Good Business Cards in Just 7 Steps
Good business cards should fit like a glove. Learn how to get from a rough idea to the finished business card in just 7 steps here.
For start-ups, they are the first step into everyday business, for the self-employed they are the tickets to lucrative contracts, and for small and medium-sized companies they are a must in terms of business stationery: Business cards. But what makes a business card good? And more importantly: How do you get compact contact cards that generate leads, convince customers or get new business contacts to call you back?
What Makes a Business Card Good?
Good business cards contain all the important information. So the name, profession or role, address, telephone number(s), e-mail address, Web address and the company name. They also need to be attractive, eye-catching, and professionally designed.
The latter, in particular, presents difficulties for many young companies. But designing an attractive business card is actually not really complicated at all. These 7 simple steps might help:
1. Determine the purpose
The first step is to think about what you ultimately want to achieve with your business cards. Should the contact cards simply and clearly convey the most important information about you and your company, because you hand them over during personal meetings anyway? Are you handing out your contact cards at a trade show instead and need to stand out from the crowd of competitors? Or would you also like to do a bit of advertising with your business card at the same time – for example as a folding card with a detachable discount coupon? This basic direction or requirement will influence the design of your business cards during the following steps.
2. Find the right size and shape
The most common size and shape for business cards are 8.5 x 5.5 cm in landscape format. This form has established itself over many years, as the business cards fit in any wallet and also in standard business card cases. Because of this, contact cards in credit card format are a safe, rock solid choice – irrespective of whether you decide to attach importance to a discreet design or bold layout later on.
If you want to stand out, however, you should move away from the “norm” right here. With square business cards, for example – so that your address data looks like an Instagram post. Or what about business cards in a narrow portrait or landscape format, 3 x 7 cm for example? This would only leave space for a logo and very important core information about you and your business – it can also be appealing.
Folding cards, on the other hand, offer more space for content. So if you want to place a location map of your business, an excerpt from your portfolio or image photos – folding cards with a horizontal or vertical fold offer enough space for it.
3. Structure the information
Once you have decided on a size and format, it’s time to prepare your contact information.
The following must be on a business card:
- Name
- Company name and/or logo
- Job title/Profession
- Address
- Telephone number
- E-mail address
- Website URL of the company
Optional information for business cards:
- Links to social media profiles
- Additional landline or mobile numbers
- Reference to availability via MS Teams, Skype etc.
- Business hours
All kinds of information can therefore be placed on a business card. The weighting of the individual points does, of course, depend on your company. For retail stores, hair salons or car repair shops, the address and opening hours on the business cards are essential. Young start-ups or purely digital companies, on the other hand, can actually do without the company address.
4. Design the layout
For potential customers, business contacts or new employees, your business card is the first point of contact with your company. And this shows just how important your contact cards are. So a cool design that matches your corporate identity and grabs attention is a must.
The best place to start is the font. Is this already defined in your CI? Great, then you can skip this point directly. Otherwise, make sure the font matches your brand, is easy to read, and includes all of the important special characters.
For example, script fonts have a playful, charming and personal appearance, and are therefore perfect for hairdressing and beauty salons, handicraft stores or boutiques. Serif fonts have a more sophisticated, serious and business-like feel, making them ideal for law firms, medical practices or upmarket restaurants.
Sans serif fonts convey a modern, friendly, and inviting image – perfect for anyone who wants to appear down-to-earth. Tip: Compare fonts online to find the perfect one for your company. Your font size should not be smaller than 8 point.
Got the font? Perfect, now make a plan about what you want to place on the front and what you want to place on the back. Will all of your contact information fit on the front? If so, you could use the back for promotional purposes. For example, place a voucher code for your online store there. Or turn the back of your business card into a bonus card for regular customers with a stamp field. Bars and pubs could print drink specials or even a bartender’s favourite cocktail recipe, or similar.
However, there is one thing you should keep in mind: Don’t overload your business cards. Because the more graphical elements you have on your contact cards, the more confusing they become. To put it another way: Only place the most important elements on them so that they get full attention.
Tip: If you don’t have any layout software available, then use the FLYERALARM layout service to commission graphic designers, who will then create your individual business cards for you: FLYERALARM Layout Service
5. Choose material and finishing
The choice of material for your business cards also matters: If you want to make the right impression right away, you have to be convincing. With high-quality linen papers you convey seriousness and reliability. Recycled and natural paper, on the other hand, looks authentic, sustainable and down-to-earth. Elegantly coated papers are suitable for photo-realistic motifs, making them perfect for creative people.
In addition to the material, you can set accents with finishing or refinements. For example, have your business cards coated with glossy varnish to make the colours look even more intense. A matt foil lamination, on the other hand, protects the business cards from fingerprints and coffee splashes. And with partial finishes or refinements, such as hot foil stamping, an additional colour or letterpress cutting, you can produce additional highlights. This way, your business card will stand out, even among dozens of others.
Blog post about partial hot foil
6. Export print data
No matter how well your business cards are designed, how perfectly you have implemented your corporate identity, or how sophisticated your material finishing is – if your print data is not created correctly, or if you have set the wrong check mark during export, even the best online printing company will be unable to print a good business card. Creating and exporting print data for business cards is really not that difficult. Even partial finishes or refinements, such as hot foils or special colours, are quite simple to implement.
7. Bring the business cards to life (optional)
If you’ve taken the first six steps to heart with your business cards, you could now put some icing on the cake. Print your business cards with a QR code, for example. These “square interfaces” between the digital and analogue worlds are making a real comeback right now. You can use them to attract potential customers or new business contacts to a landing page of your choice. For example, link directly to an image film that promotes your company or your latest service. Or print a discount code below the QR code and have the code linked directly to your online store – a maximum conversion rate is guaranteed.
Good business cards at affordable prices
When creating your own business cards, there are many things you can do right – and just as many faux pas you can avoid. If you have any questions regarding the creation of your print data, the general design of your printed matter or delivery times, you will always find the right contact person at FLYERALARM:
