How to Design a Business Card: The Complete Guide

This publish was final up to date on April 12, 2023.

As our technique of communication grow to be more and more digital, the printed enterprise card retains its place as a staple of the enterprise world – and it’s straightforward to see why. In any case, it’s a fast and cost-effective means of handing out data. And on the similar time, it additionally varieties a tangible reminiscence of you and your small business within the arms of potential leads.

A enterprise card is a small piece of paper that holds your contact data. It conveniently rounds up all the necessities in a single place, together with your identify, model emblem and speak to particulars like your web site, telephone quantity, and social media handles. It serves as a nonintrusive and pleasant invitation to succeed in out at any time.

Making a enterprise card might be accomplished with the assistance of knowledgeable designer, or independently utilizing a enterprise card maker. Right here’s every thing it’s good to learn to design a enterprise card by yourself, defined in a number of easy steps:

How you can design a enterprise card

1. Select your small business card dimension

2. Get your branding property so as

3. Determine on the course your card will take

4. Keep away from frequent enterprise card design errors

5. Select what to placed on your small business card

6. Add eye-catching imagery

7. Use distinctive design touches

8. Finalize every thing earlier than you print

01. Select your small business card dimension

The usual enterprise card sizes range from nation to nation. Whereas the next dimensions are probably the most generally used ones, notice that they don’t seem to be necessary and might be modified to greatest suit your imaginative and prescient and concepts:

US and Canada Customary: 3.5” × 2” (89mm × 51mm)

With bleed: 3.75” × 2.25” (95.25mm × 57.15 mm)

Western Europe Customary: 3.35” × 2.17” (85mm × 55mm)

With bleed: 3.58” × 2.40” (91mm × 61mm)

Japanese Europe Customary: 3.5” × 1.9” (90mm × 50mm)

Oceania Customary: 3.54” × 2.165” (90mm × 55mm)

Japan Customary: 3.582” × 2.165” (91mm × 55mm)

Alongside the usual enterprise card sizes are a number of vital printing phrases to bear in mind earlier than approaching the design of your small business card:

• Bleed space: This refers back to the design components (reminiscent of colours and features) that stretch past the sting of the place the cardboard will likely be trimmed as soon as printed. The bleed ensures that the cardboard won’t have any unprinted areas, regardless of minor offsets within the chopping course of. Bleed sizes vary from 0.125″ to 0.25″, so it’s greatest to verify the required dimension together with your printer.

• Trim line: These are strains that mark the sides of the cardboard, signalling the place the blade reduce needs to be made.

• Security margins: These mark the strains past which no vital design components (reminiscent of textual content or logos) needs to be positioned. The security margins are normally round 0.19” from the trim line. This apply is supposed to stop the design from being reduce off, because the blade reduce might be made anyplace between the bleed and the protection margins.

02. Get your branding property so as

Your online business card ought to seize the essence of your model and model identification. Earlier than approaching the design of your small business card, be sure to have every thing you want so as to get it proper:

• Emblem: A emblem is likely one of the most vital components to seem on a enterprise card. In case you don’t have already got one, you possibly can rent knowledgeable designer, or do it your self utilizing instruments such because the Wix Emblem Maker. This emblem design information also can assist steer you in the appropriate course.

• Enterprise identify: The identify of your small business ought to clearly clarify what it’s that you just’re all about. For inspiration and catchy concepts, try this Enterprise Identify Generator.

• Model shade scheme: Colours can evoke feelings and set the appropriate temper on your model. Be sure that your small business card maintains the identical model colours as your web site and all different branding property.

• Tone of voice: Is your model skilled and reliable, or is it enjoyable and dynamic? In case you haven’t already accomplished so, determine what your small business stands for. These model values ought to then mirror in your small business card, each in its design and written textual content.

03. Determine on the course your card will take

Whereas a enterprise card locations only a small canvas at your disposal, there are numerous choices to be made earlier than approaching its design:

• Form: Enterprise playing cards are mostly rectangular, however you possibly can additionally go for extra distinctive shapes as an alternative. Some examples embody a sq., a circle, or just a rectangle with rounded corners. And whereas most enterprise playing cards are designed horizontally, a vertical orientation could possibly be one other attention-grabbing possibility to think about.

• Factor placement: Most enterprise playing cards are double-sided, however there are additionally fold-over playing cards (a.okay.a tent playing cards). Both means, determine on which components you’d wish to placed on all sides. For instance, the brand can go on the entrance, together with your identify and speak to particulars on the again.

• Model: Bearing in mind the branding property from the earlier part, be sure that your small business card exudes your model’s fashion. Take a look at rivals’ enterprise playing cards that share a glance just like yours and browse inspiration, starting from the minimalist to the daring, and from the timeless to the stylish. You can too browse some enterprise card concepts to seek out just a little inspiration.

04. Keep away from the frequent errors

• Design with a bleed: Make sure to embody a bleed in your design (as defined above). Moreover, don’t place any vital data outdoors of the protection margins, in order that it isn’t reduce off.

