Business cards do not have to be boring. Computer graphics and print technology have opened up an entirely new world of unique business cards design, letting you create small works of art instead of boring cards with your name and phone number printed on them.
Granted, some of the more fringy business card designs would be impractical for a person who is constantly handing them out. They can be expensive to make and may not fit in a traditional business card holder. But even within the confines of the standard business card, there are several easy ways to make your card stand out while remaining practical.
Remember: your unique business cards are often a person’s first link with you, and you want to stand out from the rest. If you’re down to your last dozen or so plain business cards it may be time for your business cards to undergo a makeover. Take a look at some of the more interesting and unique business cards on sites like creativebits.org (http://creativebits.org/cool_business_card_designs). Your cards don’t have to be as daring as some of these designs, but there may be elements you can borrow from them.
For example, you might consider creating unique business cards that are magnets. Sure, people have been doing this for a while now, but it makes sense: your business card will get stuck onto someone’s refrigerator while someone else’s card goes into the trash or through the laundry in a pocket. You can get 500 of them for around $100.
Die cut cards can be made in just about any shape. For example, if you’re a veterinarian, you could have your unique business cards die cut in the silhouette of a Dachsund or a sleeping cat. And even more typical shapes, like ovals, are bound to stand out from the rest. You can get 500 die cut cards for less than $100.
And if you’re read y to step one toe out of the box but want to remain fairly traditional otherwise, you can have your standard business cards made with rounded off corners. This is not expensive: generally less than $50 for 500 cards. And you can go with thermography business cards to give the luxurious touch of raised printing without changing the design otherwise.
Folded cards can be made to stand up like a sandwich board or like a hinged picture frame, made to look like miniature brochures will lots of good info about you and your business. Pre-folded, they run under $100 for 500 cards.
Who says unique business cards have to be made of paper? You can now get really stand-out designs in clear or colored plastics. They have the dual advantages of looking great and being far sturdier than paper business cards. At over $200 for 500 cards, they’re a bit steep, but people take notice, and they’ll survive trials that paper business cards can’t (like the heavy duty wash cycle on someone’s washing machine).
You can get unique business cards that are smaller than standard cards. They’ll still fit into a business card holder, but they stand out and are memorable. They’re inexpensive, too, running $20 or so for 500 cards.
The flip side of the plastic unique business cards that will last for a billion years or so are cards made from recycled materials. Some of them use soy ink, and they all use paper from 100% recycled fibers, like cereal boxes. Costs are similar to costs for traditional business cards, and you help save some trees, so it’s win-win.
Perforated cards come with a tear-off strip at the bottom that can be used in numerous creative ways: a cheat code for the game you designed, a bar code you can scan for a special message, or a mini color chart for the different colors you offer for your knit goods. These cost about the same as regular business cards.
For those who aren’t afraid to push the boundaries, unique business cards can be made to express just about any person’s sense of individuality. The business card flickr pool at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dailypoetics/sets/72057594104389710/ is full of inventive and unique business cards. But the one thing that is common to all good business cards, no matter how traditional or creative, is that they are small and they contain useful information.
Business cards should contain your name, your business name, mailing or street address, phone, fax, and cell numbers, email address, and web URL. Beyond that, the sky is the limit.
Say you are a specialist in acupuncture. You might make a business card with a design made from tiny holes to reflect your line of work. A textile artist may include a tiny swatch of material glued to the card. Someone who sells organic produce and free range eggs may have a simple, yet effective egg-shaped card with information done in a spare, minimalist font. An origami artist could make unique business cards into a simple origami shape, like an origami goldfish.
Simple pop-up designs are great, too. Cutting a notch from a folded card to produce a small hinged shape that pops up when you open the card is quite easy. The web is full of instructional pictures and videos that tell you exactly how to add a pop-up feature to a folded card. Though making them in large quantities would be either time intensive (if you do it yourself) or expensive (if you have it done by professionals), they’re sure to be a hit with everyone.
One very simple design that can be incorporated into a standard business card is a cut-out that resembles a miniature book. The “spine” of the book remains attached, while the two “pages” are cut out and folded. A standard business card can also be folded to resemble a make-up compact for a make-up artist’s business card. A performer may make unique business cards that look like ticket stubs, or a dog groomer could make cards that look like the name-tags dogs wear on their collars.
With professions like law and business, more traditional business card designs still rule, and it’s probably not a good idea to go to far beyond the norm, other than subtle touches (like thermography business cards). But in industries like the arts, clothing design, culinary specialties and even medicine, people are taking creative liberties with their unique business cards and making themselves stand out in the process. The benefits are subtle, but real. If a client knows that you’ve taken the time to design your business card in the shape of a mini-skirt, or to look like an ID badge, the client is more likely to remember you first.
The bottom line is this: don’t let your business card design be an afterthought. You have a 3.5 x 2 inch “canvas” (two if you use the front and back) on which to distill your business identity and make yourself memorable. Ideas abound, so if you don’t feel inspired, there are a number of designs online that you can peruse as you try to come up with your own perfect design. Your business is special, and the cards you use should reflect that.