Standard doesn’t have to mean boring. That is especially true when you start to design your business card. For decades, even in the face of many changes in business technologies and processes, the business card continues to be a staple of communication among professionals to exchange contact information. But just because the avenue of communication has been pre-determined, that doesn’t mean that you’re limited to doing the exact same thing as your competition. Your card can be as individual as you are to set you apart from the deck.
Consider Your Colors
When you think business cards, what commonly comes to mind as a white cardboard rectangle with black text and maybe a splash of color via a logo emblazoned on the top corner. Several years ago, this may have been simply a matter of economy – as full color gloss printing was a much more expensive option to pursue. Now, with the evolution of printing and the accessibility of color, you have a full slate of options to ensure that your card doesn’t get shuffled into a pile that includes your competitors. Consider colors.
Color has been find to inspire emotion in the viewer. You can use this to your business advantage to help generate a connection with your new contact through your card alone. Consider these colors and how they are used by popular brands that you know:
- Red declares excitement. It is considered youthful and bold
- Orange is friendly, cheerful and confident
- Yellow communicates optimism, warmth and clarity
- Green is peaceful and is associated with growth and health
- Blue communicates strength, trust and dependability
- Purple is used to convey creativity, imagination and wisdom
- Gray is considered a neutral color but is used to communicate balance and calm
Pictures are Powerful
The philosophy that a picture is worth a thousand words is especially true when you are thinking about business cards. You have limited space to communicate your message, so when you can include a head shot, to attach your face to your name, or use the flipside of your card to simply display a photograph that sells your product or service, imagery can be a very powerful component to ensure that you remain atop your client’s mind.
Consider more “Active” Designs
Start with a blank card and look at it to identify how you could bring the card itself to life. Maybe additional flaps that fold over one another to create a 3D representation of your products and services could be the eye catcher. A relator or architect might consider small fold over walls that turn your business card into a miniature show home. This type of innovation brings your card to life.
Maybe the inclusion of a QR code which can be scanned by a smart phone and direct customers to a website or a video about you and your business can give your card more power to promote what you have to offer.
Consider that while you should be mindful that cards larger than a standard size might be problematic for a customer or colleague who files their cards in a business card portfolio, that doesn’t mean you are restricted to cards of the same shape or that will fill the entire frame. If you own a pizzeria, maybe your business card is shaped like a slice of pie. Photographers might include their message on a transparent panel in the center of the card which projects with light onto a wall. There are many creative approaches to business cards out there that are changing the way we look at the standard tools of communication for business.
In Edmonton, business cards are a focus of the work that we do at Laser Screen Printing and Mero Sportswear. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your ideas and to share from our portfolio of completed work to help you develop a one-of-a-kind format that is sure to turn heads. Give us a call, drop us an e-mail or visit us in the showroom to get started on developing a business card that belongs at the top of the deck.