Are you an artist in need of a business card that stands out as much as your work? Here are some tips for creating artist business cards.
When you’re trying to build your own business as an artist, one of the most important tools you’ll have is your business card. This is your introduction to future clients and a chance to give them a small sample of your work. So how do you design a business card that will look professional and represent you as an artist?
The key to creating a successful artist business card is to find a balance between simple enough to read and creative enough to show off your skills. Below are some tips for how to strike that perfect balance and create the best artist business cards.
The first thing you need to put on your business card design is your basic professional information. This should include your name and your website at the very least and probably an email, too. You may also want to include information about the services you provide and your studio address if you have one.
The other big piece of information you need to include on your business cards is your social media handles. Your Instagram should be at the top of this list, but it’s not a bad idea to have a Facebook and a Twitter, too. If you don’t have an Instagram, get one set up before you make business cards; it’s one of the best tools an artist can have.
It’s a good idea to include a sample of your artwork on your business card. This will give your potential customers an idea of your artistic style and will bring personality and color to your work. But you want to make sure you give each piece you include on your card the space to shine on its own.
It’s a good rule of thumb to limit yourself to one piece of artwork per side of your business card. Remember, this is a tiny canvas, and you want the beautiful details of your art to shine through. You also don’t want your business cards to look cluttered with too many pieces.
Your business card is your continuing introduction to potential clients. Think of it as a handshake they can take home with them and experience again later. And like a handshake, you want your business card to tell customers the quality of work they’ll get with you.
It’s worth splurging on good, strong material to print your business cards on. Metal feels good in the hands and will make your customers enjoy holding your business cards more. Plus it sends the signal that, as an artist, you use the best materials for your work.
When you start getting into that creative headspace of making your business cards, it can be easy to start adding too many details. And what if the words were this color and in this super cool font? And what if you layered them over the top of your favorite piece so they looked like they were part of it!
But you need to remember the purpose of the business card you’re creating. This needs to provide an easy way for your customers to get in contact with you, and they won’t do that if they’re trying to decipher your phone number in the wild font you chose. Keep the information side of your card simple and easy to read with high contrast and basic fonts.
We’re all familiar with the standard business card shape, but as artists, nothing about our work should be standard. So why should our business cards stay boring and boxy? You want something that’s going to capture your customers’ attention and be memorable.
You can get business card companies to die cut any number of shapes, so think about what you want to represent you. You could make your business card a tiny palette or a can of spray paint if you’re a street artist. If possible, keep it a shape that people can still fit into their wallet, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
On the subject of being creative, don’t be afraid to switch up the material your business card is made of. Manufacturing material possibilities are endless these days, and nothing will impress customers more than a metal business card. Use something that will represent your artistic style and wow your clients.
By the time you get ready to order business cards, you may have a million ideas floating around in your head. And why should you limit yourself to just one? Order small batches of multiple different styles and give yourself options!
You can choose which business cards you take to which events based on what kind of event it is. Or you can spread out the whole variety on your table and let your customers choose the one that speaks to them. Having multiple business cards will make your customers intrigued to see them all, generating buzz about you and your business.
Creating artist business cards can seem like a complicated prospect. You have to show off your creative potential while still meeting the professional demands of a business card. But as long as you make sure your information is clear and legible on your card, you can be as creative as you want with the rest.
If you’d like to get business cards that will wow your clients, check out the rest of our site at Metal Business Cards. We specialize in making metal business cards in any finish and color you want, from black to gunmetal to rose gold. Get a quote on your customized business cards today.
Modern business cards prove that business cards are here to stay! They simply change with the times. Here are the top 7 business card trends of 2019.
People think that business cards are some of the oldest forms of introduction in the modern era. Even then, they’re still among the most effective ways to connect even in the digital era.
People are saying business cards are dead. They’re wrong.
Modern business cards are some of the easiest, simplest, best ways to create a business connection. Like any business-related process, there are trends that dictate what’s the best way to do it.
In this guide, we give you the top 7 business card trends of 2019. Read on below to discover more:
One of the biggest problems of business cards is wear and tear. Many cards not only delaminate or lose the ink over time, but they also disintegrate into a fine pulp. If you’re using these business cards, the last thing you want is your potential contact to lose your name.
It’s more popular now to use harder, more wear-resistant material. These will keep the details on the business card for longer, if not permanent. You have many types of materials to choose from, with the best ones being metal business cards.
A metal card has a different effect compared to paper and even plastic cards. Even cheap metal cards have a certain level of a premium impression on people. You can even choose the different types of finish you want.
Every time you use these business cards, your metal business card stands out.
Trends change all the time. Among many of these trends, the change to simplicity is one of the strongest movers. Boiling down your details to the essentials can be useful for your networking.
With people being very busy, it’s best to make sure your business card has the basics down pat.
Every business card should have:
Recipients should get your contact details at a quick glance. You want to pick colors that have strong contrast, making the text and graphic design very clear. The best way to make effective business cards is to keep a minimalist design.
Making it simple, however, does not mean you don’t add some pizazz. Whether you use traditional or metal business cards, the design should not overshadow the contacts.
Another trend in modern business cards that are taking off is interactive designs. People are injecting extra functionality to their cards beyond being ways of identification.
Adding interactivity to your business card gives you two advantages. First, people can enjoy the novelty of the style of your business card. Second, people can use your card beyond putting it on their desk.
Different designers use different techniques depending on the industry. If you work in the beer or soda business, you can have a metal bottle opener business card. You can even design a business card with Flash USBs.
The entire point of trendy business cards is to get your contact details across to other people. Whether you’re trying to get your brand name or personal contact info out there. A great way to get people talking, however, is using great typography to show off key information.
