extra but allow a great opportunity to stand out.

6.    Choose Excellent Photography:  They say a picture is worth a thousand words. That is definitely the case when you choose a photo with a clear texture feel to it. Changes are the card will be picked up and “touched” repeatedly.

7.    Create an illusion: With a few simple tricks up your sleeve with the design you can create a simple illusion of one corner being die cut or embossed.

8.    Create an antique look: With some simple edging  and burning techniques you can create a realistic, rustic look.

9.    Create cool angles: By tilting your company name and contact information, you can create a simple yet effective and memorable card.

10.     Make it a piece of art: Adding a sketch, a watercolor painting or a simple drawing can make your business card completely unique.

Hope you were inspired! Thanks to Daily Poetics for these great business card finds!

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While the logo is often considered the “face” of your business, your business card is the “head” that holds the face. Chances are your business card will be the first piece of collateral your customer will recieve from your company.   As your card is picked up, passed out or handed down, it will be the first way your logo is “used”.

So what is "necessary" on a business card? Personally I subscribe the the theory that less is more. Unfortunately, my clients don’t always subscribe to that same idea. In fact, I’ve dealt with just the opposite: the client that insists on a single-sided card with everything but their blood-type and social security number on there. (Seriously, they could use the thing as a second I.D.!).

Let’s see, if we just cover the basics, we need a BUSINESS NAME, CONTACT NAME, CONTACT POSITION, then contact information. I don’t put my mailing address on mine anymore, since I’m a freelancer, it’s not like I have a show room, or a studio that anyone can "Come By and Visit". So I just include my CITY, STATE, PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL ADDRESS and WEB SITE.

I also much prefer 2-sided cards as they finally give you enough room to space out your elements. I suggest grouping your information in a logical arrangement to make it easy on any reader that wants to quickly scan the card. If someone has to struggle to find your contact information, they may move on to someone else.

In my next post, I’ll be uploading some cool business card examples. One thing I do everywhere I go is pick up a card. I store these in a 3 ring binder in trading card pouches for easy access and design inspiration.

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