Most people don’t think like this, but your business card is a part of your marketing strategy. In certain professions, your business card is vital to success. Often it’s either the first thing that people see, or it’s the lasting impression you make after your first meeting. It is important to view your business card in this way before you create it, so that you know exactly what impression you want to leave.
Stand Out vs. Blend In
The big question you have to ask yourself (and this will depend a lot on what industry you’re in and what company you work with) is whether you want your card to “fit the norm” or stand out from the crowd. In my opinion, it’s always better to stand out from the crowd. Fitting in means getting ignored.
So how to you stand out without going over the top? Shape and size are a great place to start. You can make your card bigger or smaller than most, ensuring that it gets noticed. You can escape the rectangle altogether and go with a circle (one of my favorite cards that I was ever given is a tiny circular black card, I still have it on my desk).
You can use color to stand out as well, in a more formal way. People are so used to seeing the normal black type on a white background, that a little bit of color or some designs can go a long way to helping you leave a good impression.
Must-Haves
Business cards are a great place to get creative. But it doesn’t matter how creative you get if you’re missing the basic information a client needs to see. If you are missing some or most of the following items, you might be missing out on some business too. Your name, the business name (if different from your name), phone number, URL where they can find your work, email address, business address (if you have one).
And now this…