Many companies provide business cards for employees but if you are an independent consultant, starting a small business, running a home business or starting a new money making opportunity you will need to print business cards.
This article will help you create a business card that will impress with a few style tips.
- Step 1
Start with the correct card stock. While not everyone can afford the classic stationers and purchase Crane's 100% cotton business cards, you can take some lessons from the best.
Use a heavy weight card stock. If you have the opportunity to go with a cool color or take a classic color that has a heavier weight, go with the heavier weight. - Step 2
Decide if you are going to use traditional paper or cotton paper for your business cards. For this step you need to be at the printers touching the paper or at the office supply store and feeling the business card samples. Feel the business cards and see if there is a difference. Use a tightly woven, glossy card for High Definition photos or images. For all other cards with traditional text and a foil monograph or business logo, consider choosing a more elegant paper that is heavy weight and has the unique feel of cotton.
Once you have chosen the paper for your business cards based on both weight and feel, you are ready to start the design. - Step 3
Design your business card to reflect your professional style, not your personal style. Just as you placed that tatoo so it would not be visible during the business day, the business card should convey the professional message that you want communicated.
At the stationers, look through examples and ask questions about mixing and matching fonts, colors, papers and images.
Use an online business card template or business card software. Print the results and evaluate them for a day. Ask others which style they think best matches your professional style.
Do not use the software for making business cards that is currently in your word processing software because those standard business card templates are already in broad use and your business card will have nothing to distinguish you from the others. - Step 4
Give your business cards an international flare. Will you be working internationally? If so, put the country exchange in front of the phone number and, if fluent in another language, repeat the information on the back of the card in the other lanuage. If you will not be working internationally, do not include this, it may appear pretentious.
- Step 5
Avoid common mistakes in making business cards that leave the impression you are not serious about your business.
Avoid use of a free(gmail, hotmail) or residential (verizon, comcast) email account. Use one card per business venture, make two cards if you have two business ventures. Clean up those serrated edges by rubbing them against the sharp corner of a desk. - Step 6
Get business cards for free through special promotions online or at your office supply store if possible. Just use the free business cards at those opportunities where it is appropriate for you to hand over a business card but you anticipate it will go straight into the trash or you have no interest in doing any follow on conversations. If you choose to carry both a high end business card and free business card, they should look almost exactly the same, just store one in the front of the pile and the other in the back and you can pull them out discreetly
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