Business Card Basics

Your business card says much about the business and the person who distributes it. The business card though usually standardized in size and purpose telegraphs one of the first promotional messages about the company.  It communicates your status within the company and your company’s unique personality.  It should be viewed as an important sales tool for your organization.

Business Card as Identity Bearer

Determine how the company’s logo will be used on the card. Give the company logo the prominence it deserves, while balancing its size in relation to other even important information on the business card. Determine what information will be included about the card’s owner. Select from a number of standard card information options such as name, job title, company street or mailing address, business and fax phone numbers and the individual’s email address.  Consider including other non-standard information if appropriate such as the individual’s academic degrees or trade licenses.  Ensure all this information is in a font size and style that is easily readable.

Two-Sides to Every Card

Break from the norm and utilize the often neglected second-side of your business card.  Rather than cramming a lot of information on the front face of the business card, use the flip side of your card to include your company’s motto, business hours, even information on the types of products you sell. Don’t waste this valuable real estate which can further dimensionalize, explain, or promote your company’s business once you’ve distributed the card to a potential customer. Including critical information on a business card’s other side acts as a sales tool for the company or individual way beyond the initial face to face situation when the card might be first distributed.

Card Finishing

Determine the card stock (paper) on which your business card will be printed. Evaluate the available card stock options in terms of their weight as a higher card weight imparts a higher quality business card and a higher status for the business itself.

Review the various options for using colored paper stock, recognizing that a colored business card will stand out among the field of plain white or beige business cards used by most businesses.  Select a card color appropriate for your business such as traditional white for an attorney or avant-garde neon-green for a graphic designer.

Consider using embossing on your business card.  An embossed company logo is the mark of a very high-quality business card.  Raised printing is another option to give your card a tactile feel and give it a uniqueness of character that can contribute to your card being singled out for saving and potentially being used by a new customer prospect at some future date.