Business Card Design

Business Card Design:

                         A business card, receipt sheet, arrange structures and leaflet are scratch components of publicizing your business. It likewise gets future deals at make appears from rehash clients. It took me around eight art shows to understand the significance of a business card. At whatever point a client didn't purchase something, they would approach me for a business card. Each time I continued saying "Sorry I don't have one as of now". Subsequent to telling such a large number of clients that I didn't have one I thought it was the time I investigated getting some business cards.

                          Although we’re working in paperless offices more and more, the business card is still a mainstay of the business. If you haven’t got a card that you can hand out to prospective clients or collaborators, you’re missing out on a key marketing opportunity.

                         Not all business cards are created equal, however. We live in a world where the average small business can design their own cards and order them from well-known online printers for the price of a dinner. But these cards tend to be of an inferior weight, and typically use twee clipart to relate themselves to the business being advertised.

                         What this means is that there are a lot of poorly designed business cards out there. This is both a challenge and an opportunity: to stand out you need to create a design that looks fantastic and helps you differentiate yourself.

01. Remember basic design principles

It might seem obvious but it’s worth reiterating that a business card is a piece of printed material like any other. Because of this, the basic principles of paper-based design apply to business cards:

• Keep all your key copy at least 5mm from the trim edge
• Work at 300dpi for best image reproduction
• Ensure you maintain a minimum size of your typography to maintain legibility
• Design in CMYK unless you’re working exclusively with spot colors

Many designers also find it helps to use a grid to lay out their cards, as this can help you to achieve the right hierarchy of information as well as ensure your alignment is sound (if you need a reminder, take a look at our guide to grid theory).

02. Get creative within the constraints

There are a couple of 'standard' sizes for business cards, depending on where you are in the world (perhaps because wallet sizes also vary slightly from country to country). One typical business card size is 55 x 85mm, although you'll see many other sizes quoted on the web.

Even though you only have a tiny canvas, you can still get creative with space. Start by considering the key information you want to include, which will typically be a name, phone number, and email address, then work your design around presenting this information in a creative way.

03. Avoid common pitfalls

There are some common pitfalls to designing business cards that it helps to be aware of. The first and most obvious is to ensure you provide a bleed as specified by your printer. This is commonly 3mm but can be 5mm, so check! For more information on bleeds and other printing needs, read our 5 things every creative need to know about print design article for some tips.

Just as important is to avoid using a straightforward border around the entire of the card, as this will show up any misalignment in the trim if the card isn't perfectly cut.

04. Use special finishes

An instant way to add impact to your business card is to use a special finish. Special finishes include the likes of foil blocking, spot-UV and metallic inks, and can add significant cost to your print. What they offer, however, is the opportunity to make your card more tactile, visually impressive and memorable. If you're not sure how to approach this, take a look at our guide to creating special print finishes in InDesign.

Different printers offer different options for finishes, so speak to them to find out what they can do for you, and don’t be afraid to go to a specialist if your usual printer only offers straight four-color print.