As a working professional, you know how important it is to network effectively. If you know much about networking, you know that a business card is crucial for a successful connection with potential customers or business partners.
Everyone has business cards. In fact, statistics show that 27 million business cards are printed every single day. So, you might be wondering, what makes a good business card?
A business card a lot of times acts as the introduction to your personal brand. This branding opportunity is crucial to your professional success in any industry.
The good news is that you have come to the right place by reading this article. Listed below are the seven design strategies you need to know to have a business card that truly stands out. Make sure you don’t get left behind at the next networking event you attend.
Make Sure Your Logo Stands Out
When you hand someone your business card, it only takes a split second for them to analyze it. You definitely want to make sure your logo stands out.
Your logo is the foundation for your entire personal brand. The visual design will be imprinted in each person’s mind. When they see the logo in other marketing strategies you use, they will automatically associate it with you.
Take the time and effort to perfect the logo you think expresses you the most. There’s no need to be outrageous with it, but you do want to be set apart from any of your competitors. Your logo should be detailed, simple, and consistent through all of your marketing avenues.
Consider Your Personal Brand
Speaking of your personal brand, it has other ways to shine simply through your business card. For example, what font do you think expresses your brand the most?
Before you even print business cards, it is a good idea to sit down and really hammer out what your personal (professional) brand looks like. What colors represent it best? What values do you want to promote?
Your business is directly tied to your brand, and there is a lot for you to consider. check out all of these business resources for more guidance on creating the optimal business for your products or services.
Once you have a better idea of what your personal brand represents, it is time to incorporate it into all marketing strategies. The business card is only the beginning of these strategies.
Simplicity Is What Makes a Good Business Card
It is easy to want to go overboard when designing business cards, but you should try to avoid that. The more information you add to the card, the more people have to read.
Your business card is not where you present a paragraph of content related to your skills and experience. You should only include the most important information, such as your position, your contact information, your website or portfolio, and perhaps a word or two describing your values or career path.
In other words, keep the business card design as simple as possible while giving people all the information they need to get in touch with you.
Consider New Era Print Solutions, for instance. At first glance, it is obvious what the few colors of their brand are. Seeing these colors in the future will trigger your memory to think of them, which is the point of both branding and using only a few colors.
Stick To One Or Two Colors
Speaking of simplicity, it is a good idea to avoid using too many colors when designing your business card. Having a whole rainbow for people to look at can be imposing. Using too many colors could potentially detract from the important role the card has of simply providing information about you and your brand.
Instead, think really hard about what colors really speak out about your personal brand. This authenticity will speak to potential customers or business partners more than an overbearing amount of content for them to mentally sort out.
Don’t Be Afraid To Get Creative
At the same time, there is nothing to worry about if you want to get creative with your business cards. This is especially true if you actually work in a creative field.
You can print on both the front and the back, for example. You can also be creative with the kind of paper you print the information and visuals on. There are glossy options or standard options.
At the end of the day, it is important to remember that this business card is about expressing you and your personal brand. If that means there is an added texture to the card for a little bit of flare, then so be it. Just make sure you don’t get too crazy and scare people off!
Only Use Legible Fonts
Creativity can really make you stand out when you pass your card who to someone who has several others in their pockets. As mentioned above, you want to find just the right balance of creative and simple.
One way to manage this is by using an appropriate font. You are probably designing these cards from a computer, so it can be hard to tell exactly how legible a font size or style is until a sample is printed. While this could be difficult to navigate, it is important that you take it seriously.
Choosing a font that people can’t even read completely defeats the purpose of a business card in the first place! Try to find a font that both expresses your personal brand but remains professional enough for people to understand all of the information on the card quickly and without too much difficulty.
Properly Invest in Printing Them
There is one more thing for you to consider when it comes to what makes a good business card. You need to spend the right amount of money to get them printed professionally.
People will be able to tell if you printed them at home and used scissors to cut them up. That’s why printing services are available for you to use. Do your research to find the best.