Designing a business card that's right for you
Business cards help to create a professional face for you and your company. That's why it is so important to design a business card that projects an appropriate image.
The first step in designing a business card is to think about what product or service you are marketing, as well as what the outward perception of your company should be. If you are using a business card solely for the purpose of
representing yourself then you want something that reflects your individual personality as well as the field in which you work. These business cards, or
free business cards, should be simple and kept fairly parsimonious with the amount of information present. Nothing more than your name, e-mail address, website if you have one and a phone number should be present. Don't go crazy with custom logos or graphics.
If your business card is for your company then you will want to take things a little bit farther. Obviously you want to include your company name, any contact information and your company's slogan or logo. Ideally this type of business card should match the colors, look and feel of your company's established brand. They don't have to be a 100% carbon copy of your current company art work; however they should at least look similar. Again you want to keep things fairly simple with a less is more attitude; thus keeping the pertinent contact information at the forefront with graphics serving only as a complementary backdrop.
As far custom sizes and shapes you generally want to stay away from this unless you are a graphic designer. It can be very tempting to spend a little bit of extra money to create uniquely shaped business cards however it's important to remember that the people you are giving these cards to must store them in a convenient fashion; and anything other than the traditional rectangle can be decidedly inconvenient for many people. If you choose an unusual shape like a circle or a triangle do not be surprised if your business card ends up in a trashcan rather than a Rolodex.
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Creating professional business cards