Whether you’re using your branded company name or using custom fonts, you’re making an eye-catcher. An interesting layout can help you make a good, lasting impression with the recipient.
Add some extra textures to your card like layered etching, die-cut shapes and designs or plating. These can be conversation starters for the recipients.
When you look at business card trends, minimalism is becoming the mainstream option. If you’re looking to go against the flow, the better option for you is maximalism. Maximalism plays with bold designs, using the beauty of redundancy and excess.
Strong, maximalist designs use fun, colorful elements in bold and loud routes. This is great if you are in the design industry looking to wow whoever receives your cards.
You’re giving away your cards for people to remember you. When they remember you, what you want is to show off what you’re capable of and how you can help.
Play with textures. Add special fonts. Use powerful, shiny colors that can dazzle people.
For so long, business card trends leaned towards using a simple design. The traditional style uses a combination of your brand and some fonts. Using images, however, can create some visual interest when you use business cards.
How does this business card stand out?
The old adage of “a picture says a thousand words” always comes to mind. If your industry or work focuses on images and designs, an image should tell what you can do. This works great for you if you’re in the photography field or architecture industry.
Online portfolios and websites are a great, useful way to introduce yourself to whoever receives your card. Your business cards, however, can only show so much of your online assets. To redirect people, you can add smart capabilities to your cards.
You can use bar codes, QR codes, and other smart capabilities to not only save space. You can use it to prevent clutter too. This works best with any design, especially with minimalism.
When it comes to modern business cards, different trends work for different industries. What works for any industry any time, however, is to make sure your contact details are easy to find. You also want to stand out.
Metal cards can do that for you and we provide the best in the market.
We offer stylish, solid, and custom metal business cards. With so many premium options and special designs you can use, we have everything you need.
Check us out and see why how you can make people notice your business card.
Having a bad personal business card can make a poor first impression. Here are eight critical design flaws to avoid when designing your next personal business cards.
If you had to guess, how many personal business cards have you received in your lifetime? Now, how many have you thrown away?
Approximately 10 billion business cards are printed each year. And at least 8 out of every 10 of those make it as far as the nearest trash can.
Somehow, for every 2,000 cards handed out, a company's sales go up by 2.5%. No one can make the claim that handing out business cards doesn't work.
What makes them more effective is a topic for another day. Today, the focal point will surround what makes them ineffective.
Some common mistakes made on the design of business cards involves the font. You want your business card to catch the eye, not drag it kicking and screaming from the socket.
Keep these tips in mind when choosing font size and style.
If your font is too big, you may have trouble including any information on your card. Furthermore, it can leave a potential customer feeling like a used car salesman is shouting at them.
Of all the ways to shoot yourself in the foot, giant font ranks pretty high.
A font that requires examination under an electron microscope is no good either. Most people don't carry magnifying glasses with them.
And if the font is too small to read, the card will be decorating the trash bin.
A few font choices you want to avoid include anything with handwritten in the name. Also, if it looks like calligraphy or if it came from the 1500s, avoid it at all cost.
One exception can be made to this. You can use something fancy and hard to read for just one letter or initials. For example, have your initials in a decorative font with your name somewhere else in plain font.
Other than this, keep with easy-to-read fonts. You can thank us later.
Pictures as part of the background can make an average card memorable. But bad pictures will leave a person puzzled about your card. And if the picture is all they remember, your card is wasted.
For example, if you have an animal in your business name, don't have a different animal on your card.
You may love the look of that ocelot catching a bird in flight, but if your business has nothing to do with ocelots, don't put them in a potential customer's hand.
Also, avoid pop culture references even when common. But especially avoid something obscure. Yes, all the fans of Dr. Who will love it, but not everyone will understand it.
Ok, so the font is neither too big nor too small and is normal looking. The picture applies to the business in a direct way. What else needs to be avoided?
Very few people look at clutter and think of anything positive. This remains true with business cards. Clutter confuses potential customers and makes important information hard to find.
Organize information in a way that pleases the eye. Ask 20 of your closest friends if they like looking at your card. If they only provide non-committal answers, they don't like it.
If they don't like it, the public won't either.
Too many slogans or repeated slogans start to feel like a political commercial. And no one needs 25 different ways to contact you. It's fine to use both sides of a business card, but don't try to fit a dissertation on that tiny card.
On that note, be careful not to make your business card too large. It may stick out from the crowd, but it may not fit in a wallet.
If it isn't in a wallet, it goes in the pants, then the pants go in the wash and the mangled bits left after will go in the trash.
Try to keep your business card close to the size of a credit card. If you want to make the edges more dynamic, do so with trimming, not by adding size.
With the rise of the digital age, leaving off your website or email address is a terrible idea. Even worse might be having no contact information at all.
Imagine you meet a potential customer, it goes extremely well and they want your services soon. A month down the road they go to contact you, but your card has no contact information. They will hire someone else before they google search you.
As stated above, they don't need tons of options. But if you include nothing else, have an email address and a web page.
Today, you can even include a small QR code. This can make saving your information convenient, even if they do toss your card after.
Typos cost money. Sometimes the loss comes in the form of customers who won't seek your business. Sometimes they cost millions.
Best to save yourself a lot of trouble and proofread your work. Also, have a second set of eyes proofread your work as well. It may not save you a million dollars, but proofreading can save you a problem or two, and it's free.
Hopefully, you will be able to create your business cards without glaring errors. But, while avoiding errors, also try to make them unique.
Not all business cards are made out of card stock anymore. Businesses have experimented with everything from baked goods to metal.
Break the mold on some subjects, but do so while avoiding the errors listed here.
If you need some ideas on how to create effective business cards, get in touch with us. We can help you design custom metal business cards that will make you stand out from the crowd.