• CMYK shade mode: Set your shade mode to CMYK, which is the colour mannequin utilized in printing (and never RGB, which is used for display shows).

• Work in excessive decision: To make sure that your small business card isn’t pixelated, work on a 300dpi decision file. All recordsdata utilized in your design (reminiscent of your emblem, icons, and pictures), needs to be of equally top quality.

• Preserve legibility: Make it possible for your textual content is written in a font that’s no smaller than 8 factors, in order that it’s clear and legible. For a similar cause, retain good shade distinction in your design (there are numerous on-line shade palette instruments for checking shade legibility).

05. What to placed on a enterprise card

The perfect enterprise playing cards talk vital data rapidly and simply, with out making an attempt to cram in too many pointless particulars. That can assist you slender it down, right here’s probably the most related data that needs to be included when deciding the way to design a enterprise card:

1. Emblem: An organization emblem is an absolute should on any enterprise card, including to your professionalism and credibility. Place your emblem in a outstanding place on the cardboard, permitting it to face out.

2. Your identify: Your online business card is about connecting to you as an individual, which makes your identify an unequivocally important asset.

3. Your job title: Assist jog individuals’s reminiscence with a phrase or two about your position within the firm, reminiscent of ‘Founder and Supervisor’ or ‘Designer.’

4. Firm identify: Make sure to point out your small business identify, except it’s already clearly acknowledged within the emblem, or if it’s the identical identify as your individual (there’s no must repeat it twice).

5. Tagline: This one is non-obligatory, however you possibly can add a concise rationalization of what you do, with a catchy slogan of round three to 5 phrases.

6. Web site: Add your web site’s area identify, which means your net tackle. There’s no want to incorporate the ‘ bit, and you may even drop the ‘www’ in case you like.

7. Contact particulars: This contains your telephone quantity and electronic mail tackle. In case you use from a brick-and-mortar location, add your avenue tackle as nicely. Add your social media handles too, in the event that they’re related on your line of labor.

06. Add eye-catching imagery

A enterprise card’s visible language can improve the concepts it needs to speak. This may be accomplished by the use of design fundamentals reminiscent of a shade palette, font pairings, composition, and hierarchy. One other ingredient that provides a lot visible worth is using imagery.

A picture might be an illustration, {a photograph}, an icon, or a sample. Whereas every of these serves a barely totally different objective, they’ll all be used to attract consideration to your model. For instance, a bakers’ enterprise card can embody a classy illustration of berry-scattered macaroons, or alternatively, a black and white {photograph} of arms skillfully kneading dough.

Nonetheless, keep away from utilizing photographs which might be too literal and don’t contribute to the cardboard’s general temper and vibe. In case you’re an artist, for instance, displaying one in all your items is a greater possibility than going for a extra generic icon of a paintbrush.

07. Use distinctive touches to face out

Making use of particular finishes could make for a very bespoke enterprise card. Whereas these are considerably extra pricey, they’ll additionally add an opulent really feel and delicate tactility. Make certain to not add too many particular strategies on one card, nevertheless, because the end result can seem chaotic.

• Foil stamping or metallic inks: Metallic colours reminiscent of silver, copper, and gold, can’t be achieved utilizing the CMYK printing methodology. They’ll, nevertheless, be created utilizing foil stamping or metallic inks.

• Embossing or letterpressing: These two printing strategies press choose components of the design into or out of the web page, in order that they increase off the paper and create a three-dimensional impact.

• Spot UV coating: This method applies a transparent coat over sure components of the printed matter, reminiscent of the brand, including gloss to the design.

• Laser cuts: This methodology creates intricate cuts within the design utilizing a laser. It serves to chop out components of a enterprise card for a extra intriguing end result.

• Particular supplies: Enterprise playing cards are mostly printed on cardstock, however they may also be printed on different supplies, from wooden to metallic or magnets.

08. Finalize earlier than you print

You’re nearly accomplished! You’ll quickly have these beauties printed out and able to hand out to colleagues and shoppers. However earlier than calling it a day, be certain that to finalize your work in order that there’s no room for error. When you’ve despatched the file to print, any last-minute adjustments will likely be rather more difficult and dear.

• Proofread: Triple verify that every thing in your card is spelled accurately, that the knowledge is up-to-date and correct, and that all of it appears precisely as you propose it to.

• Look over the visuals: Make it possible for the photographs are in high-resolution, and that you’ve the authorized rights to make use of them.

• Analysis printing choices: Look into accessible printing choices in your space, and evaluate costs and companies. When you select your printers, focus on cardstock choices and printing strategies together with your contact individual. You may additionally wish to go to the store in individual, in order to browse paper choices in actual life. Lastly, ask for instructions on the kind of recordsdata that the printers would really like you (or your designer) to export.

Now, all that’s left is to export your working recordsdata, ship them to the printers – and benefit from the recent odor of print when the completed product arrives!

By Eden Spivak

Design Skilled & Author