Top 5 Business Card Design Tips & Ideas To Stand Out

Top 5 Business Card Design Tips & Ideas To Stand Out

A great business card can help you get ahead of your competition, so check out these business card design tips and ideas to help you stand out over the rest!

If you want to stand out in your profession, you’re going to need a business card that stands out as well.

That’s right.

Even in today’s constantly connected world of social media advertising, the traditional ways of spreading your information to potential customers still matters.

So how do you design a card that attracts attention?

It’s really not that hard. If you follow just a few basic business card design tips, then you’ll be sure to see your contacts grow.

What follows are some of the most important things you should think about when you are designing a business card. Keep these in mind and you’re sure to have a card that’s worthy of your profession.

But before you design your card…

Think About Your Specifications

This one pretty easy, so you can start by deciding what general design you would like your business card to be. We offer a variety of cool, creative metal business cards in different shapes and designs.

Do you want to go with a traditional rectangle or a more contemporary shape like a circle or square? Do you want your card to be oriented vertically or horizontally? What about size?

The more you think about your card design, the easier it will be to get started.

Business Card Design Tips

So let’s talk about designing your business card. There are a few rules that you need to follow to make sure creating a card is worth your time and money.

What are they? Let’s take a look.

Keep Design Principles in Mind

Whatever business you are in and whoever your target audience is, the overreaching principles of design should always be foremost on your mind.

You don’t have to be an art student to use the principles of design. Just remember a few key things and your business card will be pleasing to the eye.

Balance. You want the card to feel balanced, so don’t overcrowd one side with fonts and images while ignoring the other.

Alignment. The way each image and text space aligns with each other gives a feeling of unity and purpose. Good alignment creates order and avoids confusion.

Contrast. By utilizing light/dark and verticle/horizontal as well as opposite colors, you can make the important parts of your card stand out.

Space. Negative spaces are places where there are no images are text. Use these to your advantage to make your information shine.

If you familiarize yourself with these principles and others, you’ll be starting out in the right direction for a great business card design.

Understand What You Want to Tell People

What do you want your business card to say about you and your company? This may seem like a silly question, but when you’re staring at a blank card template, you’d be surprised how many people don’t know what they want to say.

Remember: your business card is an extension of yourself as well as your product and services. They can also be the first impression that gains you a new customer.

What do you want to say?

If you’re an artist, you may want to convey creativity and whimsy. If you’re a financial planner, on the other hand, maybe you want to convey strength and stability that will give your clients peace of mind. If you’re a contractor, you may want your card to show trustworthiness and the ability to do good work.

The simple fact is that you can’t create an effective business card unless you know what it is you want to show your customers when you hand them the card.

Avoid Common Mistakes

There are as many different business card designs as there are companies. Even with those examples, you’d be surprised how many make the same mistakes over and over again.

If you want to make your business card great, try to avoid these common mistakes:

Putting too much information on the card. This leads to a cramped style that doesn’t look good at all and may even confuse potential customers. Say what you need to say and nothing more.

Bad coloring. Some colors just don’t go well together and make your message hard to read. Find nice, contrasting colors that are pleasing to the eye. This will make it your message clear.

Not using the back of the card. Cards have two sides: use them! You can use one side for a slogan or an eye-catching design and reserve the other for your contact information.

Before you commit to a design, look around and see what others are doing and what mistakes they may have made. It’ll save you a lot of headache in the future.

Make Your Card Practical

One of the newer trends in business card design is making the card used for other purposes than relaying information. And you can really get creative with this.

If you’re a chef, you can use one side to display baking conversions and tips that people will want to keep in the kitchen. If you work with plants, you can attach seed packets that produce pretty flowers or even herbs. If you own a bar, you can pass out cards that also act as bottle openers.

What customer wouldn’t enjoy any of these ideas?

The possibilities are endless and there’s one for whatever field you work in.

Know When to Break the Rules

In other words, you need to get creative and sometimes the best results are realized by ignoring the rules.

In the end, your card needs to be all about you and your company. If there are things you think you shouldn’t try — things that may scare you a little — then try it out and see.

