Doc's Guide to Business Cards
|| Designing a Good Business Card
|| Design Do's and Don'ts
|| Folded Business Card Style
|| Using Business Cards Effectively

Designing a Good Business Card

Certainly there's been more than one instance in your life where you've picked up, or been handed a business card. You've probably never paid much attention to the card or its design; you just needed two things from it: a name and number. Well, now it's time for you to design your business card, and suddenly its design and features begin to mean something to you. Everybody who makes a business card wants to make sure it leaves a lasting impression on the person receiving it, and there are many ways to go about it. But before we head into that, let's talk about the basic necessities.

Getting Started
For starters, remember to always include your name and contact information. Do not rely on the memory of the person you're handing your card to; always make sure that the cards you design have those two basic components. Likewise, your company name is a must, as well. The same way you can't rely on someone to remember your name, is the same way you can't rely on them to remember what company you own/work for. Your most basic business card should always feature your name (it can be full or abridged), a phone number, and the company name.

Additional Features
But today's business cards feature far more than that, and it all depends on how much information you'd like to present. In addition to your name, you can feature your job title, email address, fax number, and address of your work location. Placement of each of those components will vary. Your job-title is best placed below your name. Meanwhile numerical information (address and numbers) is supposed to be placed together; where as the email address can go either below your name and title, or at the bottom of your numerical information. The other optional tidbit of information is a webpage URL. The placement of the URL will be determined on how your business card is laid out.

Tidiness
If you're going to use all of the optional features on your business card, then you will most certainly require careful grouping and dividing of the card's components. Don't clump all of the information into one or two chunks somewhere, that'll make the card look very cluttered. Instead, your best bet is to split the features up into sections. Select a side of your business card that you'd like to use, and lay it out to display most of your information. So, for instance, you take the left side of the card and you start with the name, insert a break to separate your first field, and move on to the next field. By the time you're done, your lay out should go from top to bottom: name, title, line break, company name, company address, line break, phone numbers, email, and webpage URL.

Now you're going to have an entire blank space to work with. Using that space the best way would be to insert a moderately sized logo of your company (if you have one). Once you've done that, you've completed making a perfectly acceptable and standard business card. A vast majority of business cards are designed that way, but believe it or not, there's still more to talk about.

Color Palette
If you feel like your card is too bland, and you want to avoid it looking overly white, choose a background color that best matches the color of your logo. You do not want to pick a color that will clash with your logo's color - typically, unless you're making a drastic statement, soft colors are the best to go with. Likewise, remember, when choosing a color, you have to pick a color for your text that'll contrast perfectly. In most situations, black text will work without a problem, unless you're using a black background. In that case, you're best bet would be to go with white text or silver/gray text.

Paper Quality
Another decision to make is the kind of paper you'd like to use. Do you want to go with the standard business card feel? Perhaps use semi-gloss or gloss prints? Obviously, the smoother the surface of the card, the more expensive it is. It all depends on how much you want to spend on your business cards. If you want to spend a lot, you can always for a magnetic business card.

Then there are double sided cards, which aren't frequently used, but some business types do require it. Generally, car dealerships, companies with various locations, places with an extensive service list, and etc. will use double sided business cards. The front of the business card will look like your typical card, and the back will feature all of the additional information not present on the front. Double-sided cards are a great feature, and make a terrific statement to a potential client as it informs him/her/they of your business practice immediately with one little card.

Quick Tips, Visualization
Remember, never leave an enormous chunk of blank space on your business card. Don't lump everything into one corner, you are free to divide the space of the card for a neat presentation. As illustrated, take a look at some of the acceptable and unacceptable lay outs for a basic business card; pay attention to what makes a 'do' and a 'don't'. Once again, an evenly divided lay out is a great way to make a card. But a cluttered layout must be avoided at all costs. Additionally, avoid stair-stepping layouts and filling in every corner, as well. Filling in every corner isn't a bad design, but it leaves a large void in the center; so if you're going to use corners, be clever with your layout to make it work. Again, these designs are merely rough demonstrations made to illustrate a standard, clean, layout. You can always add more to your card (or less), but remember to keep everything precise and in order; the last thing you want your card to be is a collage.

Doc's Guide to Business Cards
|| Designing a Good Business Card
|| Design Do's and Don'ts
|| Folded Business Card Style
|| Using Business Cards Effectively