5 Crucial Business Card Design Tips for Entrepreneurs

Over 70% of people will judge a business on the quality of their business card. With numbers like that, it’s imperative that your design game is on point. Business card design tips can help you avoid common pitfalls and ensure your business is putting its best foot forward.

Here are 5 crucial tips to take on board as you start to design a business card.

Make it Readable

As entrepreneurs, we have a lot to say about our businesses. But when it comes to putting that down on paper, be mindful of your medium. Business cards are small by design so your copy has to work extra hard to be legible.

A good rule of thumb when designing a business card is to not drop below 8pt font size. This will ensure your carefully constructed pixels won’t turn into a smudge when printed.

You should also be mindful of the typography. When in doubt, opt for simple, professional, and legible. That calligraphy font might work a treat on Instagram but on a business card you’ll likely end up with something as readable as hieroglyphics.

Stay on Brand

Your business should be recognizable, no matter the medium. This means cultivating a consistent look and feel. If you don’t have a logo yet, now’s the time to get one. You’ll also want to settle on your brand colors.

All these elements should come into play when tackling your business card design. If you have a brand font, use it. Signature imagery? Use it. Your audience should be able to pick your business card out of a lineup without ever reading a word.

Use Imagery

Humans are visual creatures. Over 90% of the input processed by our brains is visual. Use that and use it well.

One side of your card should contain your textual information: who you are and what you do. But the other side is an excellent canvas for tapping into that 90% statistic.

Just remember to choose imagery that harkens back to your brand’s look and feel. If you’re a landscape architect then a picture of a motorcycle won’t do your brand much good.

Be Mindful of Bleeds and Safe Areas

Every printer will have a different set of these specifications so check in advance before you start designing. Many recommend a 3mm bleed around the edge of your design but some can be as wide as 5mm.

The safe area is the area of the card that won’t be cut off during the printing process. You should ensure all essential information is kept to this area.

Triple-Check Your Artwork

This should go without saying but do check and recheck your artwork before sending your design to the printers. There’s nothing worse than receiving 200 beautifully printed business cards only to realize you misspelled your own name.

Proofread and then proofread again. If in doubt, get a third party to check the design for you as well.

Be Mindful of These Business Card Design Tips

A good business card can make or break a first impression. With these business card design tips, you’ll ensure your business is bringing its A-game when someone next pops the question: “So, what do you do?”

Looking to retain customers? Here’s how to create a successful customer loyalty program.

Adam Hansen
 

Adam is a part time journalist, entrepreneur, investor and father.