The more you experiment, the more you may surprise yourself!

Get Started

There’s no better time to start designing a business card than right now. You’ll see an increase in customer interactions, which can lead to more sales and even more customers.

What are you waiting for?

For more information and everything business-card related, check out our blog.

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Real Estate Business Cards: The Do’s and Don’ts

Real estate business cards can do wonders for your business. Here’s a guide on the do’s and the don’ts when it comes to your calling card.

Believe it or not, swapping business cards with someone is a practice that’s over 600 years old. While the world is going digital, conferences, meetings, and offices are still investing in business cards because they still work. If you’re in the real estate business, having real estate business cards on you at all times could help you win business and generate leads.

In the home and housing industry, word of mouth or personal contact are 80% more effective than traditional marketing. Meeting someone who you’re going to work with builds trust and helps to ease communications. For someone in the real estate industry, knowing your clients personally allows you to cater to them individually.

If you’re trying to figure out what you should leave with potential clients, a great business card will pique their interest. Here are some of the main Dos and Don’ts for real estate business cards.

Do: Focus on Design

Your business card should be able to communicate what your business is about through every element on the card. There’s not a whole lot of space to deal with, so you need to be economical. You also need to consider what kind of business you are.

A simple, easily legible card with a sans serif font, black on white, is easy to design and lets you turn your focus back to your work. If you’re the kind of person who gets straight to the point, your real estate business cards should say that.

If you’re focused on family homes or apartments for a younger crowd, you can be a little more relaxed and be colorful. Beautiful design can speak volumes.

Make sure you have all of the essentials on there. You need to have three ways for people to contact you. An email address, a phone number, and your office address work for this.

Be sure you’ve got a website listed on it and make sure you’ve updated the design before you start sending people there. If you have professional social media, you can swap this out for your office address.

Get to know about cardstock. It makes a difference in cost of pennies, but weight matters when you hand people a card that’s physically different than others.

Different regions have different licensing schemes, so you may have to include your MLS number. If you’re a member of NAR, you need to include the term as “REALTOR(R)”.

Don’t: Ignore Trends

Look at any major website and you’ll notice that there’s lots of white space around. Website design has caught on to the fact that clutter, animation, and lots of extra features aren’t always attractive to people.

Cluttering your card is just as much of a turn off as a cluttered office.

If you still have a fax number listed on your card, you might as well be handing potential clients a carrier pigeon. No one is using fax except the most outdated offices on the planet.

Once you’ve included your most vital contact info, everything else is up for the chopping block.

Do: Brand Yourself

You’re competing with a whole lot of other real estate professionals when you’re out there talking to clients. Even if you say the right things and have the right experience, people are fickle and you could end up losing out to someone who has a stronger brand.

People need to hear your name three times before they remember you. Seeing your face is an added bonus. Get a professional headshot done and consider including it on your card. For under $200, you should be able to get a series of photographs to use on your website and print materials.

Some networking events have booths where you can get them done for free.

See if you can hire a friend or a young designer to create a simple logo for you and your brand. Use it on everything you print out and on your website.

Don’t: Overlook Industry Standards

If you have a lending partner or work with a larger company, co-brand with them. It could add a lot of clout to your own brand and help win over clients who are wary about working with a name they don’t know.

If there are compliance regulations that are important to your broker or larger firm, make sure you follow their lead. You don’t want to ruin a relationship with a business card.

Your real estate business cards have a purpose. While most cards are made of the same paper weight at the same size, the industry is moving forward. More people are having oddly shaped, square, or even metal business cards made for their real estate business.

Think about ways to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack.

Do: Make Each Exchange Count

If you’ve got the design down and have branded yourself well, you just need to get your real estate business cards into the hands of your clients. Everything else from here on relies on personality.

If you’ve never had a business card to hand out before, it can feel a little awkward. Be polite if you’re in the middle or end of a conversation. Ask if you can hand them your card.

Handing out without the right attitude will get your card thrown out with the trash. A good delivery will get that card in their wallet and later into their contacts.

