Design A Niche Business Card

Business card is perhaps the most powerful mini tool of advertisement. What makes a business card so successful and effective? As business card is a mean of advertisement, the main indicator of its effectiveness is determined by how soon the recipient will use the contact information. Therefore, starting to work on the business card design, we need, first of all, to think not about designer ambitions but about customer convenience.

The easier and more enjoyable the information is perceived, the bigger chance you have that the customer will keep your card and use it in the future if necessary. So, a business card should contain clear and easily perceptible contact information. Good business card design serves not only as a decoration but also facilitates easy information perception and makes a card memorable and different from others.

In this article I will introduce you some creative ideas that may help you in your work on the business cards design:

Minimalism

The business card designusually follows the general design trends. Nowadays, the business cards with a small amount of information are in fashion. Cards contain only the most important information, like name of the owner and company, primary phone number. Everything else should be either omitted entirely or arrangedin a way, so that the additional information does not interfere with perception.

For example, you can place small monochrome logo on the front side and on the back you can list relevant data, including name, company name, slogan and contact information.

The best colour is white

Few years ago, designers liked to use for business card design paper painted in one colour. Nowadays, this is not in fashion anymore and designers return to white colour again.

Strict combination of black and white will always be the ideal colour scheme for modern business card design. Even though this may seem to be a simplistic design, using only black and white coloursfor your business card design, you will have much better chance to create something up-to-date.

As for the general use of colours, there is an unwritten rule that the colour should match the direction of owner’s activity.

Vertical better than horizontal

The traditional arrangement of information on a business card is horizontal. But recently, vertical business cards get more popular. People want to be a bit more progressive and vertical composition givesan ability to unobtrusively look progressive.

Do not use two languages

One of the main requirements is to use only one language. For a long time it was popular to use two different languageson two sides of business card,like English and French or, let’s say, native language and English. But it looks really horrible. It just demonstrates an ostentatious poverty.

QR-code

QR-code started to be used in the business card design relatively recently. The main advantage of the QR-code isan easy detection by scanning equipment, including mobile phone camera. This code redirects to an online resume, portfolio or website. Nowadays, QR-codesare very common and are seen by many people as a cliché, so make sure that its use is appropriate.

Letterpress

Letterpress is an art and style, which can help you to create a relief pattern on a business card. Letterpress makes your card to look luxury. The best part is that theletterpress can use only the colour of paper ofa business card. Such business cards look elegant and modern.

Form

Who said that the business card should have square or rectangular form?

Make your business card with rounded, bevelled or scalloped corners and it will stand out in the eyes of potential customers from the very first sight, even before they read the necessary contact information.

It is relatively new creative idea in business card design to use a non-standard form. Rounded corners is the most frequently used form. But the main format of the card still remains rectangular.

If you want to be a little bit more original, use the form that one or another way is associated with the kind of your activity. For example, if you make a business card for a fish restaurant, you can make it in the shape of a fish.

However, it is also important to remember about customer convenience. If your card does not fit by shape and size into a wallet or purse, most probably no one will keep it.

Make your business card useful

One of the best ways to make a potential customer to take your business card again and again, is to give it an additional function.

What does it mean and how to do it?Very simple.Provide some useful information in addition to the main contact information. The information that your client may be interested in or which he may need. This information does not necessarily need to be directly connected to the customer’s activity.

Of course, a connection is highly desirable but it is not obligatory.The card can simply suggest some useful service or product. For example, if you make a business card for a restaurant, you can put one of its recipes on the back side.

Before you create a business card, you should think about its concept or you can consult with the marketer. But remember, it is always better to have at least some kind of a business card than develop its concept for months and do not have any.

After these advices on business card design, try to make your own design and find your own creative solution in the form, colour, size and composition.