If you’ve had a great conversation, this is a natural move. If you’re not sure, tread carefully.

Get a feeling for the dynamic. If this is someone you admire or who has more of an impact than you do, ask gracefully. If this person is your equal, ask confidently.

If you feel like you’ve got more of an impact than the person you’re speaking with, don’t show it at this moment or your card will end up being tossed immediately.

Don’t: Waste Your Cards

Get to know who you think you’ll be working with in the future. Establish some sincere connections and take the time to reach out first to people who you exchange cards with,.

Don’t waste cards on someone you don’t think you’ll do business with unless you really hit it off and just want a way to become friends.

Real Estate Business Cards Can Make An Impact

If you get good at handing out your cards, you could be racking up leads everywhere. Exchanging cards means you have the chance to reach out first and see what you can do for something. The whole process is win-win.

If you’re ready to find the perfect card for your brand, contact us to learn about the latest design trends.

 

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The Ultimate Calling Card: Why Your Business Card Design Speak Volumes

The Ultimate Calling Card: Why Your Business Card Design Speak Volumes

Calling Card: Why Your Business Card Design Matters

Your business card is going to be the thing people refer to as they consider calling you to use your services. Does your business card design say “hire me”?

The reports that you may have heard about the death of the business card are greatly exaggerated. Business cards are just as important as ever, and so is business card design.

In fact, it’s more important than ever to have an efficient and engaging business card, even in this world of digital-everything.

Here are some of the things that a professionally designed and printed business card says about you.

“It’s Great To Meet You. Truly!”

In this day, you might be shocked to know how much business is still done and how many leads are acquired via good old-fashioned face-to-face networking.

In fact, consider these stats:

  • The close rate for in-person meetings is 40%
  • 85% of jobs are filled through networking
  • 72% of people say their impressions are impacted by how someone appears and their handshake.

The tasteful exchange of a professional business card is still a deal-breaking or making step in meeting someone, whether it’s a would-be client or would-be boss.

Millenials Love Business Cards

There is also a giant myth out there that Millenials don’t appreciate or like business cards. Nothing could be further from the truth.

They’re a generation that’s grown up with digital requests every single day. “Add me,” “Follow me,” “Like me,” “Share me.” So this piece of tangible connection is still a bit novel to them. They’re far more likely to examine the card thoroughly and keep it.

This generation, surprisingly, has a real love affair with paper and print. They’re more likely to respond to old-school paper things that Generation Xers took for granted, like business cards, greeting cards, and public libraries.

“I’m a Professional”

Professional business card design can also instantly help you stand out as a serious professional and someone to be taken seriously.

A bad card is arguably worse than no card at all. Many people will think, “If this person claims to be a pro, but didn’t put any serious thought or money into their business card design, it’s probably indicative of how they treat everything else.”

But if you’re presented with an impressive card, you’re going to feel impressed. You will instantly put this new acquaintance in a different thought-space than most other people you meet.

They will be fresher in your mind when you’re in need of their product or service or need to refer a friend their way.

Simply put, cheap cards make you look cheap. And not cheap and in an “affordable and good value” sort of way. Cheap as in, “Low quality and cheap for a reason.”

I Know How to Blend New Media and Old-School Tactics

Another misconception is that you hand someone a business card and wait/ hope for them to call. That may have been how things were done 15 years ago, but no longer.

Business cards don’t replace digital forms of communication, they complement them, perfectly.

If you have a current offer or promotion, you need to create a custom business card design just for this promo. And your card needs to feature the offer and a specific call-to-action.

Don’t just send people to a static landing page. That’s a good way to waste traffic. Instead, send them to a custom landing page that matches the exact same look, feel, and branding as the card.

Also, make sure your offer is front and center. If your card-recipient is promised a free consultation and the landing page makes no mention of a free consultation, your target is going to think they have arrived in the wrong place and leave.

Use a custom landing page, with a specific headling and greeting. Also, make sure you use a simple URL like YourBusiness.com/YourOffer. That way it’s easy to type in with no mistakes, and you can use the custom URL to track your results.

I’m Organized and Efficient

A messy and cluttered business card doesn’t help you come off as professional. If your card is a mess, you look like a mess.

Of course, with so many possible touch-points in today’s workplace, your business card could have your

  • Name
  • Phone number
  • Website
  • Email
  • LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram
  • Tagline
  • Picture

The challenge of smart business card design is getting as much information as possible across, while still keeping a simple and clean look.

One “hack” that a lot of people are embracing is the QR code. That way, people can just scan your card with their smartphones to get all of your contact information, yet you’ve left room for brilliant design or artwork on the card itself.

“I’m Better Than the Other Guys”

This is really a way to differentiate yourself from the competition and stand above them.

Let’s say you’re thinking about hiring Company A or Company B. The rep from Company A was nice enough and you’ve got their pretty standard business cards somewhere in your desk.

But, the sales rep from Company B gave you a very cool metal business card. It’s still on your desk because you’ve shown at least 3 people how neat the card is.

Who do you think will get the account?

It’s important to stand out. That being said, don’t look like you’re trying too hard. People have experimented with various levels of shapes and sizes for their business card design.

Don’t go too far out into left field. Your card needs to stand out, but never at the expense of your targets being able to pocket and carry your business cards.

Let’s Talk About Your Business Card Design

Since 2003, we’ve been the leading specialist in metal business cards, in a wide variety of metal finishes including gold, black, copper and stainless steel, as well as spot colors and custom die cut shapes.

What can we do for you? Find out by clicking here for a free quote today!

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How to Create Better Quality Business Cards

How to Create Better Quality Business Cards

Having high quality business cards helps entrepreneurs set themselves apart as professionals. Here’s what you need to for a better first impression.

Running a business comes with many responsibilities and making sure you have awesome business cards to present your customers tops the list.

And even though our world is leaning toward a more paperless environment, business cards are still a core necessity for businesses to market properly. It’s all about that first impression.

If you’ve found yourself in a position where you need to create quality business cards, but don’t know where to start, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’re discussing creative techniques and design principles to get you started. Keep reading to learn more.

Don’t Use Up All the Space

Sometimes a simple statement is quite enough. If you think you can get away with a trademark logo or other simple design, do it. There’s no need to use up the whole card, especially if your business is well known. Save the ‘whitespace’ for a presentation of your business card.

Using quality cardstock or other material will make an impact with a card design that doesn’t take up a lot of space. Allow your business card to do all your marketing for you.

Use Creative Shapes

We’ve moved on past the olden days when business cards were simply 3.5″ x 2″ rectangles.

Get creative with your cards and make them into all different shapes. Circle, square, even star-shaped cards will make your business stand out from the crowd. People may also be less likely to throw these cards away.

Illustrate

Whether you can come up with a drawing of your own or you plan to use graphics, it’s important to consider illustrations for your business cards.

Illustrations will add significance to your cards in light of the art they display. It will make them more memorable and perhaps even fun for the recipient to keep in their wallet.

Make light of your business with illustrations that employ your creativity and company values. It could help to stick it in people’s minds.

Make It Fun

Creativity is all about bringing out your inner child. Remember arts and crafts hour at school when you were young? Tap into that and make your business cards fun.

Create a business card that tells your customers and clients who you are and how silly you are at heart.

Be Funny

You can also be funny on your cards. Sarcasm probably isn’t a good idea but witty statements and silly questions are a good way to capture your card recipient’s attention.

Use the front of the card to ask a joke and use the back of the card to answer the question with your information there. You can be corny or dry, whatever your comedic taste.

Add a Photo

Some businesses could benefit from adding a personalized photo. This rings true for entrepreneurs and individual proprietors that are marketing themselves.

Putting a face with a name helps people to remember who they’re dealing with and it adds a personal touch.

Quality Business Cards

Creating unique and effective business cards is all about using your own creativity combined with professionalism. It’s not supposed to be difficult or scary to choose a business card design that will suit your business’ needs. Just prepare yourself for the wide varieties available.

If you truly want something unique in quality business cards, contact us. We’re here to help.

 

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